Benitez: we're hitting top gear

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is looking forward to seeing his side hit top gear. The Liverpool coach confessed that with a series of huge games ahead - including the Liverpool derby with Everton, a battle with Manchester United and three consecutive games against Arsenal - Liverpool are ready to kick start their season.

"We now have a very tough spell. Everyone kept saying that because of that we had to win our three home league games with West Ham, Newcastle and now Reading. We have now done that," he explained,

"Now we have really difficult games and we needed these seven wins beforehand.

"Now we have five very hard games, three with Arsenal plus Everton and Manchester United away next week. We will only think of each one as it arrives, you cannot start to worry about what is ahead.

"The first one is the most important. If we can keep our momentum then it will be easier going into the second one. We must not waste our time thinking too far ahead.

"We started the season playing well, winning a lot of games, scoring plenty of goals and we were unbeaten in the league until December.

"Still we have only lost three league games, our problem has been drawing too many and we are aware of that.

"If we had won just three of those drawn matches things would be very different."