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LIVERPOOL FC: YOSSI: I CAME HERE TO WIN TROPHIES

Yossi Benayoun is hoping Liverpool can maintain their impressive finish to the season by realising his dream of being crowned a Champion of Europe.

/noticias.info/ The Israeli playmaker admits that the main reason behind his decision to swap West Ham for Anfield during the summer was the chance to win trophies and is now urging his teammates to keep their focus as they look to secure fourth place in the league - as well as a season defining trip to Moscow.

"I came here because of this," he said. "I want to try and win trophies and it is amazing for me to be in the semi-final of the Champions League and looking to finish in the top four of the Premier League.

"But we still need to work hard to try and make that final step because the thought of actually winning the Champions League is incredible."

The Reds travel to relegation threatened Fulham on Saturday ahead of Tuesday's crunch Champions League semi-final clash with Chelsea at Anfield.

The Cottagers gave themselves a Premier League lifeline last week with a superb 2-0 win away to Reading and Benayoun wants Liverpool to be wary of the Londoners' threat and play with the same mentality that clinched three points against Blackburn last time out.

He said: "It was a hard game against Blackburn because they are always tough opponents but after a difficult first half we played better in the second half and we took all three points.

"It was a good win and we have been playing well lately but now we have to keep it going against Fulham.

"We have to look to win the rest of our games to make sure we get fourth place but we know it will be difficult against Fulham because they need the points for their fight against relegation.

"So it will be another tough game but we have the confidence that we can get the victory we are looking for.

"Fulham knew before the game against Reading that that was probably their last real chance because if they hadn't have won that game they would almost definitely have gone down.

"They played really well though, scored a couple of very good goals and hit the woodwork on three or four occasions.

"It was a good performance, particularly because they were under so much pressure, and we know that Reading are not easy to beat on their own ground so you have to give Fulham a lot of credit for going there and winning.

"The win they earned will mean they have more confidence going into tomorrow's game also. That means we will have to work hard and look to impose our game on them because we are the better team and we need to show it."

A win over Roy Hodgson's side would further tighten Liverpool's grip on fourth place and while many observers feel Benitez may make changes to his line-up ahead of the Chelsea match, Benayoun insists they must not take things for granted, and take one match at a time.

"With the game against Fulham being just a few days before the Chelsea game at Anfield it is a good chance for us to boost our confidence," he said.

"We know that a win on Saturday would be positive before such a massive game but we cannot afford to be distracted by the Champions League.

"If you lose your focus then you make things difficult for yourselves and that is why you always have to take one game at a time and not look too far into the future.

"But we have experience of these situations and we know what we have to do and I am sure we will go to Fulham with the right attitude and looking to do the right things to win the game."

The Israeli international has struggled to make an impression on the Reds starting XI in recent weeks as Benitez has stood by the players who have produced such an impressive run.

But rather than bemoan a lack of opportunity, Benayoun is keen to keep working hard and ensure he makes a key contribution whenever he is called upon.

"Whenever I play I always try to do my best," he said.

"Against Blackburn I came on as substitute and had half an hour to try and change the game and of course I'm happy that we ended up scoring three goals after I came on.

"The only thing I can do is work hard and look to play well whenever I have the chance and to try to help the team as much as possible.

"At the end of January I was playing lots of games but since then the manager has changed the shape of the team and we are winning lots of games so you cannot complain.

"We have a lot of quality players so I just need to wait for my next chance to prove that I am a good player and I will try to do my best.
"But the most important thing is the team. We are doing well at the moment and hopefully that will continue."

So what would be the perfect end to the season for Yossi? How about fourth place in the Barclays Premier League and a Champions League winners medal...?

"That would be a dream come true," he said.

"But first we must concentrate on trying to beat Fulham and making sure we qualify for next season's Champions League." notas_de_prensa_archivo