Rafael Benítez has defended Arsène Wenger against criticism he is a sore loser and claimed the Arsenal manager would not have achieved so much success without finding defeat unacceptable.
Adapting the Vince Lombardi line of "Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser", the Liverpool manager, who has warned his side to expect a backlash from Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium tonight, insists Wenger has every right to protect his team following damaging defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea.
The Arsenal manager was branded an ungracious loser by the former Manchester City manager Mark Hughes following his side's Carling Cup exit in December and was accused by Michael Ballack of making excuses for Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, although Wenger has since blamed the media for that spat. Benítez, however, believes Wenger's behaviour is simply the mark of a fine manager. He said: "I don't know too many good managers who are good losers. You cannot be a good manager if you are happy to lose; you have to work hard and you have to defend yourself if necessary. I think he has experience, he has his own personality and he is a very good manager."
Liverpool would close the gap on third-placed Arsenal to two points with victory tonight and arrive at the Emirates unbeaten in seven league matches. But Benítez's defence of Arsenal went beyond Wenger's perceived inability to lose graciously, the Spaniard also arguing their performance against Chelsea provided scant evidence of a team suffering due to a predictable style.
The Liverpool manager, who will be without the suspended Sotirios Kyrgiakos and the ill Alberto Aquilani tonight, said: "They have different kinds of players and the style of Arsenal is very clear but they have been very successful, too. They have a good manager with experience and they play nice football and can beat anyone so they have it all.
"They can take some risks and sometimes they break for them. Arsenal had 70% of the possession against Chelsea and to me that is a lot. They had some chances too but they were losing from the first minute and that is not a normal situation. They were going forward and creating so I don't agree with the analysis that they were predictable and under control."
Steven Gerrard yesterday claimed Liverpool could yet overtake Arsenal and finish third in the Premier League, although much rests on the outcome at the Emirates. "I'm sure Arsenal will be a bit of a wounded animal," said the Liverpool captain. "It's a massive game for us and the target is to try and get a result where we can push on and try and get third place."
Milan Jovanovic last night signed a three-year contract with Liverpool, with the option of another year.
Benítez refused to comment on reports that he is unhappy with how Liverpool handled their pursuit of the Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh, who will move to Arsenal instead of Anfield this summer. "I don't think we will sign him, I don't want to say too much," he said. The 28-year-old Serbia international striker's deal at Standard Liège expires in the summer.
