Rafa on priorities, form and Wenger

Ahead of Liverpool's Barclays Premier League clash against Arsenal the boss took time out of his busy schedule to speak with radio journalists. Here is what he had to say...

On a frustrating season so far...

We cannot change the situation in the Champions League but we are in the Europa League and we have to see if we can progress. Always you have to think about the positives and we will see what we can do. We are not happy because we are not in the Champions League but you have to find a positive way to approach things. In the Premier League we just have to concentrate on the next game against Arsenal. After that we have Wigan and Portsmouth so that's three games in eight days followed by the matches at Christmas which is a crucial period in England.

On conceding another late goal in midweek...

I was disappointed to concede a late goal. If you analyse our Champions League group we were not worse than the other teams during the games and we conceded three goals in the last minute. Analysing the three goals, two were mistakes and one was a lack of concentration. We are disappointed with this but maybe it's a good experience for the rest of the season and for the future.

On not reaching the standards set last season so far...

People forget that last season we were playing with Torres and Gerrard. We won a lot of games and got 86 points. If you analyse this year they haven't played too many games together and I was telling people that I am really positive because if you see both players at the same time now on the pitch fit it will be easier for us to win games. I prefer to start with Torres and Gerrard fit now because we have a lot of games to play. I think we can win more games and then you never know what can happen because all of the top sides can lose games. We have to start winning games and we have to start playing at the same level we were playing last season, with the same system and the same players. If these players are fit things will be different.

On finding a balance between defence and attack...

I was really pleased when we kept three clean sheets in a row and people were saying we have to score goals and be more offensive. Before, at the start of the season, we were scoring goals and conceding them and people were saying we have to be stronger in defence. To keep three clean sheets with the same defence I think was really positive so we will try to find the balance which is to score goals and not concede. If we can do this we will win games in a row, I am sure of that.

On criticism for playing two holding midfielders in Lucas and Javier Mascherano...

People say two holding midfielders but one of them is quite offensive and they have different roles during the game. To play Aquilani we have a very good option who I didn't have before. I will have a problem now!

On being more creative at home...

We have scored a lot of goals at home so it's not a question of creativity. It is a question sometimes of confidence. The main thing why sometimes we haven't won at home for me is we have been conceding goals. You can see the table and how many goals we have already scored at home. We will try to be solid in defence but play to attack and create opportunities and score goals.

On managing the injury situation...

It depends on the position of the player and the injury. If you don't have another player for the same position then you have to push other players and take a risk. We have to talk to the medical staff and decide on each player.

On the fitness of Fernando Torres and Alberto Aquilani...

We knew with Torres we had to wait. With Alberto the games we have had recently have been very physical games and the problem is he has no match fitness. We have been watching him in every training session and we decided it would be best to wait.

On claims it's too late for Liverpool to win the title now...

It is very clear to me that we must take one game at a time and then you never know. Anything can happen in football. The main thing for me is to win against Arsenal.

On keeping a positive frame of mind...

My responsibility is to be positive. If I am negative the fans and the players can't be positive. If someone wants to criticise me because I am positive then okay, that's part of the job. Clearly, if we can win against Arsenal we will have rhythm. You have to keep doing your job, winning games, and after it's a long, long race so we will see.

On the fight for the top four...

With all of our players available I think we can improve a lot. Arsenal have spent big money on young players and they have quality. The fans and everyone has to realise that Chelsea and Manchester United are very strong. Now we also have Tottenham, Aston Villa and Manchester City competing for the top four. When you compete in the Premier League you are playing against some of the best teams in the world. Can we improve this season and get a good run of winning games going? I think we can do it and hopefully we can start this weekend. Arsenal have a very good manager and I think they will also be in the top four at the end with us.

On his priority for the rest of the season...

We will try to win a trophy and finish in the top four. We have to keep thinking about the Premier League, then in January we can think about the FA Cup and after we have to start thinking about the Europa League.

On Arsene Wenger...

I think it's amazing what he has achieved here in England, especially when you are a foreign manager. It is difficult because you need to understand a lot of things in a different country. He is a great manager.

On Cesc Fabregas...

Arsenal have top-class players. They play with a good mentality and they pass the ball quickly. They have players who can change a game. Fabregas is one of their best players. He is a player with a very good mentality who can manage and can dictate the tempo of a game. He is a very good passer of the ball and he's a personality so we know he is a player we have to keep an eye on all of the time.

On the 4-4 draw with Arsenal at Anfield last season...

That was an amazing game with a lot of goals. It was good for the fans but it wasn't the best for the manager because we both conceded four goals. We want to play well, score goals and not concede on Sunday.

On contract negotiations for Javier Mascherano and Pepe Reina...

With Javier we are progressing. We have to talk again with his agent and then start talking about details. It was positive and Javier is happy now so I think it will be easier to progress. With Pepe we are also really happy with him and we are talking with his agent.