BENITEZ ON THE PACE FACTOR

Rafa: Pace will punish teams

Rafa Benitez believes his summer changes at Liverpool will reap big rewards, especially away from home with an injection of Valencia-style wingers.

"It was difficult at times last season because, in terms of pace, our only option up front was Djibril Cisse," Benitez told The Sunday Mirror.

"Now we have so many different aspects to our game.

"We have the intelligence of Peter Crouch and Robbie Fowler and also the pace of Mark Gonzalez and Craig Bellamy.

"Pace isn't everything. The most important quality is football ability, but in modern football, it is a fact that it is more difficult to succeed if you don't have that real speed in your team.

"What you need is a balance of good pace and good movement and also players who can make the most of those qualities."

He added: "It is important for any team with ambitions to have these different options.

"Now we should be able to do much better away from home against those teams who play high up the pitch and leave space behind.

"I think we can win some games that we didn't last season.

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