Liverpool boss Benitez: I have the squad to launch serious title tilt

Seemingly, the Spaniard has learnt the lessons of previous seasons, and has fallen short of claiming the Reds will lift the Premier League trophy in May.

Yet the 48-year-old Kop boss believes he has the squad to push bitter rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all the way in what he perceives to be the toughest league in the world.

Looking forward: Benitez believes he has the squad to launch a serious title challenge

'I am confident about my squad, and I am happy that we have the best squad since I arrived at Anfield. But the key is not to say we will win the title, because the Premier League is now the best - and most difficult - in Europe,' Benitez said.

'The standard has gone up so much since I arrived here. Back then, there were good players in the league, but Spain, Italy and Germany all signed some of the best players in the world.

'Now, everybody wants to come here, and that quality is amazing. Just look at the Champions League. Three of the last four were from England, and Arsenal played really well in the competition too,' Benitez told Liverpool's official website.

Last season, Liverpool reversed the trend of recent seasons by making a promising start to the campaign, yet fell short of eventual title winners United by 11 points.

And the Spaniard admits that there is also a gulf between the clubs in terms of financial clout.

'They are the best in Europe. They can spend £20million on players just for the bench. But my belief is unshakeable that we can compete with them.

'We are not the richest club, and we have had a lot of work to do, but I have kept my desire and my confidence that it is possible to win.

'It has been slower than we like because the others are so strong, but last season was the best squad we have had, and this year could be better,' Benitez said.

Benitez also spoke about the transition of the club since his arrival from Valencia in 2005, before admitting that the Reds' success in Europe may have hindered previous title challenges.

'We have created a totally new squad. There are only three or four players now from when we arrived, but they are very, very good players, and we have a very, very good squad.

'Maybe our European success hasn't helped us, because it made people believe we were ready to challenge for the league when we were not.

'Now though, we are in the position we always wanted to be. You can say it's the starting point in a way, but we have the benefit of learning from the mistakes of recent seasons, and we are at another level now.'