Benitez desperate for domestic glory

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Following a disappointing start to the season which has seen Liverpool lose five league games already, many are ruling the Reds out of the title race this term, but Benitez - who brought the Champions League trophy to Anfield in 2005 - is desperate to claim the domestic crown.

He told The Times: "Anyone who knows me knows that I want to win every trophy, every game. But if you ask me what I prefer, I will say the Premier League. If I do not win the title, I'm sure I'd be so disappointed maybe I would have this feeling [of failure]."

Many saw last term as a great chance for Liverpool to challenge for the Premier League title, but Benitez saw his plans scuppered when he failed to bring Gareth Barry to Liverpool.

And he believes the season would have turned out differently - possibly even with his ultimate goal reached - had Barry moved to Anfield.

"You never know," he said. "Football is a funny game. The plan was for Barry to play on the left and feed the ball to Robbie Keane, who would play up front with Fernando Torres.

"This blueprint had to be scrapped. The collateral damage was Keane, who signed from Tottenham Hotspur before the Barry deal had been done.

"When we wanted to sign Barry, we were sure we were signing a good player with a very good mentality and the quality to play in the Premier League. The priority was Barry, then Keane."