Although the epithet was a comment on his easy-going lifestyle – Benitez first worked with his compatriot at Tenerife – it could easily have been a tribute to his capacity for sweet harmony with an advanced forward Ciss?nd Baros have so far struggled to forge a partnership. Garcia, however, has demonstrated the ability to dovetail with either the Frenchman or the Czech from a withdrawn role, rather as Dalglish, relying on speed of thought more than pace, did with Ian Rush. In fact, Garcia cites Michael Laudrup, formerly the creative hub of Barcelona, as his role model – and Benitez as his mentor. “He has always shown a lot of faith in me,” said Garcia, “and the fact that I gave up my home and family in Barcelona to come to Merseyside shows the faith I have in him.” The other captures from Spain, Xabi Alonso and Josemi, may be less easy on the eye, but each contributed handsomely.Alonso’s passing range made the £10.5m recruit from Real Sociedad a more positive foil for Steven Gerrard than Dietmar Hamann while Josemi, a £2m buy from Malaga, was sound at right-back. A late second-half double by the substitute Glen Fitzpatrick brought battling Shelbourne back from the brink against Lille at Lansdowne Road last night.
First-half goals by Mathieu Bodmer and Christophe Landrin gave the French side a 2-0 interval lead, but headers in the 80th and 83rd minute by Fitzpatrick, who came on for Thomas Morgan after 65 minutes, stunned the visitors who ended up hanging on for a draw.Trabzonspor managed to cling on to a 3-2 lead to beat Athletic Bilbao after a stirring fightback by the visiting Spanish team, who had been 3-0 down.Trabzonspor took the lead after 25 minutes when Gokdeniz Karadeniz sent in a cross which sailed past the goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia to the defender Javi Gonzalez.

We have to look at ourselves, not anyone else, that won’t help us We have to build on our own team and our own performances That is what we have to focus on.”. We’ll be giving everything whether it is the Premiership, Champions’ League, FA Cup or Carling Cup If you are a United player that is what it is about I am not concerned at the way the season has started It is history We can’t change it, we have to deal with it. “The Champions’ League is not more important to us – how can it be with Liverpool the next Premiership match?” he asked.”Every game we play this season is going to be played with full determination. You say Arsenal must have a dip at some stage, but we do not think about them. This prompted Laurent Blanc, the former United and France defender, to suggest they would concentrate on the Champions’ League.”Manchester know there is already an important gap between them and Arsenal in the championship,” Blanc said.

“At Manchester they dream of carrying off the Champions’ League again, five years after their last title, and this challenge will, without doubt, be the focus of their attention now.” Van Nistelrooy denied this. On Wednesday, despite receiving brutal treatment from the Lyon defence, he managed 79 minutes and scored two poacher’s goals.”I felt a lot better than at Bolton,” he said “I played 74 minutes against Bolton and it was hard. I hadn’t played since the Euros [Euro 2004] so I was happy to get a game. The manager said he would have to play me against Bolton because I would need that game before the Champions’ League started and he was right.”In Van Nistelrooy’s absence, Manchester United have slipped nine points behind Arsenal in the Premiership after just five games.