Reina willing to take more risks

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina admitted Rafa Benitez's side must take more risks if they are to end their 20-year wait for the title.

Liverpool's hopes of landing a first Premier League crown suffered an early setback this season with defeats to Tottenham and Aston Villa in their opening three games.

Only a 90th-minute winner from Steven Gerrard saved them from dropping further points at Bolton last weekend, and Reina claimed Liverpool must gamble from now on.

"One thing that became clear to everyone at the club before the season started was that we must take more risks if we want to win the league," said Reina.

"Even if that means losing a few more games, particularly at home. In the short-term that may disappoint a few people, but in the long term it's better to cut out the draws.

"In a league where there are three points for a win, for teams trying to win the title it's definitely draws that make it more difficult.

"People say we've lost as many games this season as we did in the whole of last season. But last season our biggest problem was drawing games.

"Those draws meant we could have drawn the two games we lost, went the season unbeaten in the league, but still not won it.

"I'd rather have lost six of those 11 games and won the other five. Then we'd have finished level on points with Manchester United and maybe have won it on goal difference."

Reina admitted Liverpool's poor start was not ideal, but claimed Benitez's men have the strength of charcter to rescue their title challenge.

"It's not normal for Liverpool to open the season with two defeats from three games," said Reina.

"But if a team is going to suffer from bad form, it's better for it to be at the start of the season because there's a lot more time to recover.

"Many clubs have proven that over the years and gone on the achieve great things at the end of the campaign.

"We still have confidence as a squad and we have to put trust in each other - just like we did last season."