LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insists Spanish duo Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia will soon start repeating their impressive Anfield form when the Reds hit the road.
"I was talking to a Spanish coach on the phone and he was asking me why Luis Garcia played well at home and not away. I said to him, 'You have to understand how difficult it is,'" said Benitez whose Liverpool side travel to Fulham on Saturday when the Premiership campaign resumes after the international break.
"Luis and Xabi are getting used to a different style of football. If you play at home with more of the ball and better possession it is easier for good players to play well.
"But when you play away it is always a different kind of game. You need to play a lot more on the counter attack and it is a lot harder for players such as Luis Garcia to be involved in the game as much as he would be at home.
"A lot of people have told me to remember how other players did in their first year. I have analysed the situation and I know that everyone just needs time," Benitez told reporters here.
"It is the same for managers and it is the same for players. Each player is different but I am very happy with Luis and Xabi because they have already played to a very high level in some games.
"In Spain, Luis Garcia played very well both at home and away and I have no doubt it will be the same for Liverpool."