Liverpool look for positives
Afp, Athens
Steven Gerrard insisted Liverpool would bounce back from the agony of their Champions League final defeat by AC Milan as manager Rafael Benitez warned the club's new owners that major investment is required this summer to keep his side moving forward. Reflecting on the lessons of a 2-1 defeat in the Olympic Stadium, Benitez acknowledged that Liverpool could not compete with the quality and experience in the Milanese squad. "You could see how hard the players were working out there," he said. "It is not easy to achieve more things. If we want to be close to Manchester United and Chelsea (in the Premiership) and go to another final of the Champions League, maybe we need to go forward two steps at a time." The need for additional investment by Liverpool's American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, was also a theme touched on by Gerrard, Liverpool's captain who is set to commit his remaining peak years to the club by signing a new contract in the next few weeks. "We have had setbacks before but you have got to be a man and take it on the chin," Gerrard said. "This will hurt me for a long time. But as the captain I have got to look forward. We need to get this out of our system and bounce back quickly. "Next season the league has to be our priority. The future's bright, the people in charge want to take us to the next level and it is really exciting. "Since the takeover we have all felt the optimism. We know we need to strengthen the team but I don't think there will be major changes. "We can be proud of ourselves. We've done so well getting to the final and I know we'll play in another one of these finals. "We've got to pick ourselves up, have a good rest in the summer and then go again next season. "We're going places, there's no getting away from that." Liverpool surprised Milan with their attacking verve in the first-half and would have levelled the tie if Gerrard had been able to beat Milan goalkeeper Dida in a one-on-one situation just after the hour mark. "I think we controlled in the first half but not as much as we would have liked in the second half -- but let's not forget that we were playing a top side with top players," he added. "Credit to AC Milan -- they won and maybe they just about deserved it. In the build-up to the game we said it would be decided on small details and a bit of luck and AC Milan got that. "We need to strengthen and bring some quality into the club. The manager and the people in charge of the club know that and it will be an interesting summer."
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