Premier League preview: Rafael Benitez maintains he is happy with the quality he has brought to Anfield during the close season but he will come face to face with the one that got away tomorrow when Florent Malouda lines up for Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho's 20 million recruit has admitted he spoke to Liverpool's manager on the telephone on several occasions before choosing Chelsea but has claimed he did not feel Liverpool wanted him enough. Benitez will only say: "He was one of our names. He decided to go there and he knows why."

Tomorrow's opposition are also attempting to sign Sevilla's Brazilian right back Daniel Alves, another player courted by Benitez, but the Spaniard is adamant it is his unwillingness to pay over the odds for players, rather than a lack of financial clout in the transfer market, that has led to the possibility of two of his main targets ending up at Liverpool's rivals.

"Those players are not here but I'm really pleased with my squad," he said. "Every year we try to sign the players we think are good enough for us. "

Mourinho has claimed Liverpool are under far greater pressure to end their 17-year spell without the league title because of Benitez' summer spending spree, which has seen five potential first-team regulars - Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun, Andriy Voronin and Lucas Leiva - arrive for close to 73.5 million.

But Benitez could not resist reminding Mourinho his comments regarding Liverpool were made at the same time as the Portuguese was promising to adopt a lower profile last month.

Benitez said: "He forgot that when he was talking about us, but sometimes he recovers his memory.

"I think during the summer he was talking about us again but maybe now he will change and start thinking about his team."

Benitez believes Manchester United and Chelsea should be under more scrutiny after outspending him consistently over the past three years and, while he expects the usual suspects to compete in the league, it will require fewer than the 89 points that United accumulated to win the title last season.

"Chelsea are a top side and it is more important (to win against them)," he said, "because it is three points you can win and they will not have, but it's too early to lose your confidence or say 'Everything is done' if you win.

"It's difficult because last season United and Chelsea won a lot of games in a row and you have to be good from the beginning until the end if you want to win the title, but I think this year you will see more teams winning against the top sides."

• Guardian Service