Hyppia said: "I bet the second half of the season for us will be better than the first. So far we've been inconsistent because we're in a learning period under our new manager.
"We're not as good as we can be, but we're on the right track. Benitez has a lot of knowledge and his ideas about playing are straightforward. He reminds us of the simple things. He's professional, and I like the discipline he instils — I like working under him very much."
He added: " The tactical work we do as a group is also important. The Carling Cup is proof. We've been playing with a completely different team, yet have done well, because the players coming in have worked on the same things as everyone else on the training pitch."