Joe Cole has insisted he will never take for granted how lucky he is to be a professional footballer at Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard is hoping to make his return from a groin injury in Liverpool’s next game against West Brom.
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Mornings and salutations, Liverpool Offside, I’m back. Did you miss me? Not really?
Oh. Well.
To be perfectly honest, I’m a little hurt by that. I mean, when you go away for a couple of days you at least expect people to miss you a little bit. You think maybe they’ll start a Youtube channel dedicated to shaky-voiced shaky-cam demands for your return. Or they could start an online petition. Maybe put together a PayPal fundraising drive, or even threaten to burn down the head offices of The Offside and SBNation if you don’t return.
Honestly, with thirty-five weeks of blogging experience, you’d like to think you’ve aquired some level of base competence. You’d like to think you’ve developed some minimum ability to entertain and inform from your time spent writing blogs like Gilmore Girls As Cats and WAGStalker, and that it would translate. In fact, it’s downright insulting to think those thirty-five weeks of experience wouldn’t.
I hardly think it would just disappear overnight, which leaves me feeling more than a little like Roy Hodgson. Which reminds me…
* I’m sure we’ll partake in our share of Hodgsonosity over the next few days, which some will love and others hate, but for the time being it’s down to the at times rabidly anti-Liverpool UK Fanhouse to fire the first shots of “Holy shit Roy Hodgson is going to manage his new club against the club he bombed out of in fiery explosive failure with the fans clamoring for his head” week:
Hodgson has also claimed that he feels more appreciated by the Albion hierarchy, a clear dig at John W Henry, the Liverpool owner who ended his excruciating spell without a flicker of emotion in the New Year.
Maybe he feels more appreciated because the expectations are so much lower. Failure to secure Liverpool a place in the top six would have been a unmitigated disaster, while finishing 17th with West Brom would earn him the freedom of Sandwell.
I’m not sure what’s more surprising, that Hodgson has taken shots at John Henry and FSG that I managed to somehow miss, or that Fanhouse is running an article that doesn’t blame every ill known to mankind on Liverpool. One thing that is certain is that it signals the start of what should be an interesting few days of bluster and unavoidable media coverage.
* Wrapping up the international action, everybody appears to have come back healthy, which when you get right down to it is really all that matters. However, beyond that obvious goodness, Dirk Kuyt went right on showing people that he can score for both club and country, netting a brace in the Netherlands’ return match against Hungary after scoring a single marker on Friday. Meanwhile, Andy Carroll scored his first goal since joining Liverpool, even if it wasn’t in a Liverpool shirt. Regardless, it isn’t that often that an international break can be termed an unqualified success, but with all of Liverpool’s participants coming back uninjured, and with Carroll getting to run around for sixty odd minutes while also finding the back of the goal as he works his way back to full fitness, it’s hard to find any negatives in the just finished break from league play.
* And speaking of injuries, Nate of OYB is on an infographic kick of late, which means the rest of us get to stare at pretty shiny pictures outlining Liverpool’s injuries this season and their European road-trips over the past decade. Charts and graphs and all the rest are always worth your time, but the long and the short of it would seem to be that February was a horrible month for Liverpool players getting injured, Steven Gerrard has groin issues, and Liverpool has a fondness for spending time in Bucharest. With that last part presumably not having anything to do with Gerrard’s groin issues. Probably.
In the meantime, while you consider the coming Hodgpocalypse, the immanent return of Tea and Crumpets with a special guest star, and that there’s a quite decent chance we all only exist to be replaced…
In honor of counting down the final minutes of international duty…
At the time of writing, we’re only a few short hours away from getting back to business for Liverpool in the Premier League. Between here and there is plenty busy, though, with only the Czech Republic and Liechtenstein underway in Euro qualifiers. That leaves six matches in which Liverpool players could feature, three of which are glorified ticklefights and, in an ideal world, shouldn’t tax the body too much, even if you are a booze-swilling English forward. The quick rundown:
Ways to Watch:
Fox Soccer Channel/ESPN2/ESPN3.com in North America
Sky Sports/ITV/BBC in England
Streams: MyP2P/Atdhenet/FromSport
Tuesday Euro Qualifiers:
Estonia v. Serbia 2:30PM EST/1830GMT
Netherlands v. Hungary 2:30PM EST/1830 GMT
Lithuania v. Spain 2:45PM EST/1845 GMTTuesday Friendlies:
Slovakia v. Denmark 2:15PM EST/1815 GMT
England v. Ghana 3:00PM EST/1900 GMT
Portugal v. Finland 3:45PM EST/1945 GMT
With that settled, we can move along to a few assorted pieces of news to round out the day before we launch into the build up for the match we’ve all been waiting for. Not really because it’s Hodgsonpalooza, though, just because it’s an actual Liverpool match after slogging through what seemed like an eternity.
Anyway, the news:
* Luis Suarez has made a few headlines today—first for winning the club’s Standard Chartered Player of the Month award after he played a significant role in both of Liverpool’s wins in league, and left us wondering what could have happened had he been available for the Europa League tie with Braga.
His exploits on both occasions were well documented around here, with Noel kindly assembling posts focused on his massive performances in the wins over Manchester United and Sunderland. The only worrying aspect of his performances came in the latter match, and that’s only because he limped off in the dying minutes. There hasn’t really been any sort of discussion from the club regarding the injury (and he’s not listed on the official
Fabio Aurelioinjury tracker), and all we know right now is that he hasn’t taken part in any international duties over the past week and a half. Here’s hoping he’s ready for Saturday.The other Suarez-centric bit of news is a short blurb that Sky Sports stole away from LFC Weekly, in which the new signing discusses the impact mentioned above:
“I’ve only been here a month-and-a-half and it’s good to see the fans are happy. I came here to work hard for the team and to do my absolute best. If they are singing my name maybe it shows I’m doing my job well. But there are a lot of games and there is a lot of time to go before I am a real hero. It’s too early for that. I think the fans at this club play a major role, bigger than at some other clubs.
“The only part of the song I can recognise is my name. Although I might not understand what exactly they are singing, I know my name is mentioned. That’s important to me.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Liverpool supporter who isn’t enamored with the early performances he’s turned in, and there’s little more to say than we’re all hopeful it—both the performances and the humility displayed above—continues. The more time that passes since the January window, the better off Liverpool looks, and Suarez is almost solely responsible for that. Now it’s just a matter of keeping that giant Standard Chartered champagne bottle away from Andy Carroll.
* Elsewhere we’ve got a nice Martin Skrtel puff piece, wherein the stern-looking but apparently kind-hearted Slovakian speaks of the influence of Kenny Dalglish. Typically I’m over these sorts of things before I even read them, but I have to say that, even knowing the status of Dalglish at the club, it’s fascinating to hear the outpouring of player support. I think most of the squad members have done the same to an extent for the most recently departed manager, but it’s largely the same stock “nice man, tough situation” quotes. With Dalglish they all roll out the red carpet and unanimously call for his permanent appointment, which is enough to make me have serious hope that we can look to a future with Dalglish at the helm.
“He knows how to take the pressure away and protect the squad. A lot has changed at the club recently, but the most important thing has been confidence. Kenny has given us that. With confidence in football you can achieve great things. Everybody is happy now, looking forward to every single training session, every match.
“If he gets a contract for a long time, I’ll be very happy. Every day he makes work interesting and enjoyable. We are winning games now. You can tell Kenny is a winner.
“Why would I go anywhere else? I know I am at a huge club – one of the biggest in the world, with a history and a set of supporters that no other club can really match. We have great player like Stevie Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. Not everybody gets to experience this. I am very proud to be here. I have a contract for the next three-and-a-half years. I am happy here, so if the manager and people at the club are happy with my work, I’m happy to be here too.”
Less certain, maybe, is Skrtel’s future at the club. He’s had arguably his most difficult season in a Liverpool shirt, with more shaky performances than sturdy, and the calls for a young, more consistent central defender have increased as the summer approaches. Always nice to hear players speak of their pride at playing for Liverpool, but in Skrtel’s case he’s probably going to need to see the season out at a high level.
That’s it for Tuesday, so hopefully we can all enjoy seeing out the rest of the internationals relatively safely. Noel will be along tomorrow to carry us all through to the preview on Friday afternoon, which is when I’ll plan to make my return. Until then, occupy yourself by trying to figure out who GOB’s wife is really in love with.
• Prospective Roma buyer has stake in Liverpool ownership
• Uefa rules do not allow influence over more than one club
Will the takeover of Roma by the Boston-based private-equity investor Thomas DiBenedetto have any implications for Liverpool?
Digger only asks this question because DiBenedetto is also a stakeholder in the Fenway Sports Group, which owns 100% of the shares in the Anfield club. As the two teams’ respective leagues currently stand, Roma would qualify for next season’s Europa League. Liverpool are four points off qualification for that competition.
If both clubs qualify, then it is possible Uefa’s rules governing the integrity of its competitions would come in to play. These state: “No individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition”. This is defined as “holding a majority of the shareholders’ voting rights” or “being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club”, among other things.
If any clubs fall foul of these rules the lower-ranked team (in this case Roma) would be excluded from the competition. It is possible that these rules would apply in this case, though one can not be certain because it is impossible to ascertain how much of the FSG DiBenedetto owns.
Last week FSG sent out a press release announcing that it would no longer be trading under its former guise of New England Sports Ventures LLC. However, NESV is still the name of the holding company that is registered with the Massachusetts Corporations Division. This official channel has no publicly available information relating to NESV’s equity structures. Neither does the Division of Corporations of the State of Delaware, where NESV is ultimately domiciled.
Usefully for investors who do not wish to disclose their identities or the nature of their investments, Delaware never does oblige them to make public this sort of information. The Premier League does oblige its clubs to make public the identities of any shareholders with stakes in excess of 10%. Regrettably, Liverpool does not do this, saying only: “The sole owner of the Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Limited is New England Sports Ventures, trading as Fenway Sports Group. John Henry and Tom Werner are generally responsible for the management of Fenway Sports Group.”
Ian Cotton, the Liverpool executive who deals with matters relating to the club’s ownership, could not be contacted. An email to FSG’s generic address went unanswered. So Digger asked the media department of the Boston Red Sox what it knew of FSG, the parent it shares with Liverpool. It responded that it would attempt to put Digger in touch with DiBenedetto (he did not call back last night either, although he was probably quite busy putting his deal for Roma together). It also said that the identity of the clubs’ shareholders and their respective stakes “is not public information”.
The one little chink of light FSG has recently shed on who owns it is as follows: “Fenway Sports Group is led by Principal Owner John Henry and Chairman Tom Werner, with additional ownership interests being held by a select number of prestigious individuals and The New York Times.” Why so secret? Surely fans are entitled to know who owns their club, whether they are baseball or football fans, because sometimes it just might have an impact on the integrity of a competition.
West Ham United will spend £90m on a stadium upgrade in an effort to fix the problems suffered by other football-club tenancies of Olympic stadiums.
The Hammers take over the Stratford site after the Paralympic Games next year. Then they will direct a sum equivalent to that Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson spent on his ill-fated takeover of the club in 2006. The experience of other clubs who have moved in to purpose-built Olympic stadiums suggests West Ham have their work cut out in getting it right. The US private-equity investor Thomas DiBenedetto was quoted by the Gazzetta Dello Sport yesterday that the Stadio Olimpico does not serve Roma, the club he is buying this week, sufficiently well.
“The Olimpico simply just do justice to the fans’ passion; the stands are too far away from the pitch and the noise from the crowd is not the same at that distance,” said DiBenedetto. “A new stadium is a must, an English-style stadium so that it benefits the players too.” Roma’s difficulties may relate as much to the age of the stadium – it is 52 years old. However there have been similar complaints from Espanyol about their occupancy of the 20-year-old Barcelona Olympic stadium. West Ham insist their fans will benefit from a vibrant atmosphere, will invest in retractable seating and a new roof, in an effort to keep the noise in.
The FA made it a once-in-a-lifetime experience for 10 young people who were the mascots at England’s game against Ghana on Wednesday night. Every one of them represented one of the FA’s charity partners: Action for Children, the Bobby Moore Fund, Coaching for Hope and Street League. The 10-year-old Jake Hancox, a sufferer of Asperger Syndrome, was one of Action For Children’s representatives. He had never been able to join his older brother in playing the game in organised matches but at Wembley the FA gave him the opportunity to do something in football most other kids can only ever dream of.
Follow Matt Scott on Twitter: @diggermattscott
Jamie Carragher admits his ‘terrible tackle’ on Nani took the shine off Liverpool’s victory over Man Utd.
Steven Gerrard told Goals on Sunday that Liverpool are better off having sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea.
We’re almost there—this afternoon closed out the first wave of international matches, with Euro qualifiers and friendlies taking us through the evening and ever closer to a spell that sees Liverpool race to the finish. There’s one more in action tomorrow (Lucas and Brazil v. Scotland) before the last few qualifiers and a slew of friendlies wraps things up for the foreseeable future.
For those with an investment in their national side it’s a sad time, but for the rest of us it’ll be a welcomed return. And on a Liverpool front, there’s something besides teeth-grinding and hand-wringing that’ll accompany the final matches of the international break.
But mostly it’ll just be the teeth-grinding and the hand-wringing. Onwards, though:
* The only big non-international news from the weekend isn’t so much news as it is a rumor that’s gained increased traction—more than a few sites have run with talk that a stadium announcement is due shortly, and that said announcement will be focused on a gradual renovation of the famous ground. There’s been no confirmation as yet, but several sources close to a source that’s closer to a source that has sources close to sorcery are expecting something in the very near future. It’s an exciting prospect, and one that’s certainly a more credible possibility now that the folks in charge don’t just frame pictures of fantasies and conduct interviews in front of them.
The broader discussion about the future of British stadiums has also taken on a very serious tone, though, particularly with the recent news that the idea of terraced seating will be “listened to” as a viable option. This was quickly denounced by the Hillsborough Family Support Group, who announced that they “will not be encouraging the Government to change the law,” and today Kenny Dalglish lent his voice to the opposition as well.
Given the timing of the announcement and Liverpool’s history, there’s no way any plans for Anfield’s future would involve such a proposal. The discussion’s bound to continue, though, and as we saw when it was introduced here a little over a month ago, it’s inevitably going to be an emotionally-charged one. As with everything around these parts, we’re happy to entertain any line of discussion so long as it’s one that’s respectful on all sides, and this is certainly a topic that demands it.
* As for the actual football, today was the busiest day of the break thus far in terms of fixtures and the action for Liverpool internationals. The brief rundown:
England 2, Wales 0
Noel managed to dissect England’s performance yesterday in some depth, so I’ll point you in that direction for a more thorough recap. I’ll just leave you with a link to Glen Johnson’s sexy pass to set up the second and the knowledge that Andy Carroll didn’t feature.
Denmark 1, Norway 1
Daniel Agger played a full 90, which hopefully erases any fears created when he left training early in the first day of training. Or it aggravated whatever happened, in which case I’ll end up in the fetal position. Christian Poulsen played nearly 70 minutes for the guests, who could have drawn level with Norway atop the group with a win.
Slovakia 1, Andorra 0
Martin Skrtel also logged a full 90 in the win over Andorra, with Filip Sebo netting in the 20th minute to give the visitors the win. Slovakia remain level on points with Russia and Ireland on top of Group B.
* There’s an interview with Luis Suarez doing the rounds in all sorts of media outlets, but it was actually conducted by The Redmen, who do a series of videos on their YouTube channel. The Liverpool Echo was one of the only sites to acknowledge the actual source, and they’ve got the text of the interview here. Interesting stuff from the January signing, who touches on the transition to the Premier League and his exit from Ajax:
That’s going to do it to close out the weekend, and a reminder that Brazil and Scotland will wrap up a busy weekend with their friendly at 13:00GMT and 9:00EST. ITV and STV will carry the match in England and Scotland, respectively, and ESPN2 and ESPN3.comwill carry it for viewers in North America. Check the usual sites for stream links—MyP2P.eu, Atdhenet.tv, and FromSport.
Whatever you do, watch Lucas and enjoy. Or watch Lucas and keep telling yourself that he’s really not that good, even though he’s become an established starter for both Liverpool and Brazil. Because most people who aren’t really that good do that.
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So, 2-0 to the good for England against Wales and looking likely to secure advancement out of their group. Celebrations and salutations all around. Or something.
Of course the score alone doesn’t tell the story of England winning despite being static in possession and static in defense, blinders always on as they continually looked to beat their man one on one or aimlessly sent long-balls up the pitch. It doesn’t tell how, in general, they showed no interest in playing as a team when they had the ball. And it doesn’t tell you how in defense they were individuals, too, with the team looking to keep its shape first and foremost as only the nearest player consistently sought to pressure an opponent with the ball.
Compared to the likes of Spain and Germany and the Netherlands–or the likes of Brazil and Argentina outside their federation–it was almost painfully elementary and individualistic. Those sides hunt in packs. They look to stretch and tire opponents, viewing the game as encompassing the entire pitch and all ninety minutes instead of only the next ten seconds and the man directly in front of them. It’s not that they generally embarrass England on the talent front, individual for individual, it’s that they know how to play football. Meanwhile England remains happy playing something like what football was forty years ago, at least as far as the various commentators going on about heart and passion and how England so smashingly overwhelmed their minnow opponents seemed concerned.
In reality, though, the only thing the match against Wales really proved for certain is that England had the far more talented side.
If it did prove anything else, it is perhaps that England is world’s most talented pub side and will only ever end up with their asses handed to them when they face a country with roughly comparable talent and a hint of tactical nous.
Perhaps a tactical, technical, fiery manager in the Marcelo Bielsa mold could get something out of them. Assuming the players weren’t too busy being prima-donnas, and that the FA threw their full weight behind him, and that the shallow end of the media pool didn’t rend their garments when the side struggled against a weaker country while they worked through fundamentals and patterns of play that would stand them in good stead against stronger opponents. Which of course all seems rather unlikely to ever happen given how happy most are every time the Three Lions thoroughly outclass some weakened Wales or other using an almost absurdly direct and individualistic approach. All of which reflects that at the end of the day England’s problem isn’t so much with the senior side or whichever manager is in charge (and at fault) in any particular year.
The problem starts at the youth level. The problem starts with the simplistic and backwards-looking FA and punditry, the groups respectively tasked with guiding development and any public dialog over said development at every age and stage. The problem is with old-boys’ networks and people more concerned with covering the latest antics of various WAGs than with passing triangles. The problem is with seeing something like the just witnessed 2-0 victory against Wales as signifying anything especially positive beyond the obvious notch in the win column.
And the problem is that when people bring up England’s ongoing international futility, the first excuse trotted out always seems to be that they just don’t have the heart or passion or commitment of players from other more successful countries, when it is as much as anything this blind adherence to the virtues of heart and passion and commitment and nothing else that are getting in the way of long-term success.
Without an investment in coaching, and without leaving behind a simplistic love of naught but hustle and heart, England will never win anything. And while the points gained against Wales may help them get into the 2012 edition of the Euros, it also showed clear as day why they cannot and will not win it.
The Brazilian midfielder admits his early days on Merseyside were tough but he is blossoming under Kenny Dalglish
After more than three years on Merseyside, Lucas Leiva still struggles with the local accent, but understands it well enough to work out that Liverpool’s supporters are now singing his name without irony. But although his relationship with the fans at Anfield has improved immeasurably, the Brazilian acknowledges that his every move will be scrutinised each time he steps on the pitch. It is a familiar feeling.
“Playing for Liverpool brings a similar kind of pressure to when I represent my country,” Lucas says. “Both sets of fans have a very low tolerance level of defeat and will not hesitate to demand more from the team. Playing for Liverpool is like being watched by Brazilians!”
The 24-year-old midfielder should know, having featured in each of his country’s last five games since being called up by the new coach Mano Menezes, under whom he played at Gremio. Alongside Chelsea’s Ramires, Lucas has formed a solid midfield partnership that, barring a late injury, should start Sunday’s friendly against Scotland at the Emirates.
Nonetheless, Lucas reveals that he had to convince Menezes he would fit into his plans. Since taking over from Dunga after Brazil’s dismal World Cup quarter-final defeat by Holland last summer, Menezes has introduced a more traditional attacking game while Lucas has been deployed in a more defensive role by Liverpool than he was at Gremio. “In Gremio I had carte blanche to go forward and participate more in the attacking plays. But things had to change when I arrived in Liverpool, where I am used much more as a holding midfielder. That transition took time and made settling in even more challenging. It was necessary to prove to Mano that I could still be useful.”
Indeed, Lucas partly attributes his struggles to win over the fans and his early lacklustre performances at Anfield to being asked to change his game by the then manager Rafael Benítez when he arrived in 2007. The Brazilian rarely got a glimpse in the first team and even created problems for the club indirectly – in Brazil’s 3-0 defeat by Argentina in the 2008 Olympic semi-finals he earned a red card in a dangerous tackle that also injured his club team-mate Javier Mascherano.
“Things were not looking good and some supporters were obviously not happy,” he says. “I still think people needed to see the bigger picture. The move to Liverpool represented a change of country, language and there was also the not so small detail that I was only 20 and arriving at a traditional club in one of the most demanding leagues in the world. Also, few people seemed to remember Liverpool had a group of players that had made two of the last three Champions League finals. It would have been impossible to just parachute in. Maybe the supporters thought a Brazilian midfielder would do magic.”
His frustration and anxieties were alleviated by a combination of long conversations with his parents back home and the support of Benítez, who publicly backed him while privately advising Lucas to keep his head down and work harder. Lucas speaks fondly of the role the Spaniard played in rebuilding his confidence and it is no surprise that Benítez’s departure last summer was a huge blow, not least because the Brazilian thought the club would sell him at the first opportunity.
“How could I blame Liverpool [if they had]? At that point I had not had a sequence of games long enough for people to see what I was all about. I had the feeling they were not counting on me for the new era. But at the end the club and I reached common ground. I was happy because nobody would want to leave a club as big as Liverpool without a true chance to show their abilities.”
Not that there was any immediate chance for Lucas to do so. The arrival of Roy Hodgson in Benítez’s stead was followed by a collective dip in form that resulted in Liverpool going out of the Carling Cup and into the bottom three in the Premier League. Reports indicated the players had lost faith in the manager. Lucas, however, fervently denies any mutiny contributed to Hodgson’s entry in the history books as Liverpool’s shortest-serving manager.
“We lost Rafa and until the pre-season there was not a substitute,” he says. “Roy simply brought a philosophy that did not work with the team at that time and this is not the first or last time it will happen. This rumour about us not working hard enough is nonsense. And so was the questioning of Roy’s managerial capabilities. He did a great job at Fulham and now is doing well at West Brom.”
Hodgson’s departure at the start of this year brought the return of an Anfield legend under whom Lucas, and Liverpool, have prospered. The midfielder had met Kenny Dalglish in his ambassadorial role at the club and the manager had also featured heavily in Lucas’s crash course in Liverpudlian culture when his move to Merseyside was finalised. Along with piles of Beatles CDs, Lucas devoured DVD anthologies of Liverpool FC goals. A good bunch were scored by his now-manager.
I could see that Dalglish was unbelievable as a player, but he has also made an impression on me as a manager. The world is full of great players flunking as managers. But Dalglish has rescued our confidence and at the same time he has helped us think a bit better.”
Dalglish and his assistant manager Steve Clarke have masterminded a change which Lucas says was most evident in the team’s first-half display in the 3-1 defeat of Manchester United this month. “During the week of the game, Dalglish talked about the possible United line-ups and made sure we understood how important it would be for us to give them some of their own medicine. He went on and on about suffocating them in midfield. We had a great afternoon doing what he said. His mantra is: make it simple and work together.”
Impressive enough for Lucas to forgive his Scottish manager’s banter in regards to the London friendly. In the last few weeks, Dalglish has constantly told his player that Scotland will finally break their duck against Brazil in their 10th meeting. After a promising start under Menezes, with victories over the US, Iran and Ukraine, Brazil stumbled against Argentina and France. Winning at the Emirates is essential to keep the fans on board.
“It’s a new era and the team is still gelling, for a lot of players who were around in the last World Cup have departed,” says Lucas. “We lost both games 1-0, with Argentina scoring in the 90th minute and against France we played almost 60 minutes with 10 men. Scotland will be desperate to surprise us which makes our responsibility to ensure they do not even greater.”
When Lucas returns to his club, he will have more on his mind than mulling over the aftermath of the game with Dalglish. With his club contract ending in 2012, Lucas is hoping to re-open talks over an extension: He wants to stay and has even joked that would like to see his newborn son Pedro Lucas speaking English with a Scouse twang. But he is still waiting for the club’s move.
“I have no reasons to go and I hope the club see things the same. It would be fantastic to play for Liverpool in the Champions League again and I don’t see why we can’t return.
“We have a squad that is united in its will and desire to return this club to where it belongs.”