Liverpool will continue to work tirelessly in order to get back on track and put recent form behind them, captain Jordan Henderson has vowed.
The Reds head to Budapest for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with RB Leipzig on the back of three consecutive defeats in the Premier League.
Taking full responsibility for those results, Jürgen Klopp’s squad are aware of the need to improve fortunes quickly and hope Tuesday evening’s fixture at the Puskas Arena can be the start of a positive run.
Read on as the skipper answered questions from journalists at a virtual press conference ahead of the meeting with the Bundesliga side…
On how much responsibility the players take for recent form…
Full responsibility. I know the manager tries to protect us as much as possible in the press but as players we know that it’s down to us to change the situation that we’re in. We take full responsibility on results and performances. So it’s down to us to go out there, keep working hard, keep fighting to try to change this tough period that we’ve been going through over the last few weeks. Hopefully we can do that starting tomorrow.
On whether playing in the Champions League can make a difference…
I think it’s a new opportunity and a new challenge with another game. That’s what a new game brings. We’ve got to go out there against a very good side and we’ve got to be at 100 per cent to even get anything from the game. We know it’s a big opportunity for us and we’re 100 per cent ready to go and give absolutely everything [over] 90 minutes to get a good result.
Today’s session in 📸 #UCL | #RBLLFC https://t.co/PrYAE29OJ7
— LFC (Liverpool FC) 15th Feb 14:39
On finding stability at centre-back and his own role and position…
It is difficult to find stability with the amount of games. Obviously you don’t get many training sessions, so we get short sessions during the week before and after games to try to work on things defensively, offensively like we always do. It’s about listening and learning as much as possible and trying to take that into the game. For us it’s a difficult time, not only defensively. I think it’s the whole game – offensively, defensively, everything – that we need to keep improving on and keep getting better and try to change the run of form we’re in right now.
On facing Leipzig…
Leipzig are a very good side, very good players, very good manager. I think the game that sticks out recently was probably the one against United. I think everybody knows that they’re a very good team. But for us, yes, we have been going through a tough period but there’s still a lot of positives to take from performances over the last week or so – we just need to do it for 90 minutes. If we do that then I’ve got every confidence in the team that we can get a good result. But we do need to be at 100 per cent if we want to get anything.
On how much the players are hurting from the recent results…
Yeah, it is difficult when we’ve set standards that we have for a long period of time. To then lose a few games in a short space of time is not normal for us, so it’s something we need to adapt to very quickly. But I feel as though the lads give everything every time we train, every time we play – and that’s what we need to do and get our heads down to try to get out of this situation that we’re in. I feel like once we do come out of it – and hopefully that’s sooner rather than later – we’ll be a lot stronger as a team for it. I think strength comes from adversity at times and you stick together as a team and get through it. And if we do that then I’m sure we’ll be even stronger come the end.
On Thiago Alcantara’s impact since joining…
Thiago has been brilliant since he came to the club. I think everybody knows how good a player he is. He’s a world-class player and he’s been great to have around. Even off the field, he’s a really good person, leads by example, gives everything and you can learn a lot from him. I think he’s been a fantastic addition to the squad. He’ll probably know Leipzig better than anyone, so I’m sure he’ll be telling us one or two things over the next 24 hours to help with that. But he’s settled in very well, like I knew he would. He’s a phenomenal player and hopefully he can just keep improving each time he plays for us and getting used to the way we play as a team.
Source: Liverpool FC
