Everton could force Liverpool to wave goodbye to UEFA Champions League football on Tuesday night. The derby will tell a lot about the Merseyside Reds’ mental and physical strength.
The 2011/12 Carling Cup champions haven’t won in the English Premier League since January this year. It’s incredible, it’s unbelievable but it is absolutely true. Their 3-0 defeat of Wolves–in reply to a string of poor results against Manchester City, Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers–stands as Liverpool’s last win thus far.
The Merseyside Reds opened the month of February with a 0-0 game against Tottenham Hotspur, their eighth draw at Anfield in the league this season. Liverpool later went on to lose 2-1 to Manchester United in a battle marked by the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra rivalry.
After the defeat at Old Trafford, Liverpool returned home but the influence of in-form Robin van Persie was too hot to deal with. A double from the Dutch man robbed the Reds from getting rewarded for their brave performance.
Last weekend, there was further disappointment for Kenny Dalglish and his players as Sunderland claimed a 1-0 victory. It’s as if any team can meet Liverpool and walk away with points in the bag.
“It depends what teams you're playing but certainly it's not a record you expect from Liverpool,” Kenny Dalglish admitted according to ESPN Soccernet.
“We don't want to get into the habit of losing games but in between the (three) losses we've had a Carling Cup victory.
“I think in both our last defeats we deserved more than what we got. They were different performances but we were playing different teams in different conditions.
He added:
“The performances are all well and good and very important and if you continue to play well you are going to continue to win games but you always need a bit of luck.”
As things stand, Liverpool are seventh in the English Premier League, 13 points away from the Champions League zone. With 10 matches to go after Tuesday night’s derby against Everton, the Reds are under pressure to find consistency and maximum points. In the aftermath of the embarrassing defeat to Sunderland, captain Steven Gerrard couldn’t help himself but tell news source Liverpool Echo:
“It's going to be difficult now but we won't give up. [Our hunt for a fourth place finish] is not officially gone and we'll keep going but we've got a mountain to climb.
“We just have to focus on winning as many as we can between now and the end of the season and see what happens.”
Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea look so set to qualifying for UEFA Champions League football that Liverpool’s dream hangs in the balance. Is it time for the Carling Cup champions to take off some pressure by settling for a spot in the Europa League or even nothing at all?
Liverpool have a fighting spirit and they’ll never give up unless it becomes mathematically impossible. However, anything less than a victory tonight will force them to draw a line between their hopes and reality.
The Merseyside Reds opened the month of February with a 0-0 game against Tottenham Hotspur, their eighth draw at Anfield in the league this season. Liverpool later went on to lose 2-1 to Manchester United in a battle marked by the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra rivalry.
After the defeat at Old Trafford, Liverpool returned home but the influence of in-form Robin van Persie was too hot to deal with. A double from the Dutch man robbed the Reds from getting rewarded for their brave performance.
Last weekend, there was further disappointment for Kenny Dalglish and his players as Sunderland claimed a 1-0 victory. It’s as if any team can meet Liverpool and walk away with points in the bag.
“It depends what teams you're playing but certainly it's not a record you expect from Liverpool,” Kenny Dalglish admitted according to ESPN Soccernet.
“We don't want to get into the habit of losing games but in between the (three) losses we've had a Carling Cup victory.
“I think in both our last defeats we deserved more than what we got. They were different performances but we were playing different teams in different conditions.
He added:
“The performances are all well and good and very important and if you continue to play well you are going to continue to win games but you always need a bit of luck.”
As things stand, Liverpool are seventh in the English Premier League, 13 points away from the Champions League zone. With 10 matches to go after Tuesday night’s derby against Everton, the Reds are under pressure to find consistency and maximum points. In the aftermath of the embarrassing defeat to Sunderland, captain Steven Gerrard couldn’t help himself but tell news source Liverpool Echo:
“It's going to be difficult now but we won't give up. [Our hunt for a fourth place finish] is not officially gone and we'll keep going but we've got a mountain to climb.
“We just have to focus on winning as many as we can between now and the end of the season and see what happens.”
Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea look so set to qualifying for UEFA Champions League football that Liverpool’s dream hangs in the balance. Is it time for the Carling Cup champions to take off some pressure by settling for a spot in the Europa League or even nothing at all?
Liverpool have a fighting spirit and they’ll never give up unless it becomes mathematically impossible. However, anything less than a victory tonight will force them to draw a line between their hopes and reality.
