After the Celebration for the 96 game at Anfield, I was able to get a quick word with three former Liverpool players.
First of all I spoke with goalkeeper David James and asked him for his thoughts on current Liverpool ‘keeper Simon Mignolet:
“[Simon] has done very, very well. He’s made the odd error but that’s not uncommon for younger ‘keepers and Simon has gone from a team fighting for survival to a team fighting for a title, so he’s doing something right! He’ll be disappointed with the couple of errors he’s made but on the whole he’s had a very good season. I was dropped after 12 or 13 games so he’s done better than me that’s for sure! It wasn’t until my 30s that I hit my peak, and that’s common for goalkeepers, Simon deserves huge credit to be doing so well at a relatively young age.“
When asked for his thoughts on whether Liverpool could win the title, James was positive about the team’s chances.
“I think they can do it, Chelsea will be tough and Tony Pulis has Crystal Palace defending well and scoring goals but Liverpool are so good going forward that any defensive worries they have are far outweighed those so I think they have every chance of winning the title. I heard a stat saying Liverpool have never won a league game away to a Pulis managed side but with them being safe and with it being such a big game for Liverpool, I think they’ll be able to get a victory there.“
I then spoke to Jan Molby and asked him for his thoughts ahead of Liverpool’s last three league games:
“The Chelsea game is a massive game, but they’re all big now and the Chelsea game almost takes care of itself it’s a big game, the players will know that and they’ll know that if they hit top form like have done in recent home games then they’ll beat them.“
“Palace are doing well too, they’re well organised they have a bit about them in attack and they look good on set pieces too. I believe Tony Pulis has never lost a home league game against Liverpool but maybe by that time it might not even matter.“
I then asked Jan if he thinks Steven Gerrard will be lifting the Premier League trophy at Anfield on May 11th:
“I’ll be disappointed if he didn’t but we all know what can happen, if we lose one game and City win all theirs then they can pip us but at the moment it’s looking good, the players aren’t showing any fear or nerves so hopefully they can do it.“
Finally I spoke to Jason McAteer and asked him if he believed the Reds would win their first league title for 24 years:
“It’s getting closer, it’s certainly getting closer but I don’t think people want to talk about getting over the line because we’ve all been sticking to looking at each game as it comes, that’s what Brendan Rodgers has preached this year and he’s certainly done that with his squad, they’ve taken every game as it comes, he’s met every challenge that’s been put in front of him, using different formations, different teams, different tactics to answer every question and Liverpool have been brilliant going forward. They’ve had their faults at the back and from set pieces but going forward they’ve been absolutely brilliant and I think the neutral would love Liverpool to win it because of the style of play, the determination, the desire to see out games, the goals they score and the excitement they bring.“
I then asked Jason for his thoughts on the upcoming game with Chelsea:
“Chelsea have got to win. Jose will come here and shut up shop for a bit and hopefully try and do Liverpool on the break. He’s the master of picking his team and setting his team up to get a result against opposition, but this game is like the apprentice versus the master and it’ll be interesting to see. I’ve always worried about the Chelsea game, I never worried about the City game because City come, they play their game, they have their tactics and they don’t change. They’re expansive, they’re exciting, they score a lot of goals but so do Liverpool, and it was at Anfield so I always felt Liverpool would do them. Chelsea are a different story, you never know what Jose is going to do, how he’s going to set up in terms of formation or personnel and that makes it difficult for a manager to try and guess what is going to happen but Liverpool have the momentum with them, it’s at Anfield and they’ve been absolutely fantastic at home, it’s been a fortress again like it was in the 70s and 80s and that’s been the basis of where they are in the league. Can they win it? We’ll have to wait and see!“
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