Brendan Rodgers was fairly upbeat in his pre-Bournemouth press conference today, as the Reds look for a League Cup semi-final place.
“We wanted to have a right go at all of the cup competitions this year and the game on Wednesday will be an opportunity for us to get into the semi-final”
“It would obviously give us confidence to get through and then go into a two-legged semi-final. We’re in competitions to win trophies, so if we can get the victory against Bournemouth and get through, the aim for us would be to hopefully go on and win the competition.”
“As a team that traditionally gets stronger as the season goes on, we’ve got great belief that we can still finish the season very strongly, both in the league and the cups. We just need a little bit of luck and a break, and I think we’ll get that.”
“There’s still a long way to go in the league and the points difference can be made up. The results haven’t been as we would have wanted. But we have got a long way to go still this season – there is a lot of work to be done and points to play for.”
“Of course, we’re not happy that we’re not winning games; these are competitive players and a lot of them nearly won the league last season. They are competitive and they won’t be happy with losing.”
On Bournemouth: “They are at the top of the Championship, which is a very tough league, and they are very much a team. You can see the team ethos. I watched their game against Cardiff at the weekend and even though they conceded some goals, you can see the mentality in the team to press and the intensity is there. We’ll go there knowing it is difficult. The crowd will be up for it at a smaller stadium; it doesn’t matter where you go with Liverpool, the stadium will always be packed out.”
It’s an important game for the Reds, as the cup has been a welcome distraction so far this season. They’re a 2-legged semi-final away from a Wembley final again, should they conquer the Championship side, and that should provide all the motivations that’s required.
