Sitting six points off of league leaders Chelsea going into the meeting with Stoke City the day after Boxing Day, Liverpool are back to winning ways and keeping pace at the top of the table going in to the all important holiday season.
“I said at the start of the season that I had a lot of confidence and belief that we could be high up the table. I saw no reason, when I looked at the manager and the squad and the way the summer had gone, why we could not challenge for trophies,” Reds captain Jordan Henderson told the club’s official website. “It isn’t a surprise to me that we are doing well. It could be better. There are games we have lost that we could have drawn, games we have drawn that we should have won,” explained the skipper. “There are also things for us to improve – we know that – but it is pleasing that in the majority of games we have been at a high level.”
A rather comfortable outing against newly promoted Middlesbrough got the Anfield outfit back on track after a disappointing run of games and the last gasp win over crosstown rivals Everton at Goodison Park gave us the perfect launching pad for the busy festive fixtures — a stretch of matches that can make or break a title run.
“I know I always say ‘focus on the next game’ but that is the truth,” continued Henderson. “You can’t focus on the final outcome and start talking about what you might achieve when there is so much work to do,” added the captain. “We have got to keep looking at the next challenge. If you take your eye off the ball, that is when you encounter problems. That is why we will just focus on the next performance and see where that takes us.”
