Video courtesy of Anfield HQ
Although Liverpool will resume their chase for Champions League football this weekend when they visit West Bromwich Albion, after crashing out of the FA Cup in such a spectacular fashion on Sunday, much of Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers pre-match press conference predictably revolved around that. With speculation surrounding his future once again swirling, the Northern Irishman talked at length about his ambition for the club and how it relates to the owners vision of how they will move forward.
“When you lose a big game like at the weekend, this is when you find you are at a big club because the critics come after you. But that is something you have to deal with. I will hold myself up against anyone to manage this club and to fit the model of what they want,” explained the Reds boss at Melwood yesterday. “I am super-ambitious in terms of wanting to win and there will be no greater place to do that than here, but of course in modern football there are lots of processes that go on behind the scenes that people will never be aware of.”
Following a number of high profile losses, you’d expect Rodgers to put his head down and say that they are focused on getting three points and keeping up the pressure on those above them in the table and that’s about it. One of the many criticisms of the Northern Irishman is that he talks far too much having achieved far too little, and while he’d do nothing to put that particular annoyance to bed, his bullish belief in both himself and this club is both admirable and frustrating in equal measure.
“In terms of what we are trying to do, I do not see anyone better in terms of the hand we were given. When I came in, the team was eighth,” he continued. “We’ve got to two cup semi-finals this season, one of which we have not performed well in. The plan here is to be consistent winners, not to be ‘nearly men’. We do not want that label. We are here to win and there is no one more ambitious. If there comes a time when that is not the case and we move on, there will be no one who respects the owners more than me. But I will fight for my life to be here and if I can get the tools here to help us we can be really successful.”
