‘If we win only one cup it’s an average season’
MILNER’S WARNING FOR HIS ‘RELENTLESS’ REDS
STANDING shirtless like a warrior on the side of the pitch, James Milner backed Liverpool to remain “relentless” in their unprecedented trophy pursuit.
But there was a sting in the tail of Milner’s strong words of belief in the Quadruplechasing side.
They face an epic few weeks when they will chase the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League crowns.
And Milner says if they end up with only the Carabao Cup it will have been just “an average season”.
That is what is driving them on. They are anything but average. Probably, alongside Manchester City, the best football side in the world.
Jurgen Klopp’s men won the 42nd game out of 56 so far on Saturday thanks to Naby Keita’s first-half strike and attention immediately turned to Europe and the semi-final second leg against Villarreal tomorrow.
Milner, right, said: “We’ve been lucky enough to win one trophy this year but if you don’t win anything else it’s an average season for the club.
“The Quadruple? It’s what you guys talk about. It’s every three days now, we recover, we prepare, we go again for the next game. It’s a cycle. It’s preparation, it’s analysis.
“There’s always going to be talk about things like that but for us it’s the next game.
“You see the mindset, the relentlessness every day. You see the boys who aren’t playing – the level they train at the day after a game.
“It starts from the manager and the credit for the boys is incredible. The attitude in the dressing room was tough.” Whatever is absolutely unreal.” happens this term, Milner is The 36-year-old anchored delighted that Klopp has midfield expertly alongside extended his contract until Jordan Henderson and 2026
Keita as Liverpool had He joked: “He’s not a bad 24 shots on goal to manager, is he? Yeah, we’re all Newcastle’s two, happy.” and were never in Milner was at Anfield when danger. Klopp arrived in Bigger tests lie October 2015 ahead, with the and has charted pressure cranked up the team’s as each trophy chance development. reaches a climax. He said: “It Milner said: “The games seem more important when you get closer to the end of the season. It is outstanding. I’ve seen that process bit by bit. Seeing signs but not having consistency every week. Then building it, and we’re getting better and the counter press coming on. And then the quality with the ball. It’s been one big process.
“He’s done an incredible job and obviously, the longer he’s here the better for the club.
“There’s been a lot of changes in personnel and on the playing staff.The ideas are similar, obviously they’ve evolved and developed as the team have developed.
“The intensity has always been there but we manage to maintain it now.
“I think you see the level the boys played at midweek and then to do it again on Saturday is incredible. That’s a process about getting the fitness levels, the mentality to be able to do it and getting the squad together.
“You wouldn’t be able to talk about the competitions we’re still in at this stage of the season if we hadn’t got a squad full of strong
players.”