WORRIED SICK
Milner admits Reds will feel ill if they blow Euro bid as TITLE was the real target
LIVERPOOL will be gutted if they do not make the top four... because the title is what they really should have been chasing.
That is the view of Anfield fullback James Milner, who says that if the Reds had done their job properly they would have been making Chelsea sweat at the top of the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp’s side are making hard work of Champions League qualification, almost crawling over the line after taking just two points from their last three home matches – all against teams in the bottom half of the table. Luckily a top-four slot is still in their own hands because Manchester United have messed up even more, but any further slip-ups and the dreaded Europa League will be beckoning. And for Milner that would be a travesty. Asked how his teammates will feel if they miss out on the top four, he replied: “Sick. This is a team that needs to be in the Champions League. “We have dropped points where you might not expect us to and there have been some disappointing games. “If we do that job better we are fighting for the title, never mind fighting to get into the top four.” Sunday’s limp display against Southampton was the latest disappointment, made worse by Milner’s penalty miss that would have steadied nerves and most probably delivered three precious points. The straight-talking defender was brave enough to face the media afterwards and take responsibility for the latest Kop flop. “There was a lot riding on that penalty and I have to take the responsibility,” he said. “We have made improvements this year and we know where we need to improve again. We have shown that on any given day we can beat anyone so if we can get in the Champions League we would be a match for anyone. “I don’t think we have been as up and down as last year. In the games we haven’t got the points we wanted, we have dominated.” Arsenal can still muscle out Liverpool from the top-four slots should they win all their remaining matches and the Reds slip up against either West Ham or Middlesbrough. But Milner believes Liverpool’s young team will be so much better for the pressures of this season. “Against the top teams our record is very good but against the teams that come to sit back and play on the break we need to improve,” he said. “There are not many things wrong. We can certainly improve on it and, if we do that, we will be in the reckoning.”