WE’LL BEAT ANYONE
Ox says Liverpool’s thumping win over runaway Prem leaders City proves Reds can take on any side... at home or in Europe
ALEX-OXLADE CHAMBERLAIN claimed Liverpool’s epic Champions League win proves Jurgen Klopp’s side are a match for anyone at home or abroad.
Liverpool marched into tomorrow’s semifinal draw after swatting aside runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate.
Oxlade-Chamberlain said Klopp’s side must now use the two wins over City – as well as January’s 4-3 Premier League victory over them – to mount a sustained title challenge next season.
It is 28 years since Liverpool last won the title and Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “This is a massive confidence-booster for us.
“To beat City twice is no easy feat. We did it twice in a week and we also did it at an earlier stage this season.
“It just shows to us that when we’re at the races and at the right level, we can beat anyone in this league. Now it’s on us – to go and prove we can beat people in Europe as well.”
Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren echoed his team-mate, admitting the back-to-back wins over City, as well as their 4-3 victory over them in the league, showed they should not be trailing the Blues by 17 points in the table.
The Reds dropped 14 points from a possible 30 in their first 10 league games to fall 12 points behind City and leave themselves too much to do to catch Guardiola’s remorseless side in the title race.
“The regret is definitely the first six or seven games of the season in the Premier League,” said Lovren.
“We had many draws and they took us out of the first place. We didn’t have any luck with injuries again and City didn’t have injuries all season. They deserve to be champions but we’re in good shape now and hopefully we can go to the final and it can be a good season for us. Also, we need to finish in the top four for next season.
“We didn’t catch up well from the beginning. I’m definitely confident that next season we can push everyone, even ourselves to do better from the beginning to the end.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain also paid tribute to Klopp (below) for masterminding the twoleg win over City and said the German coach’s tactical plan and motivational approach had worked to perfection.
“He’s a great manager and he’s proved that over the years,” said the England midfielder.
“Ever since I’ve been working with him, he’s been a great manager to work for. Tactically he had a good plan and the plan, if we performed it right – which I think we did in the second half – worked.
“But he also has the fire in him to get you all motivated and that’s what he did at half-time.
“He calmed us all down and then gave us a little bit of a rocket and just said, ‘No matter what we do now, if we go through, we go out, we’re going to do it our way’.
“We did that much better in the second half. That’s all credit to him and the rest of the coaching staff.”