STEVIE: WE'VE LET OURSELVES DOWN
Liverpoolfc.tv 27 February 2008
Steven Gerrard admits this season has been a big disappointment at Anfield.
In a frank and revealing interview with LFC Magazine, the club captain admits the Reds have failed to live up to expectations this year.
But Gerrard does believe the club's loyal fans can take hope from the turnaround witnessed at the Emirates, where just a year ago Arsene Wenger's side were themselves struggling to clinch a Champions League spot.
"You don't get any prizes in football for finishing in second place, never mind fourth," he said.
"I don't think that the fans would accept fourth as an accomplishment and for me it's not nearly good enough. We need to improve dramatically and even if we do finish fourth, it doesn't mean we have had a good season.
"In the position we find ourselves now, fourth is the least that is acceptable. But we have bigger ambitions than that.
"The only way we can fulfil those ambitions is in the Champions League. And I am not going to pretend that even winning that trophy - and we are a long way away from it at the moment - will make up for the disappointment of the league campaign."
Gerrard admits the sight of Man Utd and Arsenal at least 14 points away in the league is painful.
"I'm pretty gutted every time I look at the table and see the gap between us and Arsenal at the top, and even the gap between us and second and third," he said.
"We believed we had the players to challenge for the title, and we wanted that one more than any other trophy available to us. I still believe we have the squad to be a hell of a lot more.
"I'm getting tired of saying the same thing over and over again.
"We can't keep talking about next season all the time. There are only so many times you can say it and believe it. Sooner or later we have to make one season the season we make it happen and do the talking on the pitch.
"We need to make people believe it. I'm 27 now, I don't want to be talking about 'next season' for Liverpool when I'm 32.
"We've got the stadium, the fans, the manager and the players to compete for the Premier League. But we have no chance of doing that if we are always well out of it by the first week in January.
"We've not gone backwards. There's no way that's the case. I look around the dressing room at Melwood and there's much more quality and depth in the squad than we had this time last year. It's not even up for debate.
"How could you say signing players of the calibre of Torres and Babel is a sign of a team going in any other direction than forwards?
"We've only lost three games all season in the league, but we've drawn too many games."
Gerrard added: "At the moment we have our work cut out fighting it out with Villa, Everton and Manchester City for fourth.
"Only we can make this season a success now. We'd like to finish fourth and win the European Cup again.
"But the demands of being a Liverpool player, the expectations that come with the privilege of pulling on that jersey, mean we've got to improve."
Though Liverpool are out of this year's race, Gerrard and co can still have a say in where the silver trophy ends up, with trips to Old Trafford and the Emirates still to come.
Not that this is any consolation for the Huyton-born midfielder.
He said: "You make your own luck, shape your own destiny. And now we soon have massive games at Manchester United and Arsenal, knowing we can't win the league.
"We are not bothered about whether we have an impact on the title race we're not in. But winning at both those places would send out a message for next season. That would lay down a marker that no-one would ignore."
One consolation for Gerrard is the turnaround seen in north London over the last 18 months. Last season Arsenal were themselves struggling to clinch a Champions League spot – now they're three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Gerrard said: "I believe Arsenal's turnaround has been remarkable. They've lost only one game all season and have given themselves a great chance of winning the title.
"If they've done it this season then there's no reason we can't next."
Je suis trés content que Gerrard parle et assume. Il est vraiment déçu et ne veut pas se contenter d'une CL avec une 4ème place. Il parle de fierté de porter le red shirt
et ne comprend pas comment l'équipe se retouve aussi loin en PL avec la qualité du squad. Excellente analyse Stevie
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