Rodgers has faith in his players to see out the final 10 games and qualify for the Champions League
Ahead of a must-win clash away at Swansea tonight, Brendan Rodgers has expressed his faith in his players to handle the pressure of a final 10 match run to achieve a top-4 finish for the second year in succession.
Following wins for many of the team’s top rivals at the weekend, the match against Swansea has taken on even more importance, with Liverpool now needing the three points to just maintain the pace.
A visit to his former side is swiftly followed by the visit of Manchester United to Anfield next Sunday, a match which will no doubt prove pivotal in the race for a Champions League place but Rodgers believes his players have the attitude required to qualify.
Speaking to the Liverpool ECHO, Rodgers said:
“We have 30 points to play for so I am guessing it will be another 23 points [to make the top four]. That is how competitive it has been this year.
“We have won nine and drawn two of the last 11. It has been a great run but now we have to be focused on these last 10 matches.
“Everything counts. We have to be aggressive in our game and now we have to nail it in the last 10. I know the players are focused on that.
“Last season will help us. We dealt really well with the pressure. We won 12 out of 14 in the run-in and it was unfortunate that we lost one [against Chelsea]. Okay, that was the one that mattered but it wasn’t through not being able to deal with pressure. We were unlucky that day.
“We conceded right at the end of the first half and then right at the end of the second half. We dealt with pressure remarkably well and our game is based on that. We play a technical game and that is a big part of why my teams do well in the second part of the season.
“Our game is based on dealing with pressure because [the players] have the courage to play, so when it comes to these moments, we do well with it.”
Is Brendan right – can Liverpool handle the pressure and keep up their incredible run since before January?
