STEVEN GERRARD today issued a pre-derby rallying cry and insisted Liverpool’s squad will stay united to turn their season around.
Few people have felt the frustration of the Reds early exit from the Champions League more than Gerrard, who is acutely aware certain critics perceive them as a club in crisis.
The captain, however, has made it emphatically clear nothing could be further from the truth and says the group Rafa Benitez will take to Goodison Park on Sunday are all pulling in the same direction.
What’s more, Gerrard believes the experiences of the last two months have only served to make Liverpool stronger and he is hoping there will be an emphatic response to recent disappointments when they tackle Everton.
“We’re all aware the season isn’t going the way we would want it to and we’re really disappointed to have gone out of the Champions League,” said Gerrard.
“We’re far from happy with our form in the Premier League as well but the only way to turn things around is by sticking together.
“We’ve shown in the past what we can achieve when we do that and if there’s one positive about the difficult time we’ve been having, it’s that we’ve all pulled together.
“The manager, the staff and the players are all working as hard as we can to try and get the improvement we’ve been looking for.“It won’t be easy, as we’ve given ourselves plenty to do, but we still have the confidence and belief that we can finish in the top four.”
Having spent most of the autumn battling a groin problem, Gerrard is in better shape after games against Manchester City and Debrecen and Liverpool will give Fernando Torres every chance of joining him in the starting line-up at Goodison.
Once Torres is back to full fitness, Liverpool will be a different side but whoever Benitez selects for duty this weekend, Gerrard says they are indebted to give a five-star display.
“Getting some of our injured players back playing regularly will make a big difference and give everyone a boost – the key now is to keep working together,” Gerrard said
“We owe it to the club, ourselves and most importantly to our fans, as their support has been magnificent at time when things haven’t gone as well as we’d all like.”
Benitez, meanwhile, thinks the 1-0 victory in Budapest on Tuesday could be just the result required to kick their campaign back into life.
“All the players know that we can do better in the Premier League but so far the table does not show a good situation.
“We have got to change the position and it was important on Tuesday we remembered what it was like to win again. It was good for our confidence but we need to continue.”
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