End this chaos, says Gerrard
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DNA Web Team
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Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted the current uncertainty surrounding the Anfield club is affecting his team’s performances.
Liverpool captain believes off field problems are affecting the team’s performance
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted the current uncertainty surrounding the Anfield club is affecting his team’s performances.
A 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at Anfield on Monday continued Liverpool’s poor home form and left Rafa Benitez’s side 14 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United. But the unpopularity of the club’s owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett with the Reds fans dominated the clash with Villa.
Liverpool supporters are furious with the Americans’ recent behaviour, which has seen them back-track on ambitious plans for a new stadium, speak to Jurgen Klinsmann about replacing Benitez and now consider plunging the club into debt by re-financing for the loans they took on when they took charge of the club 11 months ago.
Benitez has been careful to stay out of the controversy after being involved in a public row with Hicks and Gillett over transfer policy in November.
But Gerrard has revealed that the ongoing problems are taking a toll and go a long way to explaining the Reds’ poor performances.
The England midfielder said, “It’s not just been this week, it’s been going on for some time and it’s certainly not helping the players. I’ve got to be careful what I say but it’s certainly not helping the team.
“We know what’s going on but as players we’ve got a job to do on the pitch and we to put it at the back of our minds. But sometimes it’s impossible when it’s every day.”
The Reds’ miserable home form has played a major role in them struggling to challenge United and Arsenal at the top of the table. And Benitez feels his side have been made to pay when they have failed to come up with a second goal to kill games off.
The Spaniard said, “If you analyse two or three games that we’ve drawn at home, we’ve created enough to win but we concede a second goal and we concede a bad goal.
It’s a problem. I can understand if any player says that maybe (the uncertainty) is affecting our luck, but for me it would be easy to use that explanation but I prefer to analyse the mistakes or why we couldn’t score. It would be easy but I don’t want to say that.”
Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill, whose team are level on points with Liverpool, believes that the Reds are still in pole position to finish in fourth place, despite sitting just three points above ninth-placed Blackburn.
And O’Neill thinks that his squad may lack the depth required to push hard for a Champions League spot.
O’Neill said: “Of the sides chasing fourth spot, Liverpool are the strongest and we would have a bit of a problem ourselves because the squad’s not big enough. The club’s big enough and we should do something about it and we’ll try if we can.
“The January window isn’t easy but that’s my only concern. We’ve got players playing really well but we would have to have a little bit of luck if we were trying to contest at the end of the season.”
Liverpool led against Villa through Yossi Benayoun’s first-half goal but Marlon Harewood’s overhead kick and a Fabio Aurelio own-goal put the visitors in front before Peter Crouch equalised with two minutes to play.
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted the current uncertainty surrounding the Anfield club is affecting his team’s performances.
A 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at Anfield on Monday continued Liverpool’s poor home form and left Rafa Benitez’s side 14 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United. But the unpopularity of the club’s owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett with the Reds fans dominated the clash with Villa.
Liverpool supporters are furious with the Americans’ recent behaviour, which has seen them back-track on ambitious plans for a new stadium, speak to Jurgen Klinsmann about replacing Benitez and now consider plunging the club into debt by re-financing for the loans they took on when they took charge of the club 11 months ago.
Benitez has been careful to stay out of the controversy after being involved in a public row with Hicks and Gillett over transfer policy in November.
But Gerrard has revealed that the ongoing problems are taking a toll and go a long way to explaining the Reds’ poor performances.
The England midfielder said, “It’s not just been this week, it’s been going on for some time and it’s certainly not helping the players. I’ve got to be careful what I say but it’s certainly not helping the team.
“We know what’s going on but as players we’ve got a job to do on the pitch and we to put it at the back of our minds. But sometimes it’s impossible when it’s every day.”
The Reds’ miserable home form has played a major role in them struggling to challenge United and Arsenal at the top of the table. And Benitez feels his side have been made to pay when they have failed to come up with a second goal to kill games off.
The Spaniard said, “If you analyse two or three games that we’ve drawn at home, we’ve created enough to win but we concede a second goal and we concede a bad goal.
It’s a problem. I can understand if any player says that maybe (the uncertainty) is affecting our luck, but for me it would be easy to use that explanation but I prefer to analyse the mistakes or why we couldn’t score. It would be easy but I don’t want to say that.”
Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill, whose team are level on points with Liverpool, believes that the Reds are still in pole position to finish in fourth place, despite sitting just three points above ninth-placed Blackburn.
And O’Neill thinks that his squad may lack the depth required to push hard for a Champions League spot.
O’Neill said: “Of the sides chasing fourth spot, Liverpool are the strongest and we would have a bit of a problem ourselves because the squad’s not big enough. The club’s big enough and we should do something about it and we’ll try if we can.
“The January window isn’t easy but that’s my only concern. We’ve got players playing really well but we would have to have a little bit of luck if we were trying to contest at the end of the season.”
Liverpool led against Villa through Yossi Benayoun’s first-half goal but Marlon Harewood’s overhead kick and a Fabio Aurelio own-goal put the visitors in front before Peter Crouch equalised with two minutes to play.