Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool must pounce on slip-ups

Premier League

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admits his side cannot afford another setback if they are to take advantage of any slip-ups by their top-four rivals.

Defeat to Aston Villa in last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final ended their trophy hopes and left the Reds facing the challenge of closing a seven-point gap to fourth-placed Manchester City.

They have a match in hand, at Hull next Tuesday, but even if they manage to reduce the deficit to four points, it will still require City to drop points in their remaining five games.

“It is important. We want to finish the season strongly and if you can finish it strongly you can take that momentum into the following season,” said Rodgers of their two fixtures, starting at West Brom today, in the next four days.

“We have missed out on our goals to win a trophy, we went close but not enough, and the other one was to reach the top four. It is going to be difficult but we have to be there and fighting.

“It is a distant possibility, mathematically it could be, but the reliance is not with ourselves.

“You want to rely on yourselves and if you get the points you want to be in there but we have to be there to capitalise if anyone makes a mistake.”

Much has been made of the team’s failure to rise to the occasion in a big match as the Villa reverse, having taken the lead at Wembley, followed on from back-to-back defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal which derailed their bid to secure Champions League football again.

The average age of the starting line-up at Wembley was 24.6 — and that included captain Steven Gerrard, 34, and Martin Skrtel, 30.

Rodgers accepts many of the players have to learn how to be winners and deal with the expectation which comes with a club of Liverpool’s trophy-laden history.

“It is a huge club to come into,” he added. Expectancy is huge and that is something you have to live with as a player and a manager. This is a club that going back 40 years has been a winning club.

“Of course the climate has changed greatly since that time but we are an ambitious group and this is a club with ambition – it is one of the values of the club — and that is why we have to strive to be the best.”

Tony Pulis insists West Brom will relish their underdog tag as they start their nightmare run-in.

As well as Liverpool they must face Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in their final five games, along with a trip to Newcastle.

But Pulis will embrace their challenge against the big hitters as the Baggies try to reach his 40 points survival target.

“We can’t be below 100%, not just physically but mentally,” he said, with Albion on 36 points. Every game we play in now we will be the underdog and I’ve always enjoyed that.”

On-loan Baggies defender Andre Wisdom is ineligible to play as Liverpool is his parent club.