Reds to re-tread familiar path

Gerard Houllier believes Liverpool will snap out of their bad spell and set themselves up for their second UEFA Cup triumph in three seasons.

Liverpool relaunched themselves back onto the European stage in Dortmund 18 months ago in this tournament and since then have had two Champions League campaigns.

But after this season’s failure to get past the group stages, they are back in the UEFA Cup here facing troubled, financially-crippled Vitesse Arnhem tonight in their futuristic Gelredome.

And Houllier knows after a run of poor form which has seen them lose top spot in the Barclaycard Premiership as well as their Champions League place, Liverpool dare not mess up this one final chance this season of European glory.

He said: “It tells you everything that we are favourites to win this cup now, the club is about winning trophies, it is the culture of the club. We won it two years ago and it would be great to win it again.

“Winning a European trophy two seasons ago put Liverpool back on the Euro scene at a very high level, and Europe is in our blood so it would be good to win this cup again.

“As for our exit from the Champions League, I am not a person who lives with regrets. We gave our all and it was not our season in the Champions League.

“We finished with eight points and we missed qualifying by one or two points, either against Valencia or Basle, but it’s finished. The past is never more important than the present.”

And Houllier believes his much-criticised side are on the brink of getting their act together here, which cannot come quickly enough with Manchester United visiting Anfield on Sunday.

Houllier said: “We need a good win, whether it comes against Arnhem or Manchester United. We want to be back on winning ways and the boys are desperate to get a win now.

“We have lost a couple of league games, both could have been avoided, and then we drew a couple.

“We should have beaten Sunderland, but the Basle game has proved to be very costly for our maturity and progress.

“But like all teams, we have to go through difficult periods, a bad patch and not winning all the time.”

He added: “I’m confident the players will respond very positively. The hallmark of a good team’s character is that you never lose two in a row. We know what happened against Fulham so we know what we must do here.

“I’m a great believer that when you are able to do that, you are on the right track to becoming a very successful team.

“Being short of the mark sometimes is an integral part of success. Teams have setbacks, difficult periods and adversity. But on the back of that you can become stronger and be prepared for the rest of the season. The signs I have witnessed in training are very reassuring.”

Liverpool have been given a rude awakening to life outside the Champions League this week, virtually ignored as the exploits of Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle grab centre stage.

Houllier says: “There is no point dwelling on the past and living with regrets. It’s true I feel we were unlucky, but it wasn’t our year and we have to accept that.

“We have to adapt our minds to the new competition and we will do that. The past will never equal the present.”

Liverpool are expected to give Steven Gerrard a starting role in midfield, and Houllier has still to chose between troubled first-choice goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek and youngster Chris Kirkland, but defender Stephane Henchoz is unlikely to be risked.