[lfc-news] Stevie G's Cup Final preview - Official Site

Official LFC WEbsite, 26 Feb 2005
STEVIE G'S CUP FINAL PREVIEW
By Paul Eaton

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard talks to the club's official website
ahead of this weekend's eagerly awaited Carling Cup final with Chelsea
in Cardiff.

~ Liverpoolfc.tv: With a great victory against Leverkusen in midweek,
you must go into the final full of confidence...

Steven Gerrard: Yes, confidence is high and the lads are buzzing after
putting in a great performance in midweek. Hopefully we can produce more
of the same on Sunday.

~ You have great memories of playing in League Cup finals. How keen are
you to enjoy another victory?

I've played in two and won them both so hopefully I can get the
hat-trick on Sunday. We're all confident we can win the game even though
we are underdogs. The boys are looking forward to it and looking to
cause an upset.

~ How much confidence can you take from the fact that you've played well
against Chelsea this season?

In the league we've been inconsistent overall but against Chelsea the
games have been close and there has been a fine line between winning and
losing. We may be 25 points behind them in the table but we know there's
not that big a difference between the sides and on Sunday we know we
will give them a good game. It will be a close game because they're a
very good side. May the best team win it.

~ Do the odds favour Liverpool a bit more now considering Chelsea have
just lost two games in a row?

No. We are the underdogs and that's fine with us because it puts more
pressure on Chelsea. They're top of the league and they've shown over a
period of time that they're more consistent than us, but come Sunday the
league form goes out of the window and it's a one off game. Whoever
plays the best and controls the game will win it.

~ They've got injury problems while you have Morientes and Kewell back,
so this isn't a bad time to be playing them is it?

It can work both ways. They've had two defeats and their confidence
might be a bit low so you could say it's a good time to play them. But a
good side bounces back after one defeat, and certainly after two, so
Chelsea could be a bit like a wounded animal on Sunday. Hopefully they
can save their return to form till the following week.

~ Where do you see Chelsea's main strengths?

Midfield is a big area for them because they play three in the middle
and try to win games by controlling that area of the field. They get the
ball and then try to find their dangermen in Duff, Robben and Drogba.
That's how they've worked all season and so it's important on Sunday
that we try and dominate the midfield because I'm sure that will have a
big say on the outcome of the game.

~ Could a victory this weekend spur you on for the rest of the season?

Yes, definitely. If you win the cup it's a great feeling and great for
the club to have a trophy in the cabinet so early in the season. If we
win the final then it should give us a big lift in our league form over
the remaining games.

~ On a personal level how much would it mean for you to lift the trophy?

It's something I've dreamed about since I was a young boy. I've been
here since I was eight years of age and I've played in cup finals, but
being the captain will make it that extra bit special. The main thing is
we put in a good team performance and then hopefully I can lift the
trophy come quarter to five on Sunday.

~ How important can the fans be for you in Cardiff?

I think over the years Liverpool supporters have proved that they are
the best in the business and I'm sure it will be nodifferent this
weekend. They love going to Cardiff and I hope they can help us score a
few goals on Sunday.

~ Chelsea don't concede many goals so it must be great to have someone
like Morientes available for a game like this...

Yes, definitely, because he's a world class player and it helps us
having him in the side. Hopefully he will make a difference on Sunday.
Chelsea are a fantastic side, they're great defensively and they've got
dangermen going forward but we also regard ourselves as a good side with
our own dangermen who can win football matches for us. It's all set up
to be a great game.

~ Your record in Cardiff is a good one - does that mean anything ahead
of this game?

Not really. We know we don't have an automatic right to win this match
just because we've won finals in the past. We've got to approach it
right, we've got a game plan which we've been working on in training and
hopefully it will come good on the day.

~ You've only made two appearances in this competition this season, but
scored in both games. Is that an omen?

I hope so. I'd love to score again on Sunday to help us win the trophy.
It's going to be a great occasion and we'll do everything we can to get
the right result for the club and the supporters.

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