[lfc-news] Gerrard interview - Official Site

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Official LFC Website, 1 May 2005
STEVIE G - EXCLUSIVE EURO SEMI-FINAL INTERVIEW
By Mark Platt

In an exclusive pre-Champions League semi-final 2nd leg interview,
Steven Gerrard insists Liverpool are in the competition to win it and
explains that Tuesday's game will be the biggest of his life.
With the tie evenly poised at 0-0 Anfield the stage is set for another
unforgettable night of European action in L4.

To set the scene Liverpoolfc.tv caught up with the Reds' inspirational
captain at the club's Melwood training ground and found him to be in
confident mood ahead of the eagerly awaited match.

~ Steven, first of all, how is your mouth after the dental surgery you
underwent on the day of the first leg?

It's a bit better now. It had been sore for about a week and it got that
bad my cheek swelled up. In the end I had to go the dentist to get the
abcess removed. My intention was to wait until after the game but the
pain became that bad I had no choice. As a result I had to take a lot of
medication on the day of the game but I wouldn't say it affected my
performance in any way. Spending over an hour in the dentist is
obviously not the ideal preparation for a game but given the
circumstances I thought I got through the game okay.

~ Was the goalless draw in the first leg a good or bad result for Liverpool?

Nil-nil at Stamford Bridge was a fantastic result. If it had been a
Premiership game then coming back with a goalless draw against the
league leaders would be looked upon as a great achievement. But because
of this away goal rule I don't think people have given us the credit we
deserve. We would have taken that result before the game if someone had
offered us this scenario before the start of the season - where we only
had to beat Chelsea at home to reach the final of the European Cup then
we'd have snatched their hands off. It's a great opportunity.

~ And do you think it's further proof that the gap between Liverpool and
Chelsea is not as great as the Premiership table suggests?

Everyone here knows the gap between ourselves and Chelsea, and also
Arsenal and Manchester United come to mention it, is not as great as
people make out. It's just this inconsistency in the league that we have
to sort out.

~ How big a blow is the loss of Xabi Alonso through suspension?

It's a massive blow for the team. He's a great team player and one of
the best passers of a ball in Europe. Any side would miss him.
Fortunately we've got Didi Hamann back fit and that gives the manager
another option.Everyone is sad for Xabi though and hopefully we can beat
Chelsea and give him the opportunity to play in the final.

~ Another great Anfield occasion is in prospect at Anfield on Tuesday,
how much are you looking forward to that?

It's going to be massive and everyone has done nothing but talk about it
since last Wednesday. The atmosphere is going to be special. There is no
doubt that it is the biggest game of my life and I'm sure it's the same
for every other player here at Liverpool Football Club.

I said after the first leg that I hope the fans can play the role of
twelfth man and that the Kop can suck a few goals in for us. Against
Olympiacos and Juventus you could really feel the support of the fans.
It really does help a lot, when you're piling the pressure on and you
can hear the noise coming from the stands it really gives the team a lift.

~ Does the danger of Chelsea snatching an away goal affect how Liverpool
approach the tie?

I'm sure it will do yes. The manager will no doubt have this in mind and
we will have to be very careful. Chelsea are going to come here, be very
strong defensively and try to hit us on the counter-attack. That's what
they did in the Premiership match earlier in the season. Hopefully we
can get the first goal. I think the first goal is going to be very
important in this tie. Fingers crossed it will fall to us and we get
that bit of luck that we never got in the game on New Years Day.

~ Has this run in the Champions League exceeded your expectations?

Yes, definitely. I think at the beginning of the tournament we were
underdogs and everyone expected us to go out in the first round. The
fact that we are now so close to the final goes to show just how well
the manager and all the boys have done. The fans have played theirpart
too. I think it's surprised everyone but we're not in it just to make
the numbers up. We are in it to win it so we're going to keep fighting.

~ What would it mean to you personally to lead this Liverpool team out
in Istanbul for the European Cup Final on May 25?

It would be the biggest day of my life, simple as that.

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