JAMIE CARRAGHER insists Liverpool’s players can handle the pressure of leading from the front – because being top of the Premier League is where they expect to be.
Their unbeaten start to the season continued on Sunday when they won 1-0 at Chelsea, a victory which took them three points clear of their opponents.
The win, which ended the Londoners’ 86-game unbeaten home record in the league, is being widely regarded as evidence that Liverpool are finally ready to make a serious bid for their first title win since 1990.
And they have only dropped four points in their first nine games, during their best start to a season in 18 years.
But Carragher reckons that the quality of the squad at Anfield is now strong enough to convince him that they should be in that position – and has warned that they have to prove it by staying there.
“We’re not going to get too carried away – we’re Liverpool,” said the centre-back. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re delighted with the win (at Chelsea) but we’re not getting carried away at being top of the league after nine games.
“That’s where we should be. We’re a massive club with a lot of top players, so we’re only doing what we should be doing.
“Chelsea hadn’t lost in four years at home, and that’s the first time I’ve ever won at Chelsea and I’ve been playing for 10 years now. It’s a tough place to go and credit to them for their record, but I’m just delighted we’re the team that has broken it.
“It’s a great result that no other side has managed over the last four years, so it’s something to be enjoyed.
“But we’ve got Portsmouth next, and if we don’t get a good result there then we won’t have really capitalised on this win.”
Carragher added: “Being top of the league, we’re now going to be the team people will look to beat.
I’m sure people will talk about us more.
“We’re going to have to deal with that now.
“But we’ve got a lot of experienced players, big internationals who have won trophies before.It’s something we will have to handle.”
Portsmouth arrive at Anfield tomorrow as a club in limbo following manager Harry Redknapp’s sudden switch to Tottenham at the weekend.
Assistant manager Tony Adams and coach Joe Jordan are currently in charge of the side but the immediate future of the club is uncertain amid fears many players may follow Redknapp to White Hart Lane in January.
Liverpool follow the visit of Pompey with a trip to Tottenham on Saturday but Carragher is confident that they can avoid a similar slip-up to the one which followed their previous victory over a top four rival.
The 2-1 win over Manchester United at Anfield in September was followed by a goalless draw with Stoke City that threw up immediate question-marks over their ability to sustain the consistency needed for a title challenge.
But Carragher said: “There was a lot of talk at the time about the result, but that kind of thing happens from time to time. It’s not like we were getting complacent about anything.
“We were very unlucky against Stoke and nine times out of 10 we’d have won that game.
“But for most of the season we’ve done quite well and we want to push on now.
“We’ve got Portsmouth next and then Tottenham, and there’s a lot of stuff going on with those two clubs at the moment. You can never tell how they are going to react, so I’m sure the next two games will be tough, but we’ve got to aim to take maximum points.”
Their unbeaten start to the season continued on Sunday when they won 1-0 at Chelsea, a victory which took them three points clear of their opponents.
The win, which ended the Londoners’ 86-game unbeaten home record in the league, is being widely regarded as evidence that Liverpool are finally ready to make a serious bid for their first title win since 1990.
And they have only dropped four points in their first nine games, during their best start to a season in 18 years.
But Carragher reckons that the quality of the squad at Anfield is now strong enough to convince him that they should be in that position – and has warned that they have to prove it by staying there.
“We’re not going to get too carried away – we’re Liverpool,” said the centre-back. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re delighted with the win (at Chelsea) but we’re not getting carried away at being top of the league after nine games.
“That’s where we should be. We’re a massive club with a lot of top players, so we’re only doing what we should be doing.
“Chelsea hadn’t lost in four years at home, and that’s the first time I’ve ever won at Chelsea and I’ve been playing for 10 years now. It’s a tough place to go and credit to them for their record, but I’m just delighted we’re the team that has broken it.
“It’s a great result that no other side has managed over the last four years, so it’s something to be enjoyed.
“But we’ve got Portsmouth next, and if we don’t get a good result there then we won’t have really capitalised on this win.”
Carragher added: “Being top of the league, we’re now going to be the team people will look to beat.
I’m sure people will talk about us more.
“We’re going to have to deal with that now.
“But we’ve got a lot of experienced players, big internationals who have won trophies before.It’s something we will have to handle.”
Portsmouth arrive at Anfield tomorrow as a club in limbo following manager Harry Redknapp’s sudden switch to Tottenham at the weekend.
Assistant manager Tony Adams and coach Joe Jordan are currently in charge of the side but the immediate future of the club is uncertain amid fears many players may follow Redknapp to White Hart Lane in January.
Liverpool follow the visit of Pompey with a trip to Tottenham on Saturday but Carragher is confident that they can avoid a similar slip-up to the one which followed their previous victory over a top four rival.
The 2-1 win over Manchester United at Anfield in September was followed by a goalless draw with Stoke City that threw up immediate question-marks over their ability to sustain the consistency needed for a title challenge.
But Carragher said: “There was a lot of talk at the time about the result, but that kind of thing happens from time to time. It’s not like we were getting complacent about anything.
“We were very unlucky against Stoke and nine times out of 10 we’d have won that game.
“But for most of the season we’ve done quite well and we want to push on now.
“We’ve got Portsmouth next and then Tottenham, and there’s a lot of stuff going on with those two clubs at the moment. You can never tell how they are going to react, so I’m sure the next two games will be tough, but we’ve got to aim to take maximum points.”
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