When Liverpool went top of the league on Monday night there were no celebrations and there was no rejoicing on the pitch or in the stands.
They may have moved into the position they cherish and the one in which they would love to stay, but having drawn at home to West Ham in a game they had been expecting to win no-one in a red shirt was thinking “job done”.
For Albert Riera, the fact that Liverpool still have some improving to do despite having reached the league summit is a good thing, and he believes the winning mentality that exists at the club he joined last summer will ensure things do get better.
“We are happy at the moment because we are top of the table, but we all feel that we can improve as a team,” he said.
“If someone had offered us a form to sign at the start of the season that said we would be top of the league at the start of December we would have all signed it, no problem.
“So the fact that we have got there is very positive, but we are still disappointed because our position could have been even better.
“If you think of the game at home to West Ham on Monday night it is clear that we dropped two points because we always expect to win our games at Anfield.
“But we cannot dwell on that because we have got ourselves into a situation in which everything is about what we do – if we keep getting more points than the teams around us then we will stay on top of the table.
“So while we may be a bit disappointed that we do not have more points, the most important thing is that we are top of the league and now we have to try to stay there.
“In a sense, it is good that we feel disappointed because that means we know we must work hard to improve so we don’t have such feelings again.”
Having scored just once in their last three outings, one area in which the Reds can undoubtedly improve is their goalscoring.
Riera himself only has a single strike to his name since moving to Anfield from Espanyol in August, but the left winger insists no one at Liverpool is letting their recent barren spell get to them and he believes it is only a matter of time before they get back on the goal trail.
“Of course we want to score in every match, but it is not always easy to do this,” he said.
“Almost every time we play at Anfield our opponents are happy to just defend and we try to create chances but it can be difficult.
“Against West Ham we had 17 corners and had a few chances but we could not get the goal we wanted.
“It is also important to remember that the other team wants to win as well though. It isn’t just Liverpool out on the pitch.
“But I am sure that the goals will come. We are not worried about this.”
From the moment he made his Liverpool debut at home to Manchester United, Riera has looked at ease in his new surroundings and he has settled well into Rafa Benitez’s side.
The 26-year-old says this is testament to his team mates and believes there is more to come from him as the season wears on.
“The most important thing is the team,” he said. “All players depend on the team as a whole and the players around them.
“If the team is not playing well, every individual suffers. You may be able to do well up to a point but to be at your best you need the team to do well.
“The team started the season really well, we are top of the league and we have already qualified for the next stage of the Champions League so this means that we are doing a good job.
“This has made things easier for me to settle in and I am enjoying my football here, but I know that I can still do better because you can always improve.
“Another thing that has helped me is that I have come into a dressing room with a winning mentality.
“This means that even after we have won a game and played really well that you still demand that you do better the next time.
“We want more and more all the time. That is the mentality of this club and it is one that I really like.”
Today, Liverpool visit Blackburn Rovers, who currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League, a full 18 places behind Rafa Benitez’s side.
But experience has taught Riera that teams at the bottom enjoy nothing more than beating those at the top and he is expecting a tough encounter at Ewood Park.
He said: “It will be a really hard game because the nature of this league is that when a team is at the top the other ones want to beat them.
“I have been on the other side of this because when I was at Manchester City and Espanyol we would try as hard as you possibly could to beat the teams at the top.
“That is just the way football is and because of this you have to be ready for every opponent, no matter where they are in the table.
“We will have to concentrate and work very hard because they will be doing that and this will make it difficult for us.
“We respect Blackburn, just like we respect every team we play, but we also know that we have enough quality and enough confidence to take all three points.
“I don’t like to talk about the opposition because if we do the right things then I am sure we will win – it is all about us and what we do.”
They may have moved into the position they cherish and the one in which they would love to stay, but having drawn at home to West Ham in a game they had been expecting to win no-one in a red shirt was thinking “job done”.
For Albert Riera, the fact that Liverpool still have some improving to do despite having reached the league summit is a good thing, and he believes the winning mentality that exists at the club he joined last summer will ensure things do get better.
“We are happy at the moment because we are top of the table, but we all feel that we can improve as a team,” he said.
“If someone had offered us a form to sign at the start of the season that said we would be top of the league at the start of December we would have all signed it, no problem.
“So the fact that we have got there is very positive, but we are still disappointed because our position could have been even better.
“If you think of the game at home to West Ham on Monday night it is clear that we dropped two points because we always expect to win our games at Anfield.
“But we cannot dwell on that because we have got ourselves into a situation in which everything is about what we do – if we keep getting more points than the teams around us then we will stay on top of the table.
“So while we may be a bit disappointed that we do not have more points, the most important thing is that we are top of the league and now we have to try to stay there.
“In a sense, it is good that we feel disappointed because that means we know we must work hard to improve so we don’t have such feelings again.”
Having scored just once in their last three outings, one area in which the Reds can undoubtedly improve is their goalscoring.
Riera himself only has a single strike to his name since moving to Anfield from Espanyol in August, but the left winger insists no one at Liverpool is letting their recent barren spell get to them and he believes it is only a matter of time before they get back on the goal trail.
“Of course we want to score in every match, but it is not always easy to do this,” he said.
“Almost every time we play at Anfield our opponents are happy to just defend and we try to create chances but it can be difficult.
“Against West Ham we had 17 corners and had a few chances but we could not get the goal we wanted.
“It is also important to remember that the other team wants to win as well though. It isn’t just Liverpool out on the pitch.
“But I am sure that the goals will come. We are not worried about this.”
From the moment he made his Liverpool debut at home to Manchester United, Riera has looked at ease in his new surroundings and he has settled well into Rafa Benitez’s side.
The 26-year-old says this is testament to his team mates and believes there is more to come from him as the season wears on.
“The most important thing is the team,” he said. “All players depend on the team as a whole and the players around them.
“If the team is not playing well, every individual suffers. You may be able to do well up to a point but to be at your best you need the team to do well.
“The team started the season really well, we are top of the league and we have already qualified for the next stage of the Champions League so this means that we are doing a good job.
“This has made things easier for me to settle in and I am enjoying my football here, but I know that I can still do better because you can always improve.
“Another thing that has helped me is that I have come into a dressing room with a winning mentality.
“This means that even after we have won a game and played really well that you still demand that you do better the next time.
“We want more and more all the time. That is the mentality of this club and it is one that I really like.”
Today, Liverpool visit Blackburn Rovers, who currently lie second from bottom of the Premier League, a full 18 places behind Rafa Benitez’s side.
But experience has taught Riera that teams at the bottom enjoy nothing more than beating those at the top and he is expecting a tough encounter at Ewood Park.
He said: “It will be a really hard game because the nature of this league is that when a team is at the top the other ones want to beat them.
“I have been on the other side of this because when I was at Manchester City and Espanyol we would try as hard as you possibly could to beat the teams at the top.
“That is just the way football is and because of this you have to be ready for every opponent, no matter where they are in the table.
“We will have to concentrate and work very hard because they will be doing that and this will make it difficult for us.
“We respect Blackburn, just like we respect every team we play, but we also know that we have enough quality and enough confidence to take all three points.
“I don’t like to talk about the opposition because if we do the right things then I am sure we will win – it is all about us and what we do.”
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