Only Sir Alex Ferguson knows whether he was indulging in his love of amateur psychology when he suggested that Liverpool's best chance of winning the Barclays Premier League title was by fighting their way past Chelsea in the Champions League. Now, though, the Manchester United manager is about to discover whether elimination from European competition will leave his rivals deflated or galvanised.
Liverpool, eliminated from all the cup competitions, have a simple task between now and the end of the season: to win their six remaining Premier League games and hope that United, who have a match in hand as well as a one-point lead, drop enough points to ensure that the league title goes to Anfield for the first time since 1990.
In one sense their field is now clear to focus on six Premier League matches in 39 days, but Liverpool's players struggled to put such a brave face on matters after their performance in the stunning 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday yielded a 7-5 aggregate defeat.
“You never know what the effect will be,” Xabi Alonso, the midfield player, said when asked about the impact of Champions League elimination on Liverpool's title challenge. “Logically, we should have more time to rest, but sometimes you prefer to keep playing games. We are not happy because we are out. It is very difficult [to win the league], but we have to go and try to win all our games.”
Even before the first leg against Chelsea, Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, had taken issue with Ferguson's appraisal of the tie's potential repercussions, suggesting that the United manager would prefer the Merseyside club to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League because it might affect their title challenge adversely.
“If we are not in this competition [the Champions League], then he knows we will be a bigger threat in the Premier League,” Benítez said on April 7, the day before his team were beaten 3-1 by Chelsea at Anfield.
What is certain is that Liverpool now have time to relax between matches and to focus firmly on their Premier League matches. They will have had a seven-day break by the time they return to action against Arsenal at Anfield on Tuesday evening and, although they have another game away to Hull City four days later, their final four matches are spaced at least six days apart, meaning that Benítez, a big believer in recovery times, will have every hope that Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will regain full fitness during the run-in.
Gerrard watched the game at Stamford Bridge from the directors' box on Tuesday night after expressing concern about a possible recurrence of his groin strain during the day. Torres was substituted with ten minutes of the match remaining as Benítez appeared to concede that his team were out of the tie, with the aggregate score 6-3, even though they scored twice in quick succession thereafter, briefly raising their prospects of victory.
Speaking before Tuesday's game, in an interview broadcast on Sky Sports last night, Benítez suggested that his team were fit enough to maintain the pressure on United between now and the end of the season. “I think we are strong enough,” Benítez said. “Some players may be a little bit tired because this week we are playing three games in a few days, but still we have fresh legs and people who can play every single game at a high level. It's one game at a time, keep winning and put Manchester United under pressure.”
Gerrard and Torres are expected to be fit to face Arsenal on Tuesday, the London club's third game in six days after last night's Champions League tie against Villarreal and the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Saturday.
Liverpool, eliminated from all the cup competitions, have a simple task between now and the end of the season: to win their six remaining Premier League games and hope that United, who have a match in hand as well as a one-point lead, drop enough points to ensure that the league title goes to Anfield for the first time since 1990.
In one sense their field is now clear to focus on six Premier League matches in 39 days, but Liverpool's players struggled to put such a brave face on matters after their performance in the stunning 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday yielded a 7-5 aggregate defeat.
“You never know what the effect will be,” Xabi Alonso, the midfield player, said when asked about the impact of Champions League elimination on Liverpool's title challenge. “Logically, we should have more time to rest, but sometimes you prefer to keep playing games. We are not happy because we are out. It is very difficult [to win the league], but we have to go and try to win all our games.”
Even before the first leg against Chelsea, Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, had taken issue with Ferguson's appraisal of the tie's potential repercussions, suggesting that the United manager would prefer the Merseyside club to progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League because it might affect their title challenge adversely.
“If we are not in this competition [the Champions League], then he knows we will be a bigger threat in the Premier League,” Benítez said on April 7, the day before his team were beaten 3-1 by Chelsea at Anfield.
What is certain is that Liverpool now have time to relax between matches and to focus firmly on their Premier League matches. They will have had a seven-day break by the time they return to action against Arsenal at Anfield on Tuesday evening and, although they have another game away to Hull City four days later, their final four matches are spaced at least six days apart, meaning that Benítez, a big believer in recovery times, will have every hope that Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will regain full fitness during the run-in.
Gerrard watched the game at Stamford Bridge from the directors' box on Tuesday night after expressing concern about a possible recurrence of his groin strain during the day. Torres was substituted with ten minutes of the match remaining as Benítez appeared to concede that his team were out of the tie, with the aggregate score 6-3, even though they scored twice in quick succession thereafter, briefly raising their prospects of victory.
Speaking before Tuesday's game, in an interview broadcast on Sky Sports last night, Benítez suggested that his team were fit enough to maintain the pressure on United between now and the end of the season. “I think we are strong enough,” Benítez said. “Some players may be a little bit tired because this week we are playing three games in a few days, but still we have fresh legs and people who can play every single game at a high level. It's one game at a time, keep winning and put Manchester United under pressure.”
Gerrard and Torres are expected to be fit to face Arsenal on Tuesday, the London club's third game in six days after last night's Champions League tie against Villarreal and the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Saturday.
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