Emiliano Insua today predicted Liverpool’s defenders are ready to rediscover their miserly ways – as Steven Gerrard geared up for a return to action.
Having been restricted to just 25 minutes of action in the past three weeks due to a groin problem, Gerrard is poised to slot back into the Reds’ midfield at Fulham on Saturday.
This game has been the captain’s target ever since he limped off during the Champions League defeat against Lyon 10 days ago and, should he pass a late fitness test, will give Liverpool a major boost.
Rafa Benitez’s side got their campaign back on track with an impressive win against Manchester United last weekend and Gerrard’s presence in the starting line-up at Craven Cottage will increase their chances of building on it.
But while Insua is delighted the skipper is up and running again, he knows the men behind can take some of the pressure off by improving their clean sheet tally.
The shutout against United was only Liverpool’s third in the Premier League so far and the Argentine full-back is aware that statistic needs rectifying.
“We must keep more clean sheets,” said Insua, who impressed during Wednesday night’s Carling Cup defeat at Arsenal. “If we do that, we will draw and win many more games.
“This is one important thing that we must improve on. The manager has told us how we need to change that (record) and we have to start now.
“We have to try and win at Fulham and then in the Champions League. We had a big win against United and we know we can do good things as a team.”
Insua’s spectacular first goal for the club was the high point of an encouraging display at the Emirates Stadium that suggested Liverpool are starting to turn the tide.
The catalyst, undoubtedly, was the vibrant display against United but like so many of his colleagues, Insua knows it will stand for little if they don’t follow up at Craven Cottage.
While performances in the past seven days have been encouraging, their predicament is still delicately poised, particularly with fixtures against Fulham and Lyon to come.
But Insua says toppling United has done wonders for confidence – now it is a question of making sure standards do not drop.
“The game against United was key for us because we had lost four games in a row and we were desperate to win,” said Insua.
“We managed to do that and now we have to make sure we keep going this way, both in the Premier League and the Champions League.
“We will see what happens in later on in the season but we must make sure we build on last week’s win. We never doubted ourselves and always believed we could do it.
“This is more or less the same team that played so well last season but we can’t relax because if we do that, we might lose more games.”
Having been restricted to just 25 minutes of action in the past three weeks due to a groin problem, Gerrard is poised to slot back into the Reds’ midfield at Fulham on Saturday.
This game has been the captain’s target ever since he limped off during the Champions League defeat against Lyon 10 days ago and, should he pass a late fitness test, will give Liverpool a major boost.
Rafa Benitez’s side got their campaign back on track with an impressive win against Manchester United last weekend and Gerrard’s presence in the starting line-up at Craven Cottage will increase their chances of building on it.
But while Insua is delighted the skipper is up and running again, he knows the men behind can take some of the pressure off by improving their clean sheet tally.
The shutout against United was only Liverpool’s third in the Premier League so far and the Argentine full-back is aware that statistic needs rectifying.
“We must keep more clean sheets,” said Insua, who impressed during Wednesday night’s Carling Cup defeat at Arsenal. “If we do that, we will draw and win many more games.
“This is one important thing that we must improve on. The manager has told us how we need to change that (record) and we have to start now.
“We have to try and win at Fulham and then in the Champions League. We had a big win against United and we know we can do good things as a team.”
Insua’s spectacular first goal for the club was the high point of an encouraging display at the Emirates Stadium that suggested Liverpool are starting to turn the tide.
The catalyst, undoubtedly, was the vibrant display against United but like so many of his colleagues, Insua knows it will stand for little if they don’t follow up at Craven Cottage.
While performances in the past seven days have been encouraging, their predicament is still delicately poised, particularly with fixtures against Fulham and Lyon to come.
But Insua says toppling United has done wonders for confidence – now it is a question of making sure standards do not drop.
“The game against United was key for us because we had lost four games in a row and we were desperate to win,” said Insua.
“We managed to do that and now we have to make sure we keep going this way, both in the Premier League and the Champions League.
“We will see what happens in later on in the season but we must make sure we build on last week’s win. We never doubted ourselves and always believed we could do it.
“This is more or less the same team that played so well last season but we can’t relax because if we do that, we might lose more games.”
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