Thursday, December 01, 2011

Reina Targets Christmas Points Present

Liverpool stopper Pepe Reina knows that the coming months are set to be pivotal to the club's push for a top four place this season.

The Reds are desperate for a return to the Champions League after missing out on Europe altogether last term, and have showed signs that they are one of the teams to beat after beating Chelsea and drawing with Manchester City in back-to-back league matches.

With a hectic December and January fixture list round the corner, Reina has been in the English game long enough to know that this will be a pivotal period for the Reds, and the Spaniard is hoping the club can gain some important wins in the winter months.

"We know from experience how important December and January can be in terms of the title race and your position in the league. We have to push now more than ever," Reina told the official Liverpool magazine.

"Without meaning any disrespect to the teams we are playing in this period, when you look at the fixtures I think all the games are winnable.

"Obviously every team is tough to beat in this league but now we have to make sure that we don't make any mistakes at home and that we take maximum points as often as we can."

Confidence is sky high in the Liverpool camp at the moment, helped in part by two wins in nine days at Stamford Bridge against Andre Villas-Boas' beleaguered Blues.

Reina believes Kenny Dalglish has been key to the change in fortunes on Merseyside following his arrival back in January, and the stability the Scot has brought to the club could be key to their future successes.

"We are all happy. I think we now find ourselves in an established situation. Kenny was one of the owners' appointments and Kenny is Liverpool, Liverpool is Kenny," he added.

"He has been the greatest ever so the supporters are more than happy and I think the way the team is playing shows that we are going the right way. Now we want to keep going and improve.

"We have found the right balance off the field with the determination from the owners to keep progressing. The stability is there so now it's up to us to deliver the results."

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