Mignolet: Team ethic is making us harder to face
Liverpool are becoming a tougher prospect to face because of the 'strength and unity' in the squad this season, according to Simon Mignolet.
The Reds return to Premier League action at Leicester City on Monday night, more than a fortnight on from a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur which replenished the belief in securing a top-four spot this term.
With 13 games remaining, Jürgen Klopp’s side are well placed to achieve that objective but know a consistent run of performances is required between now and May.
And Mignolet, now in his fourth season with the club, draws confidence from the nature of the current group of players and what that means for opponents.
“We’ve got 25 players in the dressing room but in the end there are only 11 who can play, so there are always going to be a few guys disappointed each weekend,” said the Belgian.
“We are fighting for the same objective, though, and I think that is our strength this season: we perform as a team.
“When I first came here it was more about certain individuals, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were scoring all the goals and Steven Gerrard was still playing. Now the danger comes from the strength and unity of the squad.
“We are all pressing together and relying on each other to defend, rather than hoping someone will score us a goal at the other end of the pitch.
“Back in the day, if you could stop Luis, you had a chance against Liverpool but now you have to face a whole team playing for each other and I guess that’s a lot harder.”
After writing a fairy tale story en route to winning the Premier League last season, Leicester have struggled this year and parted company with manager Claudio Ranieri earlier in the week.
The Foxes have also dropped into the relegation zone ahead of Monday’s meeting with the Reds at the King Power Stadium, but Mignolet cautioned against expecting a straightforward evening.
“Leicester will be similar to Hull, the last team we lost to away from home,” the No.22 said.
“They are a tough team to play against and they will be physical. We have to match that physicality and then play our football. If we can mix those things together we don’t have anything to worry about.
“The games against Chelsea and Tottenham showed how we can perform and that’s what we need to do all the time, not just when we think ‘This is a big game’ and the headlines are in us.
“I don’t agree that there are big teams and small teams in the Premier League. There are just a lot of good teams. Leicester are still playing Champions League in any case, so you cannot regard them as a small team.”