Hendo: Nothing has changed - we still want to win
Jordan Henderson insists that Liverpool's mentality ahead of their final Premier League game of the season remains unchanged by events elsewhere this week.
Following Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town, the Reds know they can secure a top-four finish by taking a point from Sunday’s meeting with Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield.
Had Antonio Conte’s team won against the Terriers, Henderson and his teammates would have been required to defeat Brighton to guarantee qualification for the 2018-19 Champions League.
And victory, the captain has stressed, is still their aim, despite the fact a draw would suffice so long as Chelsea’s visit to Newcastle United does not end in an extraordinary result in the Blues’ favour.
“I think we’ve still got to win the game. Obviously the draw would probably be enough but we definitely won’t be going in with that mindset,” Henderson told Liverpoolfc.com.
“You’ve just got to go out there, especially with it being at Anfield, focused on winning the game, playing like we have been at Anfield recently, giving everything, and I’m sure the atmosphere will be brilliant with it being the last day.
“We’re looking forward to that. It’s another big game for us but the mindset, like it is every game, is to go and win.”
Sunday’s match does not represent Liverpool’s last assignment of the season, of course.
A Champions League final against Real Madrid in Kiev lies in wait but, although a trophy is not up for grabs, Henderson thinks Brighton’s trip to Merseyside also carries the significance of a final.
“Yes, definitely,” the skipper replied, when asked if he feels like the Reds have two finals, not one, left to play this term.
“The first final is on Sunday because if we win that guarantees us Champions League football, which is massive for us as a team, as a club, so it’s a big one, and then obviously we’ve got a little bit more time to focus on the other final after that.
“For sure there’ll be that intensity [against Brighton] and I know we’ll perform the way that we can and that we have been doing.
“It’s important for us, no matter what game it is or what stage of the season it’s at, we’ve got to make sure we give everything to win the game and that’s what good teams do.”
Just one hurdle remains in the way of Liverpool’s quest to qualify for the Champions League in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2009 - something Henderson believes would prove Jürgen Klopp’s side are on the rise.
“It’s not easy to qualify for the Champions League so to qualify for two years in a row - with the teams that would miss out, and hopefully we’re not one of them - is very difficult. To do it twice in a row, fingers crossed, that would be massive for us as a team,” the England midfielder continued.
“That would show that we’re improving, we’re developing and we’re going in the right direction, so that’s the most important thing.
“I think going forward the aim will be not only to qualify for the Champions League but to be winning trophies on a more regular basis to make this club successful again.”