Programme notesJordan Henderson: There can be no standing still for us

The Reds host Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield this evening as they return to Premier League action, having sealed a place in the Champions League final in midweek at Villarreal.

Attention quickly turns back to domestic matters, and the captain is keen to not let anything get in the way of the continued focus that will be needed in the coming weeks.

In his notes for the official matchday programme, Henderson writes: “Our initial aim doesn’t change. We want to win as many games as we possibly can and see where it takes us.

“Longer term, though, our ambition has to be to take all of the elements that have contributed to this season and look to get even better. There can be no standing still, on or off the pitch.

“The minute we start to believe that what’s happening at the moment is in any way the norm, or that it can be taken for granted, is the moment that we start letting ourselves down.

“The hard work doesn’t stop now, if anything it needs to be redoubled. We have to build on the unity that has been absolutely vital to everything we are doing and we have to carry on learning from the mistakes that are an inevitable part of this kind of journey.

“We also have to continue giving our opponents as much respect as they give us. We don’t need a reminder on this front, but if we did then the way Villarreal performed in the first half in midweek would have provided one.

“The reality is that top-level football is made up of teams and individuals who have incredible quality and that is particularly true of today’s opposition, Spurs, who arrive at Anfield with their own ambitions to pursue.

“The gaffer said something recently which I think will be a key message not just for today, but for the rest of the season; he admitted that there will be times when we suffer as a team, and when this does happen we need to react.”

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