Q&APep Lijnders press conference: Carabao Cup aims, West Ham, Nunez and Szoboszlai

A place in the semi-finals of the competition is up for grabs when the Reds host David Moyes' Hammers in the last eight.

Lijnders previewed the showdown by answering questions from reporters at the AXA Training Centre – read on for a summary of what he had to say…

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On a decisive month...

We always say that the first half of the season is like a base you create. You want to bring the Europa League to the knockout stages after Christmas. You want to be in and around the top four, for sure, but close to the front in the Premier League around this period after Christmas. You want to play, especially this team because it's basically a new team, you want to reach finals and reach a semi-final in January – it will only be helpful for the boys to grow. They show a lot of passion, a lot of ambition to compete in this competition, so that's something we really want.

On the Carabao Cup...

It is an interesting competition because if you want to be successful in all four, if you want to at least compete in all four, you need a full squad available and you need everybody on their toes every day and everybody wants to play and everybody wants to compete. That's the main thing. I feel really happy about these last weeks because you see that you need the full squad to win football games if the calendar becomes something like this – and that's something we did, so I am really proud of that. It shows how the subs came in, it shows how the mentality of the boys [was] to create really a difference, and that's something you need. That's why I like this competition a lot as well because it gives some players an opportunity, it gives young players an opportunity and at the same time you play early finals and everybody knows Liverpool Football Club is here to reach finals, to play in the finals at least.

On facing West Ham...

It is like this, you need to earn the right to progress, and West Ham are a team who beat Arsenal, who are already in the knockout stages of the Europa League – the same as us. I feel they are more collective with Kudus, Bowen and Paqueta up top. They have a lot of technique there, really class. They can create from deep, they can create high, individual qualities are good and they still can mix it up, long balls to Soucek and then really compete from there. The right side [has] real combinations with Kudus coming inside – they are good at that.

And what I feel, they are more aggressive than they were before, so big compliment to the coach, of course, because he's doing a really good job I think, because they are more aggressive as well in their pressing. When they feel good in games, they go higher and with more aggression. So, we will need to be spot on, we will need to respect this and then put our game into place, have to try to push them back and all these things. But yeah, let's see.

On Darwin Nunez...

It is a good question. Darwin is full of desire, you see that in each game, and if we would only judge players on the goals, that would be so unfair. Because in our way, always when we reach our targets, when we were really there to compete, it was always about the collective and that will always make the difference. Not individuals, it was always the collective. When Mo was not playing well, it was Sadio who created. When Bobby was maybe not playing well, Mo was the one who was decisive. These things happen.

I feel that there is a good connection between Mo and Darwin, for example – the way they see each other, they assist each other. And I feel above everything that Darwin is playing a much better season than last year – the way how he defends for the team, the way how he controls the centre and at the same time puts the press on, the way he goes, the way how he chases back, his counter-press as well. He helps us a lot when we are deep and we can play with him as a reference, so he does that much better. Take the goal from Wata [against Fulham], one play long and he sets and Mo then assists Wata.

But he becomes much more our striker. It's a long time [since] we played with a false nine... and now it's Darwin who's always in the last line, maybe too high, offside sometimes! But he's learning. But I like a lot and I think, and we have the discussion more often, this guy is full of fire – and that's what our stadium likes. And that's what we need as well – to lead the line in this way. He can only become better, it's a good thing. Always with goals, if you create a lot, the goals will come naturally and that's a compliment to our team as well because we are creating, creating and sometimes you have to be a little bit lucky.

We sit together, we do individual meetings, we show images, we have a really good relationship – all of us, I'm not speaking only me, and he feels our trust. That's the thing we can give him. As I said, if you are not creating that would be much worse, but we are creating.

On Dominik Szoboszlai's form…

He is 22. He is so young. We are really happy that he made an impact already. We know what he is capable of. The only way to come back to the standards he has is to work harder, to work better, to train better. Rhythm he has, because he plays games constantly. I am not saying that he is not [doing these things], so understand me right there. He has this character that he wants to show, he wants to be important for the team. As long as he keeps that and he fights and the team around him is stable, he will come back to his best as well. But we already saw what he is capable of and that's something we need. Last year everybody was saying we need to renew our midfield, we need new boys there. Now we have new boys and for some there will always be difficult phases in a season, more less-top moments in the season. We are just really happy he is with us, that's for sure.

On balancing expectations on the team with the reality of rebuilding…

We created this ourselves, no? One thing is the expectations the people think, the other expectation is what we think. We start a season where we want to create new memories, where we want to create special games, where we want to create a team who can beat the best teams in the world. We don't need to be the best, we want to beat the best teams. This mentality has to go [forward]. Underneath all of the talks, underneath of everybody saying and all discussions after the United game, this team, underneath, it is growing and growing and growing, and you feel it in everything.

How they are together, how they train, how we pushed Man United, for example, for the first 30 minutes on their half and they can't come out. That's our new team and that's growing, and we – coaching, management, Jürgen of course – all of us feel this and that's something we want to build on. We always knew it will never go like [whoosh], that doesn't happen, it takes time to build a good team, to drill a good team, so that they feel connected in a certain way and that they know our game inside out. We know this. We are really happy with the team in front of us and I hope that Anfield is happy as well because this team has an unbelievable future, in my opinion.

On how important a first trophy would be for this team…

For sure. If you want to build a team who really can compete you need to play finals, that's why the Carabao Cup is so important because you play already in January a semi-final. To grow, to make this step, that's massive. I think the most important thing is that our players – say Virgil, say Dominik, say Trent, say Robbo, these guys, Mo – that they have the ambition to win, that they want more trophies. A few of the big guns left who had this ambition, this passion to put every day in place certain standards, and I feel this team they want it even more, maybe without saying it. It is really nice to see them grow in this way.