Tuesday 19 March 2013

Liverpool can still make Europe this season, insists Jordan Henderson - The Guardian

The Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has said that the club's bid for European football is far from over despite the defeat at Southampton.

The Reds' three-match winning run in the league, which had raised slim hopes of sneaking into the Champions League, was brought to a shuddering halt with the 3-1 loss on Saturday.

However, while the top four – now nine points away – may be out of reach, Henderson believes seventh-placed Liverpool can still secure a place in European competition next season.

"It was a big disappointment against Southampton but Europe's not gone yet," he said. "We've still got eight games to play and that's a lot of points to play for. We've still got to play some of the teams above us so we have to keep going. We have to pick ourselves up from this and ensure we respond positively against Aston Villa after the international break."

Henderson's playing time in the league has been limited since his last start since Liverpool took on West Bromwich Albion but he accepts it has been difficult to break into a winning side. However, he is hoping for an opportunity with Joe Allen set to have an operation on a shoulder injury seemingly sooner rather than later after pulling out of Wales' squad on Sunday.

"I've just got to keep working hard," he told the Liverpool Echo. "Before Saturday the team had been playing brilliantly so I can't complain. You can't really change a winning team so I've understood why I've not played. I just have to make sure that when the manager needs me I'm ready to take my chance."

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