Carra won't give up his dream
Jamie Carragher insists he won't give up on his title-winning dream until the day he retires.
The Bootle-born defender has won every trophy available bar the Premier League during an outstanding career which so far has spanned 15 years and included 668 club appearances.
At 33, Carragher knows time is not on his side if the one medal he craves is to be added to his collection.
Add to this his belief that the title is now harder to win than ever and he could be forgiven for thinking our Kenny Dalglish-inspired revival has come a little too late for his own ambitions.
But that isn't Carragher's style.
"I won't stop hoping or believing, but I am realistic enough to know that time is running out for me to win it," our No.23 is quoted as saying in the Daily Mirror.
"It's harder to win the title now than it has ever been. Even finishing in the top four is tougher than ever now - as we've found out.
"When I first broke into the Liverpool side in 1996, United were the top side everyone was looking to challenge.
"Arsenal pushed them more than most and then there was ourselves and Leeds making up the top four. And when Roman Abramovich started splashing the cash at Chelsea, that changed the landscape of football completely. That made it even harder for us to win the league because of the amount of money Chelsea spent.
"Now Man City have taken what Chelsea did to another level. And Tottenham have also come into the equation under Harry Redknapp.
"So instead of having three or four clubs capable of challenging it is now five or six."
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Last season saw Manchester United overtake Liverpool's tally of 18 titles - but the centre-back claims there is no chance of him becoming 'obsessed' with thwarting our north-west rivals.
"United got No.19 last season and that hurt everybody connected with Liverpool," he said. "But we can't just sit here hoping they don't win another one.
"If we want to stop them being champions then the best way to do it is to finish top ourselves. It's the same with the Champions League. I don't want to be sat here in 10 years' time talking about the fact that United have won more European Cups than us - and the best way to stop that is to qualify for the Champions League and win it again.
"It has been too long for a club like Liverpool not to win the league, but we can't become obsessed with them in the way they used to be about Liverpool when they couldn't win the title.
"What was it for them - 26 years, was it? We'll be doing what we can to make sure we don't break their record! I think during that time, they also got relegated. I don't think that will ever happen to Liverpool - and you can quote me on that.
"And to be honest, I'll have still had a great career. The most important thing isn't Jamie Carragher, it's Liverpool Football Club.
"I think what the manager has been quick to address is the fact that we haven't had the same strength in depth as other top teams. It can't be just about 1 to 11.
"It's a squad game now because of all the matches and the boss has really prepared for that.
"In the past we have perhaps relied on the likes of Stevie (Gerrard) or (Fernando) Torres a bit too much and I think that's something the manager has been looking to address with the signings he's made."
Did you know?
Jamie Carragher is among the top 10 Premier League appearance holders:
1. Ryan Giggs - 573
2. David James - 572
3. Gary Speed - 535
4. Sol Campbell - 503
5. Frank Lampard - 491
6. Emile Heskey - 488
7. Paul Scholes - 466
8. Jamie Carragher - 463
9. Phil Neville - 460
10. Alan Shearer - 441