Skrtel dreaming of first medal
Fifty months on from the start of Martin Skrtel's Liverpool love affair, the Slovakian defender is hoping his long wait to secure a first trophy is now into its final week.
Cardiff City stand between Skrtel and the first Cup success of his career this weekend when Liverpool take on their Championship opponents at Wembley - and the in-form defender is keeping his fingers crossed he'll be celebrating silverware on Sunday afternoon.
"I'm looking forward to the game because it's my first final for Liverpool and the first final of my football career," he told Liverpoolfc.tv.
"I've been close in the past and played in the semi-finals of the Champions League, but we didn't make it. That's why I can't wait for Sunday.
"I've been here four and a half years now and I am surprised it has taken so long to reach a final. Every player plays for trophies and for medals but they're not easy to win, especially here. There are three competitions here, with the league and the FA and Carling Cups. To me there is no difference between the FA Cup and the Carling Cup. If we can win on Sunday, then great.
"We want to win it for the fans. We have great support from them in every game we play, home or away. We want to say thank you to them for that and try and win the trophy."
Liverpool fans will turn one half of Wembley into a sea of red on Sunday afternoon as over 30,000 Kopites descend on the new national stadium for the first time.
While this year's Carling Cup final sees Liverpool make their debut at the new-look Wembley, it won't be an altogether new experience for Skrtel.
"It is huge to play at Wembley," he said. "For me, it's one of the best stadiums in the world and any player would be proud to play there. I played in a friendly for Slovakia against England and it wasn't the best, we lost 4-0. It's best to forget about that and hope my next game there is better.
"I remember the old Wembley from the television and of course the new one is beautiful with 90,000 fans inside. It's always nice to play in a stadium like that because the atmosphere is brilliant."
With Kenny Dalglish not naming his Cup final team until the day of the game, Skrtel will join most of his teammates in enduring an anxious wait to discover if his name will be in the manager's starting eleven.
Having established himself as a first choice central defender over the course of what has been an impressive campaign, he is relishing the challenge of trying to drive Liverpool towards success.
"I am happy because I am playing every single game," he says. "We have kept lot of clean sheets and that's always good for a defender. I try to do my best in training and in every game, to show the manager I am able to play. There was a time when I wasn't the best and I know about that, but now I am playing how I want to play. I think it's about confidence. I play every game and have the confidence of the manager. Maybe that's the reason why I'm playing well.
"If we win this game then I hope it could be a turning point for us. A lot of things have changed at the club in the past two years and now we hope a better period is coming. Our target at the start of the season was to win a trophy and qualify for the top four. We're in one final, in the sixth round of the FA Cup and four points off the top four. I believe the season can be as good as we wished for.
"It will be a tough game on Sunday, though. Games against teams from the Championship are always hard. They may not have the same quality but they will fight and be more aggressive. I think it will be a similar game to the one against Brighton on Sunday. It will be tough, but we need to just look at ourselves and play our own game.
"Cardiff will be right up for it. They cannot lose, they can only win. Everyone says we are the favourites - but sometimes it's not easy for favourites in a final. Look at Arsenal last season. But I believe in our team and I know we have a quality with great players. We just need to show our best on the day."
And if the game goes to extra time and then penalties, can Kenny expect Skrtel to be volunteering for spot-kick duty?
"If I have to take one then I will, but I won't be in the first five," he quipped. "I took a few when I was younger but I missed two or three. It's best to leave it for the other players and to finish the game before 90 minutes."