Press conferenceJordan Henderson on Villarreal threat, why Anfield is needed, squad motivation and more
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has warned of the threat Villarreal pose ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final, first-leg meeting at Anfield.
The Reds welcome the La Liga outfit to L4 as they look to reach the showpiece event of European football in Paris on May 28.
Unai Emery’s side – who boast former Liverpool full-back Alberto Moreno in their ranks – took down Juventus and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages of the competition to secure their last-four spot.
Henderson said: “Alberto, I speak to him now and again. Not often, but now and again.
“They're a very good team. I think you’ve seen that over the performances, not only in the Champions League, [but] some performances in the league.
"The ones that stick out would be Juve and Bayern, which just shows the quality they have.
“They have a very experienced manager who has done a great job, so it'll be another really, really tough test as any semi-final in the Champions League would be.
“We need to be at 100 per cent if we want to get anything from the game.”
The Reds captain fielded questions from journalists at Anfield on Tuesday during his pre-match media duties. Read on to see what he had to say...
On the 2016 Europa League final defeat to Emery's Sevilla and how it impacted Liverpool...
Actually, that night always sticks out to me. I can always remember it, I remember after the game going back to the hotel, obviously all the lads are disappointed. You just want to, sort of, go back to your room, not see anybody and get your head down. The gaffer was a bit different to what you would expect, he had everybody downstairs together in the bar area and [we] just spent the night together.
I felt as if he knew that this was the beginning and the start of something special to come. As a player it's very difficult to think that then, when you've just lost a final, but I always felt he was very different to what I’ve seen before, and that night always sticks out in my mind. He sort of knew what was coming in the next few years and I feel as though he has produced that. He's proven that was the beginning of something special.
On when he felt that 'something special' could happen at Liverpool...
I felt there was something special as soon as the manager came in, to be honest. I think everybody did, the whole lift he gave the club, the team, players – everybody, really. You felt it then but it’s difficult when you lose a European final. You're so focused on that night because you've been so close. I felt as if the manager had a very good way of seeing the bigger picture and using that experience to our benefit going forward.
On what has happened at Liverpool in recent seasons under Jürgen Klopp...
It’s very special. I think what we have achieved so far as a team over the last few years... last year was very difficult but how we've reacted and come back from that I think is very special in itself and how we've performed for the majority of the season is very special. There is still a long way to go until the end of the season [and with] the games that we've got left, I know how quickly football can change. People talk about all the things we can win, but we know with a couple of bad games it can all be over. So, it's about keeping focus, it's about focusing on the next game and the next challenge, no matter what competition, [and] giving absolutely everything and then we'll see where we are come the end of the season.
Jürgen Klopp's pre-Villarreal press conference
On trying to create a 'second-leg atmosphere' at Anfield on Wednesday...
Anfield is always special. European nights at Anfield are always incredible, but yes, hopefully that is the case again tomorrow night, which I am sure it will be. We need to perform to the levels we're capable of to get the crowd on those levels – it's a two-way thing. The crowd, I am sure, will be there and we need to make sure we’re there as well, which I am sure we will be.
On how much chasing an unprecedented quadruple is motivating the Liverpool squad...
The motivation for us is just winning. Again, that comes down to what I was saying before, it's not thinking too far ahead [or] thinking, 'We want to win this and we want to win that.' It's winning every game. Every game that we go into we want to win, no matter who it is against, no matter what competition it is. You've got to just focus on that. There are always going to be so many different challenges throughout the season and throughout games, but it's about keeping the focus, not getting carried away and giving absolutely everything.
I know it’s boring, but [it's] giving absolutely everything every time you set foot on the pitch. To be fair, the lads have done that all season and that’s what we need to carry on over the next few weeks. [It's] a big few weeks coming up. Tomorrow night is a massive game and massive night at Anfield. So, hopefully we can keep doing what we have been doing and perform to the levels we’re capable of, and if we do that we give ourselves a good chance of winning games.
On whether he thinks previous Champions League experience could be key against Villarreal...
I think over the years, over the past few years, we've gained experiences as a squad and as individuals. Yes, I think that can help going forward, for sure. You can use those experiences and the games that we've played in before in Europe, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.
It’s always special to play in a semi-final, especially in the Champions League. It's always special to play at Anfield, that will never change. So, it's about using that experience in the right way. But everyone will be just as excited for tomorrow as they were for the first one. It's another big opportunity for us as a team to put a marker down in the first leg. We need to perform, we need to perform in the second leg and hopefully reach the final of the Champions League.
On whether Liverpool may need a similar performance to the semi-final victory over Barcelona in 2019...
One hundred per cent. We invested obviously everything into the semi-final against Barcelona – both away and home – and we got our rewards in the end, but it wasn’t easy. It was tough. We had to invest absolutely everything and, again, that applies tomorrow and the away leg for sure. A very, very difficult team and very good players, it's the semi-final of the Champions League, they're going to be in a good moment and it’s always going to be difficult. So, yes, we need to be at our very best and that only gives us a chance of winning, really. [We have to] do our job on the pitch and hopefully that’s enough to get us into the final.