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| Gary Mcallister insisted the discontent around Anfield must serve as a "driving force" |
LIVERPOOL'S players have been warned they must find a way of coping with growing unrest among supporters unwilling to see the club cast as also-rans.
First team coach Gary McAllister insisted one of Liverpool’s remaining assets was a core support which refuses to blindly accept slipping standards and insisted the onus is on the team to thrive in the face of mounting pressure.
The focus for Brendan Rodgers and his side switches to the Capital One Cup and tonight’s tie with League Two Carlisle as a run of home fixtures continues.
Patience is increasingly in short supply at Anfield following a downturn in results in the Premier League, but McAllister maintained the discontent must serve as a “driving force.”
“That’s the thing that still impresses me, that there are still those grumblings from the fans,” said McAllister, who returned to Liverpool when joining Rodgers’ backroom staff this summer.
“If you lose that and it does become accepted it not’s going to be right. And that won’t happen here.
“It will be driven through by the frustration of the fans. We’ve got to be competing right at the highest level. It’s how I see Liverpool. I just associate it with winning things.
“A couple of poor results and the heat is on. You come under the microscope. The players have to thrive under that sort of pressure. It has to drive you and you have to cope with the demands of playing here.”
There were boos at the final whistle of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Norwich, despite areas of improvement within the performance, and McAllister added: “That’s got to be a good thing and that’s got to be the driving force for players and they’ve got to put that right.
“They’ve got to rise above that and that’s where we come in and, hopefully, where I do.
“I have played in front of frustrated crowds when things aren’t going well and that’s when you push your shoulders back and show that bravery.
“And bravery is not whacking into people and elbowing people. It’s getting on the ball in tight areas and taking responsibility. We have no fear in doing that and I don’t have any fears about us putting that right.”
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| Nathaniel Clyne and Danny Ings look dejected after Liverpool's draw with Norwich |
Liverpool will make changes, but Rodgers intends to field a strong side for a competition that brought McAllister success as a player as part of 2001 Cup Treble.
“On arrival back then, and it’s still vivid in my mind, you come and you get into training and have a look around and you think ‘we must have a chance of competing and maybe picking up a cup here’,” he said.
“Just gathering momentum and winning the first one just gives you that ‘we can do something’ feeling.
“The players here should be looking around the dressing room and there’s a lot of quality and depth as well. The nucleus is there to actually go on and be threatening to win.”
Christian Benteke will miss the game after undergoing scans on a hamstring injury and is a doubt for a reunion with former club Aston Villa on Saturday. Adam Bogdan is likely to make his debut in goal as a replacement for Simon Mignolet.
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