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Neil Lennon called for his players to have no fear when they take to the pitch against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend.
Wanderers travel to Anfield to take on Brendan Rodgers’ side for a place in the last 16 of the competition, having set up a tie on Merseyside courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Wigan in the last round.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the manager acknowledged that although his side will face a tough test in the form of the Reds, he sees no reason why the Whites cannot overcome the task set in front of them.
“The mood in the camp is very good at the minute,” said Lennon. “I think it was important that we won against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend to keep a bit of momentum going that we’ve built in the league.
“Now we have this great game to look forward to – it’s been like a free week for the players. They can look forward to it and relish the challenge that lies ahead.
“It’s not just the players though – the whole club are getting a taste for being back in the big time again which is fantastic.
“I watched Liverpool on Tuesday against Chelsea and I thought they were exceptional against a side who I think are the best team in the country right now – the character and quality they showed was there for all to see.
“We know that we’re going to have to be at our very, very best to negate that.”
Set to take his players to Anfield off the back of a run of form which has seen them defeated just once in 12 games in all competitions, the manager explained that he will be treating the occasion just like any other fixture.
“We’ve obviously been look at how we’re going to be able to not just cope with them, but to also create chances against them,” he said.
“You can’t go to teams like Liverpool and just sit in all afternoon – if they do break you down, you have to have a plan of how to get back into the game.
“We’re not going to go to Anfield and sit back and admire them – we are going to compete and try to cause them problems.
“I don’t think the occasion will faze the players at all – we have had some really good atmospheres on our own patch in recent months and we’ve got a number of players in the squad who have played at the highest level.
“We’ve also got Emile Heskey and Eidur Gudjohnsen who have been massive influences both on and off the pitch, so their experience will count in these big games.”
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Wanderers travel to Anfield to take on Brendan Rodgers’ side for a place in the last 16 of the competition, having set up a tie on Merseyside courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Wigan in the last round.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the manager acknowledged that although his side will face a tough test in the form of the Reds, he sees no reason why the Whites cannot overcome the task set in front of them.
“The mood in the camp is very good at the minute,” said Lennon. “I think it was important that we won against Sheffield Wednesday last weekend to keep a bit of momentum going that we’ve built in the league.
“Now we have this great game to look forward to – it’s been like a free week for the players. They can look forward to it and relish the challenge that lies ahead.
“It’s not just the players though – the whole club are getting a taste for being back in the big time again which is fantastic.
“I watched Liverpool on Tuesday against Chelsea and I thought they were exceptional against a side who I think are the best team in the country right now – the character and quality they showed was there for all to see.
“We know that we’re going to have to be at our very, very best to negate that.”
Set to take his players to Anfield off the back of a run of form which has seen them defeated just once in 12 games in all competitions, the manager explained that he will be treating the occasion just like any other fixture.
“We’ve obviously been look at how we’re going to be able to not just cope with them, but to also create chances against them,” he said.
“You can’t go to teams like Liverpool and just sit in all afternoon – if they do break you down, you have to have a plan of how to get back into the game.
“We’re not going to go to Anfield and sit back and admire them – we are going to compete and try to cause them problems.
“I don’t think the occasion will faze the players at all – we have had some really good atmospheres on our own patch in recent months and we’ve got a number of players in the squad who have played at the highest level.
“We’ve also got Emile Heskey and Eidur Gudjohnsen who have been massive influences both on and off the pitch, so their experience will count in these big games.”
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