UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says his players remain focussed ahead of their Premier League game against Aston Villa in spite of recent distractions and speculation

Record ID: 863617

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says his players remain focussed ahead of their Premier League game against Aston Villa in spite of recent distractions and speculation
  • Date: 22nd August 2013
  • Summary: FILE (LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UK - 2012) (REUTERS) LIVERPOOL TRAINING
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2013 13:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom
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  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVADE1UW9MCY7EFP38XHX9ER23LG
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  • Story Text: Distractions and speculation have not changed Liverpool's focus on winning games, manager Brendan Rodgers told a news conference on Thursday (August 22).
    The biggest of those has probably been the Luis Suarez saga, with Arsenal eventually saying on Wednesday that they will no longer pursue the Reds' Uruguayan striker.
    Rodgers told a news conference on Thursday, five days after beating Stoke 1-0 at home: "I think they showed last week, the players, that with all the distractions that's happened over the course and all the speculation over the course of the Summer that we were still very focussed on our, on our, on our job, which is to win games and perform well so, so I think it's safe to say that, you know, any distractions or speculation that there is, we control that and just remain focussed and concentrate on performing well on the training ground; finding ways to be better every day and then taking it into the games and I think as I said, we'll go into this game, you know, with good confidence, but also respect in that Aston Villa are a good team and we'll have to work hard to get the result."
    Villa lost 2-1 at Chelsea on Wednesday, but beat Arsenal 3-1 away last Saturday, so Rodgers said their match should be a good one.
    "I think it's just about trying to control the counter-attack. You know, they're very -- they've got fast players, energetic players and -- but as I said, our focus is really on our own game and we know that the form that we are in and certainly the mentality and confidence of the players, it should be a really good game," said the Liverpool boss.
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