Jamie Carragher: Off-field antics can't distract us in games

Jan 17 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

Jamie Carragher

JAMIE CARRAGHER believes Liverpool’s players cannot use the club’s off-field uncertainty as an excuse for their indifferent form.

The Anfield outfit recorded their first victory of 2008 with a resounding 5-0 thrashing of Luton Town in their FA Cup third round replay on Tuesday.

It was only Liverpool’s fourth win in their last 10 games, a sequence during which they have slipped out of the Carling Cup and fallen 12 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United.

The run has coincided with discord behind the scenes at the club between manager Rafael Benitez and co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, with Hicks admitting Jurgen Klinsmann had been approached to replace the Spaniard.

But Carragher concedes the performances of the players in recent weeks has contributed to doubts over Benitez’s future – and that Liverpool’s squad should focus on their job rather than the distractions elsewhere.

“We are all aware of what is going on but all we can do as players is just concentrate on doing it on the pitch, and I think some of the problems are because we haven’t been doing as well as we can on the pitch,” said Carragher.

“As players, we have to take responsibility to sort things out on the pitch. Anything that goes on off the pitch then is nothing to do with the players.

“We are paid to play and we did that on Tuesday, but we know we need to improve over the next few weeks because we know in the last nine or 10 games we haven’t been good enough.

“I know some people say what happens off the pitch affects players. Maybe it does. But it doesn’t affect me. Why should it? I am paid to play, your wages are still coming in, you are still playing for Liverpool, so I don’t know why it should affect players and to be honest I don’t know if it does that much.

“If I was in a foreign country and there was something like this going on I don’t think I would care or be bothered about.”

Carragher was similarly blunt earlier this season when he dismissed any notion the departure of assistant manager Pako Ayesteran had contributed to some poor results in October.

And of suggestions the current situation at Anfield may be having a debilitating effect on the team, the 29-year-old added: “I think it is an excuse just as it was at the start of the season to point to Pako (Ayesteran) leaving. We had a few bad results and everyone was talking.

“I said then you have to be strong mentally to play for Liverpool and things happen off the pitch and it don’t let it affect you.

“The results weren’t great in the Premiership last season so what was that down to? Know what I mean. The results haven’t been good enough because we haven’t been good enough. End of story.”