Sami Hyypia: We’ll keep ignoring the doubters

Oct 31 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

SAMI HYYPIA is ignoring the critics who doubt Liverpool’s title credentials by insisting their football will continue to do the talking.

Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory over Portsmouth ensured Rafael Benitez’s side kept up their best start to a Premier League season and remain on top of the table after 10 matches.

Despite their encouraging early season results which have included a first league win over Manchester United under the Spaniard and an away success at Chelsea which ended the Londoners’ record 86-game unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool believe they have not always received the plaudits their results deserve this term.

Although the Anfield outfit are currently three points clear of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side at the summit, they have been accused in some quarters of having enjoyed a certain degree of good fortune – even though they could have been a further two points above their nearest rivals had a seemingly good Steven Gerrard free-kick against Stoke not been ruled out.

But rather than get involved in a war of words over the merits of Liverpool’s position, Hyypia is just interested with what his team-mates achieve on the pitch.

He said: “It’s still early days so we will keep our feet on the ground and take it game by game, and just try to win every game.

“We are letting all the other people do the talking. We’re not ones to go shouting about what we are going to do. As I said, we are just trying to keep our feet on the ground and just keep putting in the performances.”

While the likes of Arsenal continue to play some of the Premier League’s most attractive football yet flatter to deceive when it comes to the pursuit of major honours, Hyypia acknowledges that Liverpool’s efficiency in gaining the wins they need is a valuable quality.

He said: “The result is always more important than how you play. At the beginning of the season there were games we didn’t perform brilliantly, but we got the result.

“If come May we are at the top, then nobody will remember we played bad football at the beginning of the season. They’ll just remember that we kept on getting the points, and the result is more important than how you get it.

“But it was important (against Portsmouth) to keep the momentum going after our win at Chelsea.

“After the win over United, we played Stoke and everybody expected us to win and we slipped up by being held to a goalless draw. So we had to make sure we didn’t allow it to happen again on Wednesday.”

Benitez bolstered his squad over the summer by finding a new strike partner for Fernando Torres in the shape of £20million Robbie Keane and reinforcing the problem left flank of his team by recruiting full-back Andrea Dossena and winger Albert Riera.

Hyypia believes that the speed in which the signings have been integrated into the side coupled by the increased competition for places they have brought – the veteran Finn was not included in Liverpool’s 25-man squad for Champions League competition this season – has been a major factor to the team’s success.

He said: “The difference from the previous seasons I have been here is that in the summer we made some good signings that have settled very well straight away into the team.

“We also have a lot of competition for places, which is something we haven’t maybe had as much in past seasons.

“This season maybe we are a bit stronger mentally too. You only have to look at the way in which we have won some games to see that.

“Every year, it seems to becoming more and more difficult to be on top, what with the other teams strengthening their squads.

“But so far, so good, and hopefully we can keep on going like we have done.”