Brendan Rodgers is desperate for Liverpool's season to finish with a silver lining
With the latter now looking unlikely following damaging league defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal, the importance of tonight’s quarter-final replay at Blackburn Rovers cannot be overstated as Liverpool seek to salvage something from their campaign.
Rodgers’ priority was to lift silverware this term and, having fallen at the semi-final stage in the Capital One Cup and exited two European competitions at the first hurdle, knows his side must prevail at Ewood Park in order to avoid renewed scrutiny.
Asked if the FA Cup was now key to saving Liverpool’s season, Rodgers said: “I don’t want to go down the route of saying that. Our objective was to win a trophy.
“If we didn’t get in the top four and we didn’t have a trophy this year, we ourselves would be disappointed.
If we didn’t get in the top four and we didn’t have a trophy this year, we ourselves would be disappointed
Brendan Rodgers
“Certainly the FA Cup would give us a great boost as a team with lots of young players and players coming into the club. That’s the expectancy we want. We want to be able to be challenging every year.
“That was the key thing for me, to get the group challenging at the top end of the league and for trophies. The FA Cup would mark a good step forward for us.”
There is now plenty riding on the outcome of the tie with the suspended Steven Gerrard still hoping to finish his Liverpool career with a victory in a Wembley final, while Raheem Sterling’s concerns about whether he can win trophies will gain credence if it is Blackburn who secure a semi-final with Aston Villa.
Rodgers’ main concern will be eradicating the basic errors in defence - and midfield - which allowed Arsenal to ride roughshod of their rivals.
Steven Gerrard - Player Profile
Emre Can joins Martin Skrtel and Gerrard in serving a ban and Rodgers warned any repeat of the weekend display would result in Blackburn savouring a famous success.
“I think so,” said Rodgers. “We didn’t defend. First of all we didn’t defend the ball well enough.
“We gave the ball away in poor areas for two of the four goals. Over the last few months we defended really well, we had six clean sheets against good opponents and defended very well away from home.
“The minute you come off it and if you come off it against good players you can get punished and that is what happened.
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Liverpool will be without Steven Gerrard for their FA Cup quarter-final replay
“You have to continue to work and be positive. The last two results and performances have been disappointing but there is still so much left in the season for us.
“The seven league games we have left offer 21 points and you never know – the teams above us still have difficult games to play but the mathematics of it show it will be difficult, but it can be done.
“Our attitude and our mindset is to get to the FA Cup final and win it and we will be fighting to the very end in the league. There is everything still to play for and we can still make it a really successful season.”
