Adam: There could be no repeat
Charlie Adam accepts he faces stiff competition if he's to repeat his Cardiff free-kick heroics of two years ago at Wembley once again – but insists he doesn't mind who takes the set pieces as long as Liverpool lift the Carling Cup this Sunday.
The Scotland midfielder netted with a stunning 25-yard strike in Blackpool's 3-2 play-off final victory against the Bluebirds in May 2010 - a goal he regards as the favourite of his professional career.
However, with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Craig Bellamy, Luis Suarez and Daniel Agger all adept at dead-ball situations, Adam admits he may not get an opportunity to try his luck from a free-kick this time around - though he doesn't mind which Reds player takes them if one of them can help the team to victory.
On the competition to take free-kicks at Liverpool, he told a pre-match press conference: "There are so many of us now who want to take them!
"But when you come to a club like this and have so many talented players who want to be involved, it's incredible. I am delighted to be here and playing alongside the lads here.
"It's been a tough competition for us playing every game away from home. I think we deserve to be where we are and if we play as well as we can on the day, we'll have a good chance of winning the trophy.
"That has been our aim since the start of the season - it's the first cup final of the season and we're in it. We'll enjoy the occasion and try and win the first trophy."
He added: "This is a massive club and it has been to a number of finals before, and won trophies home and abroad.
"When you get an opportunity to come to the club, you want to win trophies. We're in the first cup final of the season and we'll go there and try and win it."
Naturally, Adam has fond memories of that warm May afternoon at Wembley when he helped Blackpool secure promotion to the Premier League at Cardiff's expense.
Nonetheless, he won't be drawing on any past experience come Sunday and predicts a tough contest against the high-flying Championship team.
"You always give respect to the opposition, no matter who you're playing," said Adam. "They've come a long way, they're a good side, with a good manager - who is Scottish as well, which helps! They are on the right road.
"They've been in the play-offs for a number of years, but they've just not had the luck to get to the Premier League. That's the difference.
"When I played there (at Wembley) in the play-off final it was a great occasion for Blackpool because we were underdogs and there are lots and lots of great memories for me.
"But it's gone now. It was two years ago, so let's look forward to the Carling Cup final.
"That's why we're sat here at such a wonderful club - and we want to win trophies. Getting the opportunity to do it at Wembley will be nice, and we know if we play as well as we can on the day we'll have a chance of winning the trophy."
Adam heads into the Carling Cup final on the back of an impressive individual performance against Brighton on Sunday, where he played a pivotal role in Liverpool's 6-1 victory.
The 26-year-old lined up alongside Steven Gerrard in the heart of the Reds' midfield that afternoon and admits it would be a privilege to do so again in a cup final - though with a strong squad of fully-fit players at Kenny Dalglish's disposal, he's taking nothing for granted.
"On the day, the manager will pick the team from the players who are available and we'll go from there," Adam said. "If I'm selected, it will be great.
"You need partnerships when you're playing with people and it was good to play with him (Gerrard) because he's a top-class player. When you're playing with good players, it makes it easier for yourself and the team plays well also.
"It doesn't matter who you're playing with, you try and adapt your game to the strengths of each other.
"Stevie likes to go forward, and he can also sit and play as well. We saw on Sunday he can do both and that's why he's a top player, and it's an honour just to be able to play alongside him and learn from the players we've got in our squad."
With three months of the season left to play, Liverpool are still chasing success on three fronts.
Following the Carling Cup final, the Reds will contest an FA Cup quarter-final against Stoke City at Anfield in March, while they're just four points off fourth place in the Barclays Premier League.
Journalists put it to Adam that beating Cardiff on Sunday could act as a springboard for Liverpool to go on and taste further glory in the remainder of the campaign.
But he replied: "We only concentrate on the next game - and the next game for us is the Carling Cup final. Then we have international games, so our focus will be on trying to win a game for our countries, and then back to the Premier League.
"We don't look too far ahead and say, 'if we beat this team it is going to help us against this team'. We take each game as it comes and if on the day we're good enough to win then we're good enough to win. If we don't, we'll look at it, dust ourselves down and then go again and try to win the next match."
If Liverpool are to prevail on Sunday, it will provide Adam with a first trophy south of the border having clinched the Scottish Challenge Cup with St Mirren in 2005.
However, the midfielder doesn't believe a player's career can be defined by the number of medals they've won.
"You're not judged in your career on winning medals - there are top-class players who have never won a medal, or won one or two," Adam said.
"For us, it's about taking each game as it comes, trying to win as many games as we can and getting the opportunity to play in a final.
"We're looking forward to the game, it's going to be a tough match. If we win the game then great and if we don't we'll dust ourselves down and move on."