Simon: City will be totally different
Simon Mignolet expects Liverpool's trip to Manchester City on Monday to pose an altogether different challenge to their season opener with Southampton, but insists the players are ready for the task.
The Reds kicked off their 2014-15 campaign with a narrow victory over the Saints last Sunday, with Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge notching the crucial goals in either half to secure a 2-1 win at Anfield.
Mignolet was also required to produce a stunning late stop to preserve the result, acrobatically reacting to thwart Morgan Schneiderlin by tipping the midfielder's close-range volley onto the crossbar at the Kop end.
With the first fixture now behind them, and the experience of two hard-fought contests with the champions last season, the goalkeeper believes Brendan Rodgers' side can travel to the Etihad Stadium with confidence.
"We will be ready for City," the Belgium international told the Liverpool Echo. "It's actually probably an easier game to go into than Southampton at home.
"We didn't really know what to expect from Southampton as they have a new manager and new players. But we know what the City game is going to be all about. It will be totally different.
"They have some top players and it will be a difficult game, but we competed with them last season and hopefully we will get the three points."
Ever modest, Mignolet refused to dwell on the importance of his save to deny the Saints a second equaliser. "I was happy with the save but I don't want to take the credit for the win," he said.
"After scoring a second goal, we just needed a bit of luck. We fought hard as a team until the last minute of the game and scraped a result out of it."
Many comparisons have been drawn between the manner of Liverpool's win against Southampton and that of the victory over Stoke City on the opening day of the 2013-14 season 12 months ago.
Sturridge struck the vital goal on that occasion too, while Mignolet was the hero by punching out a Jonathan Walters penalty with seconds left to play to secure a 1-0 scoreline.
"There were some strange results in the league and it just shows that every first game of the season for any team is always a bit bizarre," explained the 26-year-old.
"You can win as many games as you want in pre-season but a Premier League game is something totally different. It's all about putting three points on the board.
"It was the same last year when we had a real battle against Stoke. We didn't play our best football against Southampton but we'll take a lot of confidence from that and build on it.
"No matter what you achieved last season, you have to start again. You can't expect to be at your best from the first minute of the season. You don't feel the same as when you've played 20 games.
"We blew teams away in the second half of last season, not at the beginning. The aim is to get back to that level. You saw in pre-season that the talent is there.
"Last season we beat Stoke, won a tough game at Villa and then beat Manchester United. We hope to build from a winning start again."
Summer recruits Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Javier Manquillo were all handed competitive debuts for Liverpool during the meeting with Southampton last weekend.
Mignolet believes an early opportunity to run out on home soil will serve the new players well as Rodgers seeks to quickly incorporate the signings into his squad.
The 'keeper added: "Making your Premier League debut at Anfield is something new and you have to adapt.
"I know what it's like as that was me on the opening day last season. Getting the win will settle the new players a lot more next time they step onto the pitch.
"It's good that the club has already got so much transfer business done. It can only be a good thing for the future because it gives the new lads a lot of time to get to know everyone and get to know the city and the club. Now we're all looking forward to a big game against Manchester City."