Litmanen: Reds have quality to come back
Jari Litmanen believes there is enough talent within the Liverpool ranks to reinvigorate the Reds' season – and insists it is merely a matter of time before the team rediscover their rhythm.
The Finnish playmaker, who netted nine goals in 43 appearances for the club during an 18-month spell on Merseyside, earned himself cult status among Kopites by combining a stylish approach with spellbinding creativity.
Some 12 years on from the final foray of his somewhat short-lived Anfield career, Litmanen donned the famous colours once again this morning, and he was on the scoresheet as Liverpool legends beat a Singapore XI 3-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Litmanen has been taking in the sights and sounds of Singapore this week - and he also took time out to talk to Liverpoolfc.com about the Reds' season so far and explain why he retains confidence in the team.
"Liverpool have quality players and a quality squad," said the 43-year-old. "So it's just a question of time and when things turn up. I'm confident.
"In the long-term, we're talking about a season which lasts for 38 games. A lot of things can happen. There are bad runs, there are good runs. Obviously for self-confidence, it will be good to have a regular dose of those good moments.
"If you look at the Premier League, the only club who can really say that they can be dominant this year is Chelsea. All the rest can have a bad day."
He added: "If the results are not good, then the international [break] can help, because those players who are away can focus on something else by being with the national side.
"Those who are staying at Melwood can prepare for the coming games. They might have a day off and then have a good run at training."
Litmanen joined the Reds from Barcelona in 2001, having previously made a clean sweep of the honours on offer at Ajax to forge his reputation as perhaps the finest Finnish footballers of all time.
He lifted the Champions League with the Dutch club in 1995, before they finished runners-up the following season - and it was in the European Cup that Litmanen produced one of his finest displays for Liverpool.
The playmaker came off the bench to net an amazing individual strike in the 2001-02 quarter-final clash with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany; however, it was not enough to secure passage to the last four for Gerard Houllier's side.
Since he departed at the end of that campaign, Litmanen has kept close tabs on the club's progress, both domestically and in Europe, and he believes the Reds can still reach the knockout stages in this year's competition.
"Liverpool have shown in the past, on a couple of occasions, that as long as there are games to play, there's a chance and there's hope," he explained. "The last two games were against Real Madrid, who are one of the best teams in the world at the moment.
"So the last two games have been against a strong opponent and now in our last two games [it will be] possible for Liverpool to get the points."
Before the Reds return to Champions League action, however, they face a trip to Crystal Palace, where Brendan Rodgers will hope to be able to call upon Daniel Sturridge, who has not featured since August 31.
The England international has been sidelined due to thigh and calf problems, but Litmanen believes that when Sturridge makes his return, he will galvanise the players around him into performing to their best.
"Small things can change teams," said the former No.37. "Sturridge scored a lot of goals last season and he has a lot of quality. He's a player who can cause danger for the opponent and bring about those goalscoring opportunities."
