Rickie: Reds are ready for Europa quest
Rickie Lambert believes Liverpool are approaching peak form at just the right time as the Reds prepare to enter the Europa League with a clash against Besiktas on Thursday night.
The forward, who last night explained his decision to remain with the club despite the potential for a deadline day switch to Aston Villa, regrets the side's shaky start to the 2014-15 campaign.
Following a five-year absence from the Champions League, the Reds were eliminated from the competition at the group stage, having won one out of their six opening fixtures.
Liverpool's exit from the tournament arrived at a time when Brendan Rodgers' charges were struggling to gain momentum - but since mid-December the side has lost just once in 16 encounters in all competitions.
"We'd been waiting for so many years to get into the Champions League so we were desperate to stay in it," Lambert told the Liverpool Echo.
"But we weren't playing well when the Champions League was there. If we'd just managed to sneak through, who knows what we would have been able to do now.
"Like I knew we were going to, we're playing at our best again now. We're in the Europa League and it's something that we'll be trying to win.
"You come into it at a good stage [the round of 32]. I know it's not the Champions League, but it's still a great competition.
"There is more prestige with a Champions League spot up for grabs. We're trying to get into the top four, but we're also desperate to win a trophy."
Lambert will be hoping for an opportunity to add to his tally of three goals for the club as the Reds continue to compete on three fronts - pushing for a top-four spot as well as potential silverware in the Europa League and FA Cup.
But the 33-year-old insists he will remain patient in his pursuit of playing time, especially given the impressive return of Daniel Sturridge and Mario Balotelli's recent resurgent form.
"The team have been playing well and they have been playing well for some time now," he explained. "The gaffer has kept the same kind of team.
"He's changed it once or twice. But you can see what he is doing and you can see the benefits on the pitch.
"You've just got to be patient and when you're called upon, you've got to try and help the team in any way you can."
Monday night's FA Cup quarter-final draw, meanwhile, paired the Reds with Blackburn Rovers at Anfield, while serving up a clash between Liverpool's rivals Arsenal and Manchester United.
"Obviously it was brilliant to get into that round and then to see the draw," reflected Lambert. "We fancied a home draw and we got it. The added bonus is that Manchester United are playing Arsenal as well.
"Every team that's in it is in it for a reason. But we got the home draw and we've got to fancy ourselves now. We're one game away from Wembley."