Milner pleased by Reds' battling qualities
The manner in which Liverpool were able to grind out an opening-weekend victory over Stoke City said much about the battling qualities within the squad, believes James Milner.
A hard-fought encounter at the Britannia Stadium was settled by a superlative long-range strike from Philippe Coutinho four minutes from time which ensured the Reds began 2015-16 with a 1-0 win.
Milner acknowledges Brendan Rodgers’ men were perhaps not at their free-flowing best, but felt the fact they still clinched all three points will stand them in good stead for the challenges ahead.
The vice-captain said: “It is always about the results. It takes time for players to gel and there have been a lot of new arrivals, not just on the pitch but in the coaching staff, too.
“There is a lot of quality there, a lot of younger guys, so there are going to be games when we have ups and downs but that is football. It is going to be like that all season.
“Ultimately, it is about getting that win whether it is a game where we can move the ball about or whether it is a game where it is a battle and we have to grind it out.
“You have to assess the situation and be able to adapt and play in different formations against different sides. It is a top team that can adapt and win games when things maybe aren’t playing to your strengths.”
Milner added: “It was pleasing to keep a clean sheet, we looked really solid and as a team we did a good job. There are going to be games throughout the season where maybe you don’t play as well as you want.
“You can’t always play free-flowing football, sometimes it is a battle and you need that bit of brilliance.
“The pleasing thing is we were solid, kept a clean sheet and Stoke didn’t really cause us too much problems with balls into the box. We kept a good line.”