Coutinho: We have to be at 100 per cent in every game
If Liverpool are to achieve their objectives in the Barclays Premier League this season, Philippe Coutinho believes they will need to be at 100 per cent in every single remaining game.
The Reds have taken maximum points from each of their past three fixtures in the division to rekindle hopes of eradicating the gap to those above them during the run-in.
Today, they meet the team currently closest to them in the table, Southampton, who were totally dismantled when the sides last met at St Mary’s – a 6-1 scoreline in the Capital One Cup in December.
And that level of performance is exactly what Coutinho, a goalscorer on the south coast twice before, wants Jürgen Klopp’s men to reproduce in the closing weeks of the campaign.
The Brazilian told Liverpoolfc.com: “We know that we did not do very well at the beginning of the league, but we can have a good finish and achieve our objective, to be in the top four.
“We have that opportunity, we know that, so we think that every game is a final. We have to focus on every game. It does not matter who the opponent is or if we play home or away.
“We have to always do our best and be at 100 per cent to reach our objectives at the end of the league.
“We will surely give our very best, like we always do, because if we want to achieve our objectives in the Premier League we still have to win many games.”
Free clip: Phil's five best league goals for Liverpool?
With just three minutes on the clock in this corresponding fixture last season, Coutinho launched a sensational strike from 25 yards into the top corner to set Liverpool on the way to a 2-0 victory.
The No.10, who is two goals away from reaching double figures for the Reds in a single season for the first time, expects the manner of their start to be crucial against a Saints side that will attack on home soil.
He said: “When a team attacks, space opens up. But I think it all depends on the way our team will start the game.
“If we start like we did in the last games, everybody doing what the coach asks, everything becomes easier and that is the way we should start the game against any opponent.
“When we manage to score at the beginning, the game takes a different course, everything is easier, the team gains confidence during the match itself – it is important.”