Kolo Toure: The supporters deserve Europa League glory

Kopites have taken the Ivorian to their hearts ever since his arrival in the summer of 2013, and he is now hoping to win first honour with the Reds when they face Sevilla on May 18.

Toure previewed the clash against the current holders of the Europa League with a press conference for reporters at Melwood on Friday afternoon - read on to see what the defender had to say...

On how excited he is to reach the final...

It's fantastic. This season has been up and down and this is the second final that we are going to play, which is really important for a club like Liverpool because we want to play in finals, we want to win trophies. When we get to that kind of stage, all you have to do is just give everything you've got to bring back the medal.

On the difficulty of concentrating on the West Brom game because of the final...

It's very simple. The most important game is the next game. We are focused on that. We'll give everything we got to finish the season very well.

On where a Europa League winners’ medal would rank in his career...

It's never enough! This one is really, really important because I've played [in the] Champions League final and haven't won it. This is the Europa League and it would mean a lot for all the team, for the club and for me as well. Of course, we will do everything we can to try and get that, definitely.

On how special this season has been...

It's just been ups and downs, change of the manager, new philosophy coming and we had to adapt to that - I think we did it quite well. It wasn't that difficult because we have a good squad, fantastic young players who love the game, fight everyday, training is great. At the end, [if] we can grab that [trophy], then it would be fantastic. We have been through a really tough journey definitely.

On the pain of losing the Capital One Cup final...

We will use the defeat we had against Man City because I think we didn't play really, really well against City to be honest. I don't know why, maybe it was our first final and we felt the pressure a lot. I think [in] a final, you just have to enjoy and give everything you've got. When you get to that stage, it means you've been giving everything you've got, you've done everything right. But at the end, you will have one winner, and if you give everything you've got at the end, you will have no regrets.

On thinking whether he would be involved in big games at the start of the season...

Of course, the competition is really tough. We have fantastic defenders. But for me, like I always say, I just always believe. I always give 100 per cent, working hard everyday. I know in a season there are injuries and anything can happen. The most important [thing] is that you have to get ready. As a professional player, for me it's very important that I keep my shape and work hard and whenever the manager needs me, I just try to step out and do the best for the team and the best for the club - that's most important for me.

On his role within the team...

When you've been for so long in the football game, of course you have a little bit of experience. But experience is not everything. I think in this team we have some really talented young players and they are really, really good players as well. You have a player like Philippe Coutinho who is a top player playing for Brazil, been at the club for a long time. James Milner [too]. I just try to bring what I can to the team, but we are really lucky that we have [a] few really experienced players in the team definitely.

On winning a trophy for the fans...

It would mean a lot for me. Every club where I've been, I've won a trophy and I want to do the same for Liverpool. For the fans, we have a really special relationship and I thank them every day for that. I really enjoy every day I'm here. This game is going to be massive and we will give everything we've got to try to make them happy.

On the possibility of penalties in the final....

Of course we think about that. I've been practising my penalties definitely! But the decision is taken by the managers and they know best. As an experienced player, when the time comes, you have to make the decision to take one. We will see what happens. We have really technical players in the team and, like I said, sometimes you go through a tough time to have a better time. Against City, it was a tough time, and we will learn from that as a team. Only then will we make the decision for penalties or anything.

On whether he is nervous...

To be honest, when you get to that kind of stage, I just try to enjoy the time as much as possible because I've played 15 years of my career and you don't get in that kind of situation really often and this is my second time [in a European final] - that shows it's really, really tough. I've been playing for top clubs, but the Europa League is really, really tough and you need to enjoy that; give everything you've got on the day and enjoy the journey because you will remember this journey for all your years. People will be talking about that at the end of your career, your kids will talk about that, even people who didn't see you play will talk about that. You need to really, really enjoy that and that's what I will try to do. That's what I will try to tell the young players.

On whether he thought he would feature as much as he has this season...

I always believe. When you play for your club, you have to think about the bigger picture. You have to think about the team and I'm a team player. For me, the manager will decide who is going to play the game. I don't know if I'm going to play, nobody does, but the most important thing is that we all want to win as a team and as a club - that's what is most important.

On enjoying his football more than he ever has...

When you get experience, you can analyse, anticipate things, but still there are things you can't do much [about]. Definitely, I'm enjoying my football very, very much. I hope to keep doing that as long as possible because I love football.

On Emre Can's development this season...

I knew this guy could [be like] Steven Gerrard because he's a really, really good player. The game against Villarreal, I think he made a massive difference because he was the one who just started the game from the back for us. The two strikers were blocking me and Dejan [Lovren], and Emre was always coming and taking the ball and starting all the action of the game. He's a great, great player, very intelligent, very fit. He can run very well with the ball and pass to any player. He's a really, really good player. For me, we will see a lot coming from him.