James Milner has expressed the importance of Liverpool qualifying for the Champions League after their defeat to Real Madrid.
The Reds suffered a 6-2 aggregate reverse to the Spanish giants in their last-16 tie, after losing 1-0 in the second leg on Wednesday night. It leaves Liverpool with a battle of qualifying for the competition next season through their Premier League finish.
The Reds are currently in sixth place in the league table and six points adrift of the top four places with a game in hand. After losing to Real Madrid, their only chance of playing in the Champions League next season is to finish in fourth place or higher.
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Reflecting on Liverpool’s defeat to Madrid, Milner explains how inconsistency has hindered the team throughout the season.
“We know what we’re capable of at our best,” Milner told Liverpool’s club website. “Unfortunately, over the two legs and at times this season we’ve been at our best in spells but not enough and not consistent enough.
“Like I said, against a team as good as them and experienced as them you have to be on it for the whole two legs. That’s disappointing. We have to pick ourselves up, learn from it and see where we can get better.”
The Reds now have more than two weeks until they next play again, with the March international break about to start after this weekend's round of Premier League matches. Liverpool's scheduled home clash against Fulham has been postponed after their opponents progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
After the resumption of domestic football, Liverpool face a schedule that sees them take on Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal over the course of eight days.
Milner says that it remains to be seen whether the two-week hiatus will help the Reds, and explains why players returning from injury will also be vital.
“Yeah, it’s important obviously Liverpool are in Europe and preferably the Champions League – that’s obviously always our aim,” said Milner. “It’s down to us that we have to finish the season very strongly.
“We’ve obviously got an international break now. Is it a good thing, is it a bad thing? Only time will tell.
“Three big games when we come back. They’re all big games now, we have to go into each game and hopefully keep performing the way we want to, in the spells – we need to perform like that more often and be a bit more solid.
“It’d be nice to get a few more players back as well and hopefully can finish the season strongly and on a high.”
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