Liverpool first team coach Steve Clarke has sat down with the club’s official website to discuss what he’s been up to since his January arrival.
During the interview Clarke talks about the new playing system, his return to Chelsea and his expectations of some of the current squad. So, here it is:
Well Steve I guess Melwood must be a pretty happy place at the moment especially after Sunday’s fantastic victory?It was a good win for us and it keeps the momentum going. We are in a good moment and the longer we can keep that good moment going the better.
You got a great welcome as well before the game – that was a nice touch by Chelsea…
I had some fantastic times at Chelsea both as a player and as a coach so it’s always nice when you go back and get that kind of reception. It shows that your work there was appreciated and I’m always grateful for the reception I get when I go back there.
What pleased you, Kenny and Sammy most about the performance on Sunday?I think the confidence the players showed and the resilience. It’s a difficult place to go and get a result. We handled it very well and I thought we played some good stuff and created the better chances. If you look at the match statistics I think Chelsea only had two shots on target in 90 minutes which is very unusual for them in a home game.
Four clean sheets in a row now, how pleasing has that been?Your success is always based on how you defend. If you defend well as a team and don’t concede goals then you will always give yourself a chance to win the game. I know it sounds like an old cliché and it’s really simple but the basis of any good team is built on a strong defence. It has been good for us in the last few games not to have let any goals in. It’s good for Pepe, it’s good for the confidence of everybody and hopefully we can continue that.
Jamie Carragher has been out since November but you wouldn’t have thought it with that display would you?
When you put a player like Jamie back into your team you know what you are going to get. Obviously it was a big game and difficult for him because he’s been out for so long but you knew the occasion, the adrenaline of the game would get Jamie through it. His experience and his quality told.
In the last three games you have gone with three at the back using two wing backs, and it has been very effective hasn’t it?It has and it’s something we wanted to do against Stoke to get another big player in the team to nullify their threat in the air, and it worked very well. We decided to go again with it on Sunday and it worked really well again, so it’s good when you have got two or three different systems that you can play. If your players are adaptable and can fit into any system then it’s obviously great going forward.
Is this system something you could continue with?Yes and we will look at it game by game. You have to look at the opposition and you have to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. It’s good for us because it means we can be more flexible and it means we are not as easy to read for the opposition. We can change the system to suit how we want to play so it’s good to have different systems.
How rewarding is that for you as coaching staff when you see the hard work on the training ground come to fruition where it matters on a match day?It’s good for the manager and the coaching staff when you are getting results. It’s good when you’ve changed the formation a bit and you win. Most of the credit has to go to the players. They are the people that go on the pitch and they have to put that into practice and they’ve done that very well recently.
Have you been impressed by the players work on the training ground?I have been impressed with their attitude since I first came to the club. Even at the start when it was more difficult to get a result and we didn’t get the result we wanted, on the training ground you could see the players were working and they were hungry. They wanted to take on board what we trying to tell them and hopefully the recent results are a reflection on how they have trained.
How much are you enjoying working alongside Kenny and Sammy?It has been great. I’ve been here about four weeks now and it feels a lot longer than that because there has been a lot of games and a lot of training sessions. It’s great to be involved again. I had a long time out of the game and every day is a pleasure.
How important it is to continue the good run against Wigan on Saturday?It’s very important. The club when we came here were in a false position and not a good position. It was important to put that right and get us as high up the league as possible. The only way you do that is by winning games. We have shown that when you string together a good couple of wins then you quickly go up the table. We are in a better position now but we are certainly not in a position that Liverpool Football Club should be at. We want to be higher.
Wigan are in the bottom three and fighting for their lives – does that make them a dangerous opponent?I think you only have to look at recent results in the Barclays Premier League to know that everybody is dangerous. The top team went to the bottom team last weekend and lost. That shows you that anybody can beat anybody else in the league. We have to be on our guard but we also have to be confident and assure of ourselves and think we are looking like a good side again. We want to continue that and pick up another three points and keep looking at the teams above us.
You went with Kenny and Sammy to watch the reserves beat Tranmere Rovers 4-0 in a friendly yesterday – was that a good exercise for the squad players?It was a lovely morning and we had three or four players who haven’t played recently and needed a game. For them it was a good exercise and for myself it was good because I don’t know a lot of the younger players so I could go and see what is coming through.
A player you know very well Glen Johnson has switched positions to play on the left but he has been terrific hasn’t he?Glen is a quality player and a top international for England. You don’t become an international regular for England if you are not a good player. I worked with Glen at Chelsea and he is always a pleasure to work with. I think he has been re-energised with the change and he has switched to the left and proved he can play just as well there as he can on the right. It’s always good to have adaptable players and when you have people like that who do well for you every week no matter what position they are in then it’s a great position for the manager and the coaching staff.
How is Joe Cole after missing the last two games with a knee injury?He’s working again on the training pitch. He’s not joined in with the group yet but he is on his way back and hopefully before the end of the season we will get a glimpse of the real Joe Cole. If Joe can get himself fit and focused on the pitch then he will certainly be a big asset to this squad.
Seven of your players are on international duty this week, is it a case of you all keeping your fingers crossed hoping they come back unscathed for Saturday?It’s not ideal having the international friendlies at a time when you want all of your players together, and especially when you are on a good run. We are hoping the international break doesn’t break the momentum a little bit because we have players going to different parts of the world and we hope they will come back fit and healthy. We will have a head count on Thursday and probably the only real preparation session for the game will be on Friday, but I’m sure the lads will be ready for Saturday.
For young lads like Danny Wilson who has been called up again by Scotland it’s a good opportunity for him isn’t it?It’s a fantastic honour to get picked by your country especially for somebody like Danny who hasn’t had too many games here. He has shown a terrific attitude in training and he is a really valuable member of the squad. It’s nice for him to get that little reward and hopefully he will get a game.
Are you hopeful the likes of Steven Gerrard and Martin Kelly will be available for Wigan on Saturday?We hope so but if not we have got other players in the squad that can come in and do a similar job.
Steve Clarke is renowned for his excellent defensive coaching in particular and has played a big hand in ensuring Pepe Reina hasn’t had to pick the ball out of his net in the last four fixtures. The improvements have been dramatic and immediate under his guidance and he is every bit as important to our future plans as Kenny Dalglish is at this time.
Not since Pako Ayesterán has this club had such an effective right hand man – long may the progress continue!LFC.TV
