No dressing room talk about FA Cup final at Liverpool
Steven Gerrard has not been discussing a potential fairytale FA Cup final send-off with his Liverpool team-mates, according to goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Gerrard turns 35 on the day of the Wembley showpiece on May 30, which could be his final Liverpool appearance before heading off to Major League Soccer for a new career with the LA Galaxy.
Liverpool vs Newcastle
April 13, 2015
Liverpool edged closer to the final by booking a semi-final against Aston Villa next weekend with a 1-0 win over Blackburn, but Mignolet insists it is not a topic of discussion inside the dressing room.
"Nobody is talking about it. Stevie is the first one to acknowledge that," said Mignolet.
"He is the first one to acknowledge that we can't have any extra pressure on the team.
"He won't let us think in a different way. We just want to focus on Villa and the games before that.
"Before we speak about the final, we have got to get through the semi-final and the only thing we can keep in mind now is how to get past Villa. Then we will see what comes. Villa will be tough."
Nobody is talking about it. Stevie is the first one to acknowledge that. He is the first one to acknowledge that we can't have any extra pressure on the team. He won't let us think in a different way. We just want to focus on Villa and the games before that.
Simon Mignolet
Defeats against fellow Champions League hopefuls Manchester United and Arsenal has seen Liverpool’s top four charge falter but Mignolet insists Monday's visit of Newcastle is uppermost in the squad’s thoughts.
"We are pleased to get to the semi-final. Once it is semi-final time we will make sure we are ready but everything comes step-by-step and Newcastle is next," he said.
"We are pleased with what we did against Blackburn but the next focus is the league. After the Arsenal and Manchester United games we didn't have much time to think about getting back to positive ways.
"Blackburn was a massive game and we needed to respond. It wasn't easy after the disappointment at Arsenal but the lads picked themselves up and we managed to get the result that everyone wanted.
"There is still a lot to play for. The only thing that we can do is take every game as it comes.
"When you are at Liverpool, you know you have to win every single game. After the results against Arsenal and Manchester United, we knew there was going to be criticism. You have to accept that.
"The only thing you can do is respond and we did that."
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