[ad_1]
The club has opened up an eight-point gap atop the Premier League thanks to a healthy dose of confidence, says the midfielder
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes Liverpool’s mindset has been key to their Premier League dominance so far this season.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are eight points clear at the top through 14 games, having won 13 and drawn one.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 26, said Liverpool’s belief made everything else easier, as they prepare for the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Wednesday.
“The mindset that I’m in when we go into a game is that I’m going into it with the mindset that we’re going to win. I think that’s how we all feel,” said Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“We’re going into the games expecting ourselves to win and anything else we’re disappointed. There’s times in my career where I definitely haven’t gone into all games 100 per cent confident that the team’s going to come away winning. But with this team, I have that sort of belief in us.
“If we’re on our A-game that’s how I think we should come out of games. Obviously it might not happen every time but when you’re going into games with that sort of mindset and belief it simplifies everything else.
“You go in there to win, you know what you need to do to win. There’ll be some things you can’t control, that happen with the opposition or little mistakes here and there but the overall mindset is we’re going to win.
“Anything else that happens in and around that will happen and it is what it is.”
Liverpool are unbeaten in 15 games in all competitions ahead of the Merseyside derby, before they visit Bournemouth on Saturday.
That run has seen them open up a massive gap over fellow title hopefuls Manchester City and Leicester, but Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t comfortable with his side’s lead just yet.
“Whether you’re out in front or chasing people will always talk, whether it’s positively, whether it’s people trying to turn positive situations into a bit of a negative one,” he said.
“We’ve got to make sure it’s the most important game of our lives every time we play and that’s the message the manager keeps giving us and how he is inclined, we do that and see what happens come the end of the year. That’s the only way I think you can not get caught up in all the talking and people making predictions early on as they do.
Article continues below
“We’ve had a good run in the league. I think there are areas we can improve on and our performances haven’t always been absolutely stellar and really good but we’re finding ways to win.
“If we keep working and things carry on going that way and we can click and start putting a bit more clinical performances in, that’s obviously a good thing for us. But for the time being we’re delighted with how we’ve been doing. The boys have been brilliant but it’s a long long way to go in all competitions.
“I don’t live under a rock so I hear what people say and the predictions that people make. You’ve got to just keep going out and churning out results. There might be a time where results don’t go so well and people maybe close the gap a little bit. We’ve got to be ready for those moments mentally as a team to just keep going and see what happens.”
[ad_2]
Source link