Rodgers: "Cristiano is the best, but Madrid have others too"

Is this week important for you with the matches against Real Madrid and Chelsea?

It’s a big week. We have had various matches and we do not want to disappoint. We have great confidence and we are focused. We have to come here and produce a good match. We see this match as an opportunity, rather than a threat. We are still very much in the hunt to qualify from the group, it's still very much in our hands. We go into the game respecting the opponent, they are probably the best team in the world with some outstanding players, but if we can find the intensity and speed to our game from over the last 18 months we can challenge any team.

Will Sturridge play?

I brought every player out with us because this game and the game at the weekend against Chelsea are very important for us, and it's a sign that we're very much together. All the players have travelled, injured or fit, and we'll work out here over the next couple of days. With Daniel, we'll see how he responds, but it's highly unlikely he'll be fit.

What do you think of Iker Casillas?

He is a goalkeeper who has been around for many years and he has many important qualities. He is important for Real Madrid and for the Spanish national team. He has had a period of two years, but now he is the number one goalkeeper. He is a legend for Madrid just as much as he is for the national team.

What is Balotelli missing?

He is working very hard and in this moment he is not scoring the goals that we all would have liked, but now he is trying to focus on what the team asks of him.

Cristiano is a goalscoring machine. How can you stop him?

We are also going to play against a team. Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the best player in the world. He has been impressive for a number of years and at this moment in time he is playing with great confidence and enthusiasm. He himself will tell you that the key is the team. Madrid have Isco, Benzema, Modric, Kroos and others. They have a strong unit. Cristiano is the catalyst of that team. We will work hard to try to stop him.

It’s not only Balotelli who is adapting to the team…

I am still learning, just as the new players are learning. I do not want to continue talking about giving players time. We have to forget about the complaints. Now we have more matches and less time. We will return to that intensity, which is the key. We have to intensity, not just in our pressing but in our passing too.

What do you ask of the players for this match?

It’s one of the best stadiums in the world. The pitch will be perfect. It is a very fast pitch. The challenge is to produce the best performance. We do not come as a team that expects to lose. At Anfield we started very well and the only thing was that we conceded a goal too early. The key is for the team to be compact at a tactical level and that when we have the ball we create problems.

Do Liverpool have a chance of qualifying?

Of course. We understood that there would be an opportunity for us to qualify from the group, but we never felt that it was going to be easy to do. Madrid are in form. They could stun any team in Europe as they are, but we have to focus on us.

Have you thought about changing the team’s attacking philosophy?

The defence has received a lot of criticism, but it is a question of the team. The balance is not so bad. We are a team. Of course we want to be better, the frustration has been the mistakes, the sloppy goals we have given away and that is something we want to eradicate. When you have an attacking philosophy you are going to be susceptible on the defensive side. The goal we conceded on Saturday was disappointing and we have to eradicate that if we are going to develop and improve. However, this philosophy has gotten us here tonight.

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