Gary McAllister has told Liverpool’s players they must overcome any anxiety they feel at Anfield and be brave on the ball to kick-start their season. Liverpool host League Two Carlisle United in the third round of the Capital One Cup on Wednesday seeking a first win in six matches and having faltered in the first of four successive home games, against Norwich City.
Brendan Rodgers admitted after the 1-1 draw on Sunday that the anxiety he encountered on his arrival from Swansea in 2012 has returned to Anfield. But McAllister, who returned to the club as the first-team coach in July, says it is part of a Liverpool player’s job to handle pressure and believes the club have the characters to lead a recovery.
The former Scotland international said: “They’ve got to rise above that anxiety and that’s where we come in as coaches, and hopefully where I do,” McAllister said. “I have played in front of frustrated crowds when things aren’t going well and I think that’s when you push your shoulders back and show that bravery.
“Bravery is not whacking into people and elbowing people. It’s getting on the ball in tight areas and taking responsibility. We have no fear in doing that and I don’t have any fears about us putting that right.
“The middle of the park is where you do need people to get on the ball and make play. I watch Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Leiva and James Milner. They don’t shy away from the ball and I don’t see them doing that. They will continue to prompt and probe to try to make things happen.”
Pressure also applies to Rodgers after a poor sequence of results stretching back to last season, but McAllister says the Liverpool manager and his back-room staff will always be in that situation, and thrive on it. “That’s part of the job here,” he said. “I always try to use that and I have always liked that. Going right back as a young boy, it was a fear of Jock Wallace as my manager [at Motherwell] that was the driver. Maybe that’s a generation thing but that little bit of fear is good if it’s channelled the right way for you to perform.”
McAllister also views it is a positive that supporters are voicing disapproval at results, believing it would be an alarming sign if the Kop suddenly accepted the club was not challenging for honours. “It impresses me that there are still those grumblings from the fans,” he said. “If you lose that and it does become accepted it not’s going to be right. And that won’t happen here. It will be driven through by the frustration of the fans.
“We’ve got to be competing right at the highest level. It’s how I see Liverpool. I just associate it with winning things. That [hostile reception to the Norwich result] has got to be a good thing and that’s got to be the driving force for our players and they’ve got to put that right.”
Rodgers will make changes against Carlisle, who are 10th in League Two but have the leading goalscorer in England’s top four divisions in Jabo Ibehre. The 32-year-old has scored 10 goals in 10 games in all competitions for Keith Curle’s side this season.
While resting players with the Premier League visit of Aston Villa on Saturday in mind, and Christian Benteke likely to miss a reunion with his former club because of a hamstring injury, Rodgers is expected to field several experienced first-team members as he seeks to avoid an ill-timed upset.
“It will be a strong squad,” McAllister said. “You’ve got to utilise the players you’ve got but we’ve also got to get momentum going too.”
Liverpool reached the semi-finals of both domestic cup competitions last season and McAllister believes the squad have the class to deliver the first trophy of Rodgers’ reign. “The players should be looking around the dressing room and seeing there’s a lot of quality and depth there,” he said. “If you looked at the bench at the weekend it was strong, so the nucleus is there to actually go on and be threatening to win.”
