Simon Mignolet has claimed Liverpool do not discuss winning the FA Cup for the departing Steven Gerrard as it would create unnecessary pressure on the team.
Liverpool secured a semi-final place against Aston Villa with a hard-fought win at Blackburn Rovers as they recovered from two successive Premier League defeats that have damaged their Champions League qualification hopes. With Gerrard turning 35 on the day of the FA Cup final and departing for LA Galaxy this summer, much has been made of Liverpool providing their captain with the perfect send-off by lifting the trophy at Wembley on 30 May.
Mignolet insists that obsession exists around Liverpool, not inside the dressing room, and it would be presumptuous to think of the final with Tim Sherwood’s side standing in the way. “Nobody is talking about it,” said the Liverpool goalkeeper. “Stevie is the first one to acknowledge that. Before we speak about the final, we have got to get through the semi-final and that is only possible after getting through against Blackburn. 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. Stevie is the first one to acknowledge 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.”
Mignolet played an influential part in Liverpool’s sixth-round replay win, saving well from Tom Cairney, Ben Marshall and the Rovers goalkeeper Simon Eastwood with the final kick of the tie to preserve Brendan Rodgers’ hopes of a first trophy as the Anfield manager.
“Blackburn was a massive game and we needed to respond,” Mignolet said. “It wasn’t easy after the disappointment at Arsenal but the lads picked themselves up and we managed to get the result everyone wanted. You see the away fans turning up in numbers and it is great to give them something back. We have got something to look forward to and we want to make sure that we get to the final. That is what we said in the dressing room before the game and everyone did their jobs.”
