Liverpool are letting nervousness creep into their play as a result of not winning silverware for so long, says Rio Ferdinand.
It’s been seven years since Liverpool last won silverware and even then, it was only the Carling Cup. Before then, it was 2005 and 2006 when Steven Gerrard inspired his boyhood club to the Champions League and FA Cup.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Ferdinand says Liverpool are in a similar position to where Manchester United were in 2008 when the Red Devils’ last European Cup had come in 1999.
He said: “When I was at United we won the Champions League in 2008. Before that it was nearly a decade since we had last won it [1999] – it was such a long wait.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – MAY 21: Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United celebrate their victory in the UEFA Champions League Final match between Chelsea and Manchester United at the Luzhniki Stadium on May 21, 2008 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Dima Korotayev/Epsilon/Getty Images)
“That was resting on our mind for a while, and I’m sure it is with Liverpool. They’ve been great this season but they need to take advantage of this opportunity – they don’t come around all the time. What I’ve been seeing from Liverpool in the big matches is a bit of nervousness creep into their game – they’re playing with a handbrake on at times.
“They’re playing a little bit uptight, and it’s understandable because they’ve not won anything for years.”
I must say, as much as I hate to, that Ferdinand is right. Liverpool just need that first piece of silverware – whether it’s the Champions League or the Premier League. After that, I feel as though the floodgates will open and the Reds will be able to get over what has become a mental complex.