Jordan Henderson admits nobody is doing Liverpool any favours at present, with a gruelling schedule taking its toll, but the Reds skipper intends to be in contention for major honours come the spring.
In order to be in the mix at the end of the season, Jurgen Klopp’s side must first make their way through a testing winter.
The games continue to come thick and fast across multiple competitions, with Champions League football back on the agenda against Ajax on Tuesday.
Klopp has aired his grievances with the make-up of Liverpool’s 2020-21 calendar on a regular basis of late, with a flurry of untimely injuries considered to be an indicator of players being pushed too hard.
Henderson shares the concerns of his manager, but he insists no excuses are going to be offered by the reigning Premier League champions in their pursuit of more silverware.
The Liverpool captain told the club’s official matchday programme: “Now that we have given ourselves a platform, we have to build on it. At this stage of last season we were in a similar position and we went on to make it count. That’s the challenge again this time around.
“It’s one thing having a decent autumn, but only if you push on through winter - when the games come thicker and faster than ever - do you have a chance of making the most of spring.
“A lot has been said about the schedule and, without wanting to reopen the debate, it’s fair to say that this season’s is tougher than ever. But it is what it is and our job as players is to try to clear every obstacle that is placed in our way.
“No-one is going to do us any favours and we’re not looking for any, so the best thing that we can do is stick to our mantra of taking one game at a time and being as competitive as we can be no matter who our opponents might be.”
Liverpool are well on course to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, with two Group D games left to take in, but Henderson and Co will be taking nothing for granted, with Ajax expected to put up a fight at Anfield.
“People will look at the fact that we won [1-0] in Amsterdam and make us favourites but, as Atalanta showed last week, football is rarely that straightforward,” Henderson added.
“I know from my own experience at Liverpool that whenever we lose a game we want to put that right by showing what we’re capable of. I have no doubt whatsoever that Ajax will approach this game with exactly the same mindset.
“There’s a banner that gets displayed on the Kop sometimes and I love it because of its simplicity. It just says ‘Liverpool FC: European Royalty’ and is one of many things that makes me incredibly proud to captain this club.
“One of the reasons for that pride is because that statement puts us alongside clubs like Ajax who have made such a contribution to football in Europe over the years. They have our admiration and our respect and I hope that the game lives up to the best standards of both clubs.”
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