Carragher dreaming of Europa League
Jamie Carragher says Champions League exit for Liverpool would "not be the disaster people think"
Tuesday, 24, Nov 2009 11:03
By Matthew Champion
Jamie Carragher has raised doubts about Liverpool's self-belief after claiming a humiliating Champions League group stage exit would "not be the disaster people think".
The 2005 winners go into tonight's match at Debrecen knowing nothing less than a win will do.
But if group E leaders Lyon, who have already qualified, fail to avoid defeat against Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi then Liverpool will be consigned to third place and the Europa League.
Carragher, 31, admitted at a press conference in Hungary that the team's eyes were already being drawn towards Europe's secondary club competition.
"Obviously we will do everything we can to stay in it by making sure at least we win our match tonight," he said." But if we do go out, there is always the Europa League.
"If we could go on and win that, it would put a different gloss on our season."
Liverpool have endured a torrid start to the season and currently languish in seventh place in the Premier League as Rafa Benitez's position as manager comes under threat.
Failure to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League and defeat in Sunday's Merseyside derby could spell the end of the Spaniard's five-year reign at Anfield, especially given the twitchy nature of the club's American co-owners.
The Reds' task tonight has been made all that bit harder by the injury-enforced absence of Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Albert Riera.
Carragher said that even if the team did exit the Champions League tonight, a win could still kick-start the team's season.
"We have a big game at Everton on Sunday, so we want need to get a good result to give us confidence not just for the Champions League but for other big games too," he said.
"We need a good result, a good performance. There is a lot more at stake than a Champions League win. We just have to do our job and hope the other game goes for us."