Carra still eyeing the title
19 Oct 2006 - 16:51:21
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has dismissed suggestions that the Reds' title challenge would be over if they were to lose at Manchester United on Sunday.
Rafael Benitez's men are already eight points behind leaders United and second placed Chelsea, but Carragher believes they can still challenge if they can regain the form that saw them win their last nine Premiership games last term.
The Reds showed signs of improvement as they recorded their first away victory of the campaign in a midweek Champions League clash at Bordeaux and the England international is confident the upturn in form will continue at Old Trafford.
He said: "The boss has talked to us about our performances this season, and I have been saying the same thing myself - a lot of the players, including myself, have not been performing as well as we have the last few seasons.
"We have got to look to ourselves, to find our own best levels, and now we have achieved a good away win at last I hope that everyone will see us back playing at our best, collectively and individually.
"We have been average, at best, and we are not even halfway towards our true form. We are probably only a quarter of the way there at the moment."
He added: "Teams like Manchester United and Chelsea are pulling away so it is going to be very difficult.
"We got a good start in Europe and the Community Shield, but it did not continue like that. We knew that we had to get back to that form, it has not been what we would have wanted.
"United are flying at the moment and it is massive for us to go there and get something. People will start saying that if we lose we are out of it, that's maybe too early for that.
"But all we want to do is (take) one step at a time, collectively. It's a long way to go but the win in Bordeaux was a step in the right direction."