Babel: Fourth place ours for the taking
Ryan Babel is convinced Liverpool can outsmart Everton and claim a Champions League place.
Rafael Benitez’s side will snatch fourth spot from their Merseyside rivals in the Barclays Premier League should they defeat West Ham at Anfield on Wednesday.
Both teams are in good form, with Liverpool beating Bolton on Sunday before Everton overcame Portsmouth.
Babel, 21, is looking for the Reds to take advantage of their game in hand in midweek.
“We have to maintain the pressure on Everton,” said the Dutch winger.
“I am sure they will drop points before the end of the season. If we keep winning, we will claim that fourth place.”
Babel marked his fifth successive start for Liverpool on Sunday by scoring his eighth goal of the campaign in the 3-1 victory at the Reebok.
The £11.5m summer signing from Ajax said: “I was happy with my goal and it will give me some confidence.
“Hopefully I can push on now after that performance.”
Benitez is pleased with the way Babel is progressing.
“It was a good game for him against Bolton as they were looking out for Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres,” said the Spanish boss.
“It meant that Ryan had more freedom and he is the kind of player who can run behind defenders.”
Skipper Gerrard is anxious for Liverpool to maintain their momentum against the Hammers after three successive victories.
Bolton were comfortably despatched following home victories over Middlesbrough and Internazionale in the first leg of their Champions League encounter.
The England midfielder expressed his frustration last week at the club’s inability to mount a title challenge.
Even though they are poised for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Gerrard claimed he was embarrassed when he looked at the domestic table.
But he said: “It was more a rallying cry. I was being positive rather than negative.
“Hopefully, we can get some consistency until the end of the season after beating Bolton.
“This was another massive result because everyone around us has been doing well.
“It is important for us to get maximum points and now we can go into the West Ham game with a lot of confidence.”
Benitez may be tempted to change things around with two games in the space of three days.
Yossi Benayoun, John Arne Riise, Alvaro Arbeloa and Peter Crouch could all come into contention after being on the bench at the Reebok Stadium.
