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With a busy schedule and the chance to head into the new year top of the table if they earn points against Manchester City and Chelsea, Liverpool's players have agreed to forego the usual team Christmas party this season. Instead, while everybody else is off with family, they'll be training for their match on Boxing Day against City and hoping to do a bit of celebrating in May instead.
"There's no Christmas party for the players this year," said Simon Mignolet. "We decided that the schedule is just too busy for the moment. We are all focused on the matches we've got during this period. Things are going well and we need to keep doing what we're doing. It's about ensuring we are well prepared for the next challenge. If there needs to be celebrations then we will do it when the time is right."
As for when the right time might be to celebrate Christmas, Mignolet suggests waiting until there's sun, greenery, and a distinct lack of snow on the ground. And also that the eventual partying might serve a dual purpose—that is, assuming everybody celebrating isn't so caught up in it all such that they don't remember Christmas celebrations were cancelled when the time comes.
"The party can wait until May," he said. "The fact it's Christmas Day doesn't make any difference for us—it's the day before a big game so we will be training. Everybody is professional enough in the dressing room to cope with these types of situations. What do I want for Christmas? Just a win on Boxing Day would be great."
