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Aly Cissokho did not have the best of starts as a loanee, but after a rocky beginning he's settled in as a serviceable deputy in Jose Enrique's absence at left back. With the Spaniard's return still a ways off, Cissokho's presence in the starting eleven is generally a foregone conclusion each week, but this hasn't yet provided an impetus for having a chat with his manager over what his fate will be at the end of the season.
“There have been no negotiations over that yet – discussing my future hasn’t been on the agenda," Cissokho said. "That will take care of itself. What’s more important is having a run in the side – all I am thinking of is doing well, keep fighting, preparing well and to that end it is going well because the team is winning.
"We want a good end to the season and to reach the Champions League. That’s the time we can talk about the future. In my mind every minute as a player and person here is a dream come true to be even turning out in this league for such a big club. The dream would be top four and let’s hope we can win something like the FA Cup as well.”
With another match against Arsenal on the horizon, Cissokho won't have long to wait until he finds out if Liverpool make it one step closer to winning the FA Cup. Like many keeping an eye on Arsenal's fixture list, the defender is optimistic Liverpool can take advantage of the Gunners' scheduling misfortune.
"It will be very tough for them after losing the game like they did last week," Cissokho said, referencing Liverpool's 5-1 demolition of Arsène Wenger's side. "It’s been a tough week for them, losing to us, drawing against United and then with Bayern Munich, the Champions League holders, just around the corner.
"In their mind they must be thinking of Bayern too. It’s a difficult run for them and they’re not in the best run of form, but Arsène Wenger is very experienced. We have to make sure we profit from their drop in form and don’t let them develop their game. We need to get on top from the first tackle and make them uncomfortable."
Indeed, exploding out of the gate right from the first whistle last week put Arsenal on the back foot immediately and they never recovered. Wenger has already spoken about substituting up to half his side that faced Manchester United midweek, and Liverpool will need to be sure to capitalize on Arsenal looking ahead to next week's Champions League clash.
