Milner Wants Consistency

This is the time to start putting points on the board for the season to end with some form of tangible progress to take into the summer transfer window and next season. Liverpool will not win a trophy this season, but after victory against Arsenal at Anfield, James Milner would like to see some consistency in the games ahead.

“It was very pleasing to play like that against Arsenal, but also disappointing on the other hand because of the other night (against Leicester), not being able to do that consistently,” Milner pointed out.

“We all know how good we are but we have to do it on a more consistent basis - the way we played against a very strong team and dominated, especially the first half, was brilliant and shows how good we are. We just need to keep building on that and keep improving to show the consistency. We just need to keep going on that note.”

There are tactical and perhaps mental reasons why Liverpool seem to falter against the Premier League’s weaker sides, especially a failure to break down low blocks in an organised and compact formation. Liverpool’s tendency to concede silly goals combined with a worrying lack of game management only serve to exacerbate problems against the league’s purported lesser lights, but Milner is focusing on improvement in each game that comes.

“We go out to win every game, and we know how good we are and we can win every game,” he added. “But ultimately we want to get better as a side and keep improving, that’s the aim for us. If we do that, the wins will come.

“We can leave it down to everyone else to talk about the top four and the table, and we just take it a game at a time and keep working on what we’re working on.”

Dependable, solid, and unfussy. Liverpool wouldn't go wrong by taking a bit of Milner’s attitude to see out the current campaign, and the vice-captain could have a crucial role to play with penalties and providing security down his side’s left flank as a converted left back.