Ian Rush tells players to relax

By Redsfan
May 18 2005

Ian Rush hopes the Liverpool players try to relax as much as possible in the build up to their Champions League final. He said:

"The next few days will seem like an eternity to the Liverpool players as they wait for the biggest game of their lives," he said.

"Preparing for a match of such magnitude can be a problem. My advice is to spend the next few days trying not to think about it. Relaxation is essential.

"In 1984, Joe Fagan took us to Israel for a mini-break before we travelled to Rome. His view was we all knew what was expected from us and too much training was counter-productive.

"There's a danger you can worry about a game too much, and it can also be very boring for players to have to listen to the same advice for ten days in the build-up to a match.

"I know Rafa Benitez won't be taking his players abroad, but I'm sure he and his staff will have their own ideas for keeping the squad relaxed.

"Liverpool organise a lot of away days now, where the players organise events such as go-karting. The trendy name for it is 'team bonding', but it's more about allowing everyone to let their hair down.

"Obviously times have changed since 1984. What went on then wouldn't be accepted these days, but the basic principles are the same.

"There's a time and place for working hard, but giving the players freedom to wind down a bit is just as important.

"Obviously, it's the 90 minutes on May 25 which will decide the outcome, but I can assure you what happens off it between now and then will be just as significant.

"A relaxed Liverpool team has a far better chance than a side drained by nervous energy."