Stoke vs Liverpool preview - Hughes calls for more next season - 7M sport

Stoke vs Liverpool preview - Hughes calls for more next season



Posted Saturday, May 23, 2015 by PA

Stoke vs Liverpool preview - Hughes calls for more next season

Stoke boss Mark Hughes feels his players have achieved their targets this season - but the goalposts will be shifted next year.

Under Hughes the Potters have secured back-to-back top-flight finishes for the first time in 40 years.

They have also claimed a club record 51 points in the Barclays Premier League this term and will look to better that as they host Liverpool in their final game on Sunday.

Hughes said: "We challenge ourselves every year, we are always trying to push the bar higher.

"We have been able to do it once again but year on year it gets more difficult to keep on achieving. We have been able to do it in back-to-back seasons so the challenge will always be can we match or better it next year."

Stoke have been one of the lowest spenders in the Premier League in recent years but Hughes is hoping the club are now becoming a more attractive proposition to prospective players.

The former Manchester City and Blackburn manager said: "A lot of things have to fall into place before you get players over the line, but the quality of players we are talking about now is arguably higher than it has been at any other point in recent times.

"That is encouraging because that shows we are viewed in a different light and the perception of Stoke is different now, and we are viewed as a top-10 side - and a side that is consistently in the top 10.

"With that comes an acknowledgement that maybe you are a good option for representatives of good players. We are pleased enough with that. That is an important step for us, it shows progress as a club."

Stoke will end the season in ninth regardless of Sunday's result but Hughes wants to finish strongly for the supporters, who will be acknowledged in a lap of honour after the game.

With Liverpool fifth and still in a tussle with Tottenham and Southampton for Europa League positions, Stoke's opponents may have incentive to play and Hughes wants to match their intensity.

He said: "We have had a great season, everybody is pleased how the season has turned out.

"But I always think it is important to win your last home game and it is important to put on a performance that reflects the season we have had. Obviously our fans will want to go off in high spirits and you only do that by winning games.

"It is a game we want to win against good opposition. They will look at the game and think they need to get points on the board because they may slip a couple of places if other results go against them. They will be focused and it is really important we are likewise."

Headlines about Raheem Sterling's contract issues and the prospect of Liverpool losing a star player this summer have deflected attention from the departure of one of the club's true greats.

There was, quite correctly, great fanfare surrounding Steven Gerrard's final match at Anfield last week but Sunday's trip will be the midfielder's 710th and final appearance for the Reds.

Having got through the emotionally-charged send-off in front of his home fans, manager Brendan Rodgers has no doubts about the 34-year-old's ability to handle his final curtain call at the Britannia Stadium.

"He'll be very able," said the Reds boss.

"I'm sure for Steven it's been a huge relief. Leading into your last game at Anfield, which has been his home for 17 years, there was probably a whole load of emotion.

"Unfortunately our performance level wasn't what we expected (they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace) but I think the crowd and the supporters recognised the moment and gave him a great send-off.

"So I'm sure for him it's a huge sigh of relief and he has worked well this week concentrating on Sunday's game."

A disappointing campaign will come to an end with Liverpool playing for nothing more than the security of fifth place and a Europa League spot.

It will be of little consolation after the minimum target set in pre-season was a top-four slot.

"I've said at the beginning of the season (the aim) is to finish as high as we possibly can," said Rodgers.

"That is the aim for the game. Our season doesn't finish until the whistle blows on Sunday.

"It'll be a tough game for us away at Stoke but we go there and we want to finish the season strongly.

"I always believe it's a good sign of the team if they can keep going to the very end and that'll be our ambition against Stoke."



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