Big interview from the official pages:
Pepe, you're coming towards the end of your first season at Anfield. How do you personally think it's gone?
I think it's gone well. When I decided to join Liverpool it was because I believed in the manager and the project he was trying to build at Anfield. I always want to improve in my career and moving to a club the size of Liverpool was a big step up for me. It's an honour for me to be at such a great club because this is a team that is known and loved all over the world. Even when I was in Spain, Liverpool was always a team that a lot of football supporters always spoke about. The fact that Liverpool have a Spanish manager and a lot of Spanish players obviously played a part in why so many Spaniards were interested in the team but even before Rafa arrived here, Liverpool were already a big name in Spain due to the fact that they'd won four European Cups.
Be honest, the move must have gone better than even you could have expected?
It's gone well, I won't deny that but there's still a lot of room for improvement from both myself and also the team in general. When you move to a new country and a new team, you need a little bit of time to adapt to your new surroundings but I am very happy here and I can honestly say I'm enjoying being Liverpool's goalkeeper. I'll be a lot happier when we're first in the Premiership but hopefully that will come.
Have you lost count of how many clean sheets you've kept already this season?
I haven't been counting the number of clean sheets I've kept but, to be honest, I would never try to claim that I was the sole reason for any clean sheet that Liverpool have managed this season. If we don't concede a goal, it's all down to teamwork and in some of the games, I haven't had anything to do.
If it's down to teamwork when Liverpool keep a clean sheet, how come you're the villain when a mistake costs us a goal?
That's just life for a goalkeeper. When you are a keeper, you can make some great saves during a game but if you win the match, it will be the goalscorer who grabs the headlines. I've played in matches where I've pulled of five or six really important saves but then I've made one mistake and that's all people remember from the match. I'm not complaining though - I knew what to expect when I chose to pursue a career as a goalkeeper. If I wanted all the headlines and all the glory, I might have tried harder to become a striker!
How difficult is it to stay focused when you might not get a touch of the ball for half-an-hour or so during a game?
When you're a goalkeeper and you join a great club, you know that you won't have as much to do as a goalkeeper at a club which is struggling or not so good. The difference is, you have to concentrate for every second of the match because you never know when you might be called into action. This is the life of a keeper at a big club. You might only have one save to make during a game but you have to make that save. If you have one shot to save - like I did in a game against Middlesbrough earlier in the season - you have to save it. The pressure is intense because if the opposition only gets one chance to score during a whole game, your mistake could cost the team two or even three points.
Without taking anything away from your own performances, do you feel secure in the knowledge that the likes of Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia are in front of you protecting your goal?
I'm lucky to have Jamie and Sami in the defence in front of me but the whole team works to defend my goal when we lose the ball. The defence starts in attack and every player works hard to get the ball back - no matter whether they're a striker, midfielder or defender. We play with our defence higher up the pitch than Liverpool did last season so the boss likes me to sometimes act as a sweeper and clear the ball even if it means me racing 20 yards outside of my area. It's not new for me to do this as I played the same way with both Barcelona and Villareal.
Has there been an occasion when you've committed yourself to racing out of your area and halfway there, you've suddenly thought, 'What have I done?'
If I'm not sure if I'll be able to get to the ball first then I don't normally go but if you think you can arrive first to clear the danger, you've got to go. When you're rushing out, you haven't got time to think about not making it first - you just have to run that little bit faster! The team has the confidence in me to be there when it matters though.
Your most famous mad dash this season was down at Stamford Bridge. Any regrets?
I don't regret running out to clear the ball but what can I say? It was a tackle and I touched the ball. I thought it looked clear that I made contact with the ball on TV.
What exactly did Arjen Robben say to you when the referee was calling you over?
I don't remember exactly but it didn't help the situation at the time. It was the firstsending off of my career and it was a bad experience for me and the team. To be honest, I don't even like talking about it.
Aside from your role as a 'makeshift sweeper', the other noticeable difference between your style and what we've seen before at Anfield is your preference to punch rather than catch the ball a lot of the time. Was this a conscious decision when you arrived in the Premiership?
Yes, I think it's a way of making sure you can clear the ball away from the goal no matter what pressure you are under. In England, the game is more physical than in Spain and the referee's are not the same. You can try to catch in the six-yard box but outside it, I like to punch it clear and make sure the ball is away from our goal as quickly as possible. Rafa advised me to do that when I came here and warned me to be careful in the air because of the way the opposition players collide into you.
How surprised have you been by the physical nature of the game in the Premiership?
I think shocked is a better word than surprised. It's too physical. Sometimes, the penalty area is like a boxing ring. I'm not joking, some of the strikers are built like boxers and play like them but without the gloves!
Some of them would probably say the same about you when you come flying out to punch the ball away. Ever got it wrong and knocked out one of your own defenders?
[Smiles] Not yet but they know that when I shout 'KEEPER!' it's time to get out the way!
Did you always want to be a goalkeeper?
When I was really young, like all kids, I used to play up front and score all the goals but I think my preference was always to be a goalkeeper. Even at seven years of age, I had the gloves and I used to play in goal.
Your father Miguel Reina played in goal for Barcelona. Did he push you into goalkeeping?
He didn't push me to do anything that I didn't want but he certainly encouraged me when I began to show an interest in being a goalkeeper. I think because of my father, football is just naturally in my blood. Having said that, just because my father was a goalkeeper didn't automatically mean I was going to become one too. I've got five brothers and I'm the only one who is a goalkeeper.
Do you think the fact that your father was a footballer has helped you to deal with being in the limelight because you must have seen it all before you even made your professional debut?
I don't know really because when my father was playing, it was a totally different time and a different way of live to how professional footballers live these days. The media interest in football back then was a world away from what it is now so what he had to cope with is quite different to what some of the big-name players have to deal with now. I'd like to think that my upbringing was very normal and that's why I've turned out a normal person.
Are you a better 'keeper than your father was?
I don't know if anyone could possible answer that? I certainly can't because how can you compare two players from two different eras – particularly when there has been a rule change that affects the way goalkeepers can go about their business. As I said before, it was a different time, a different style of football and a different style of goalkeeping. The training is a lot harder now as well.
So, in a roundabout way, you're basically saying that you're better as your dad had it easy picking up back passes every five minutes!
[Laughs] I didn't say that! If I can be as good as my father then I'll be happy because he played in La Liga and won six international caps. He's had a real influence on me and has helped me throughout my whole career.
Didn't you break your father's record of 824 minutes without conceding a goal earlier this season?
I think he did it only in league games but with me, all the competitions counted together. I don't know if that means my record is better than his. When I broke the record [Reina didn't concede a goal for 1017 minutes], he called me and told me I was better than him. I think he was only joking though. To be honest, I'm just really proud to have entered the record books for such a famous football club. That is more than I expected before I came here last summer. It's definitely something I'd like to tell my grandchildren about in years to come. Having said that though, the record is really a shared honour with the rest of my teammates because without them, it wouldn't have been possible. We defend as a team and we attack together as a team.
Luis Garcia recently told us that life in Liverpool is far calmer than at Barcelona. Is that how you see things?
I know what Luis means but I think the pressure he is talking about is off the pitch. With Barcelona and Liverpool, there's not too much difference on the pitch. They are both one of the most important teams in their country. At Barcelona and Liverpool, you have about three saves to make each game and youhave to make them saves if you want to keep your place in the team. As a player for Barca and Liverpool, you must always play to your maximum and be focused all of the time. Off the pitch, the media is very different in Spain. I think there is more pressure from the media at Barcelona than there is at Liverpool. In Spain, the journalists want to quiz you all the time.
What about the supporters?
The supporters are very different too. The supporters of Liverpool are unbelievable. We lost 2-0 to Benfica at Anfield and you could still hear the Liverpool fans singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. It was such an amazing thing to hear considering the fact that we were about to concede our European crown. The fans had been singing about how we were going to win it six times in Paris all season and then when that was about to become impossible, they didn't turn on the players. Instead, they launched into this amazing rendition of the club anthem and that really got to all the players. I'm not sure you'd hear anything like that in similar circumstances anywhere else in the world. After I heard that, I personally wanted to go to every supporter in the ground and say, 'We can only say we are sorry and, thank you, because we tried to win it for you'.
Do you get to talk to many Liverpool supporters in the streets around where you live?
If anyone stops me for a chat, I happily stop but not that many people recognise me in the street because I'm quite quiet in my private life. I prefer to stay out of the limelight and I think the fans respect that. They might wave or say hello but they certainly don't act like some fans in Spain do.
When you arrive at a new club, how do you go about learning about the history of the club? Did you study DVDs or books about Liverpool Football Club?
I knew about Liverpool before I arrived here but I didn't know everything. I just knew Liverpool was one of the most famous names in European football and that thesupporters were really well respected. When I signed however, I tried to learn more. I visited the museum inside the stadium to look at all the trophies and shirts and bits of history that is kept there. I also visited the club shop to see different things that were being sold. I knew Liverpool was the most successful club in England and hopefully, we can add another league championship to the list of honours next season.
If I mentioned Hillsborough to you, would you know what I was talking about?
Yes, I know about Hillsborough and also Heysel too. They were both very bad days for the club, but for different reasons obviously. I've read about Hillsborough and, of course, I've seen the memorial on the wall outside the ground. When you see the ages next to the names of the supporters who die, it really makes you think. I don't think you need to be a fan of Liverpool or even know much about what happened to be saddened by see the names of such young fans on a memorial like that. The history of the club is important to me though. Even simple things, like touching the 'This is Anfield' sign before walking on to the pitch are important because you need to keep the traditions alive. You think, if the player who came before me and were so successful felt the need to touch the sign, then so should I.
Finally, one question I've always wanted to ask a goalkeeper: would you be happy not to touch the ball once during a whole match if the team won or do you secretly want to make a few saves to convince yourself you've played some role in the victory?
I'd prefer not to touch the ball and we win 3-0 but it's almost impossible. If I had the choice before a game, I'd definitely pick winning without me having to touch the ball.
Sounds like a nice way to earn your money..
It would be if it ever happened but has there ever been a match where a goalkeeper hasn't touched the ball once? I don't think there has. If you only have to do one thing in a wholematch, you've got to make sure you do it right. One catch to make and you drop it? That's not a nice way to earn your money!
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N151830060323-1000.htm