interview with Javier from the official site
Well Javier, you played in your first Merseyside derby on Saturday – how was it?
I've been fortunate to experience a few good derbies in my career: Argentina v Brazil; Corinthians v Palmeiras; Boca v River. But the fact these two teams are here in the same city makes it all the more massive. It's such an occasion, so the Merseyside derby is right up there.
How much did that win mean to the players?
A victory in a derby is always good for team spirit and morale. It means you go into the next challenge on a high. Everyone is always happy when you win these games, so it's worth more than three points. It gives us a boost going into Wednesday night, which is a crucial game, and hopefully we can get the points we need.
Did the celebrations we saw at the final whistle continue in the dressing room and into the evening?
Yes, sure. We did celebrate and it did carry on into the dressing room. When you are at Liverpool you are accustomed to winning big games, like Barcelona and Chelsea last year, and afterwards you have to celebrate. But you soon have to concentrate and focus on the next game ahead, and that's what we're doing.
What was going through your mind when Dirk Kuyt stepped up to take that late penalty?
I was just hoping and praying he'd put it away. It's not easy knowing everyone is dependent on what you are about to do. He showed so much character – all I could do was hope it went in.
Next up is the Champions League – you really have to improve on the previous two performances, don't you?
From now on every game is a final – at least in the group stages. We have to get three points, we have no other option. With the defeat to Marseille we've made things difficult for ourselves, but a win on Wednesday would go a long way to putting our destiny back in our own hands. We'll certainly be going into the game with a lot of desire and a lot of will to win.
Is there perhaps so much attention on your Premier League challenge that your European form is suffering?
No. I think that we've got a big enough squad. We have pretty much two players battling for every position, so we're able to battle on all fronts. Things didn't turn out well against Marseille but we can start to turn that round with three points in Istanbul.
If I asked you to pick between winning the Premier League and winning the Champions League, which would you go for?
I want to win both. I think the answer is easy – we try to win everything we enter. I know that's difficult, but we really do try to pull out all the stops. Our fate is in the hands of him upstairs, he'll decide what we win. All we can do is give our all.
Will anything other than a win do in Beşiktaş?
Absolutely not. We are already playing catch-up in the Champions League because we haven't got our first win, so that's what we need to do.
Considering you need the points, will you go there looking to attack from the first minute?
I think the manager will have a plan and we might not be going all out attack, but what we certainly will be doing is going there to bring those three points back home.
It's going to be a very hostile atmosphere over there – will that bother you and your teammates?
It's always great to have the fans behind you but at the end it's just 11 players against 11. What's going on around the pitch shouldn't have too much of an influence. You just have to get on with it.
Liverpool have never played Beşiktaş but they have a few Argentineans in their side – will you be giving Rafa the lowdown on those?
Yes, I am familiar with one or two of their Argentinean players and Brazilians too. Ricardinho is one and also Higuain. I have played with some of these guys, and we will look at how we can keep them quiet while at the same time concentrating on our own performance.
