Smith: Needing to win could be a blessing

Liverpool legend Tommy Smith believes the fact that the Reds need to go to Chelsea looking for a win could prove to be a blessing in disguise as it will force us to take an attacking appraoch to the game.

"If the Reds had held on for a draw they would have needed just a point at Stamford Bridge," claimed Smithy in today's Liverpool Echo. "But I don't think that's a bad thing. Liverpool have played some of their best football away from Anfield in their latest run. Needing a point might have resulted in a more defensive show, inviting Chelsea to attack, but they have got to go for it now.

"But the Reds have proved that when the chips are down they can rise to the occasion. When Liverpool achieved The Double in 1985-86, Kenny Dalglish produced a crucial strike - at the Bridge - to win the title. They finished with 11 wins from 12, drawing the other.

"That was a tremendous run and, while the current Reds haven't matched that, they have rallied brilliantly in recent weeks and, after their mid-season slump, who would have thought they would be 90 minutes away from the Champions League?"