The Reds boss writes: “Welcome to Anfield for our Premier League home game against Fulham, our first fixture in an incredibly intense December schedule and an opportunity to hopefully get this spell off to a really good start.
“This is a period when the games will come so thick and fast – Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday lunchtime – so we have to be ready. We have to share the intensity and spread the load, this is pretty clear, because the alternative would not make too much sense. So we will make the decisions that we think are right for each game.
“The good news is that the squad – and I mean the whole squad – has responded to the challenges of the season really well up to now. Some of the challenges we have faced might actually have helped us even though we would not have wished for them. Sometimes the toughest steps are also the most helpful.
The matches that we played with 10 men, the one we played with nine men, definitely played a part in what we are trying to build here. Again, I would much rather have had 11 players on the field in those fixtures, but even in situations that we all would have preferred to avoid you could see the growth of the team and the important thing now is that this continues.
Nothing is decided in December. No trophies are handed out and no league positions are determined. But because there are so many games in such a short space of time, you can put yourself in a really good position to attack the rest of the season or otherwise.
“A good run of form is always welcome at any time of the season but in this month it is maybe even more important because so many points are at stake. As always, we will do everything that we possibly can to make the most of the opportunity in the knowledge that our opponents will have exactly the same objective.
“On that note, I would like to welcome Marco Silva, his staff and the Fulham players, officials and supporters to Anfield. They will arrive in a positive moment on the back of a really good win against Wolves, so I have no doubt that they will come here looking to build on that result and continue to climb the table.
Marco’s work as a manager and a coach speaks for itself. His teams have a clear idea of how they want to play, they are always incredibly well set up and they can – and usually do – give anyone a proper test. I would say they are one of those teams that could play in different colour shirts and everyone would know who the manager is.
“What they achieved last season was really good. I could not have been more impressed. I actually said before we faced Fulham last May that they were one of the season’s big achievers and this was definitely true. Although their league placing isn’t currently as high, I think that is a little bit deceiving because although Fulham are currently in 14th position, they are only one point off the top 10.
“Today’s game also takes place during the period when Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign will be prominent and, as ever, I will be very proud to participate.
Football has to be for everyone, should be for everyone and is for everyone. There is nothing complicated about this. All we have to do is make the sport that we all love as much as we do as welcoming as we possibly can for people of all backgrounds. It really is that simple.
“For us as a club, this means setting ourselves the standard of being as inclusive as we possibly can. I say it each year at this time: if You’ll Never Walk Alone is to mean anything it is surely this. It is about individuals of all types coming together as one. This is our message. There is no picking, no choosing, no deciding who is deserving and who is not. Just a commitment that we all belong.
“If we can do this then You’ll Never Walk Alone also becomes We’ll Never Walk Alone and this club is always at its strongest when we are as one.”
