Masch: Let's put City behind us

Javier Mascherano has urged his Liverpool teammates to put their Manchester City frustration behind them and concentrate on keeping the Reds’ Champions League aspirations alive against Debrecen on Tuesday.

Rafael Benitez's side travel to Budapest knowing they must beat the Hungarian champions and hope Lyon can take points off Fiorentina in Italy if they are to retain any ambitions of reaching the last 16 of the tournament.
 
Though Liverpool head into European action disappointed after being held to a 2-2 draw by City at Anfield on Saturday, Mascherano insists the Reds cannot afford to dwell on the stalemate.
 
"It is a big game for us and we have to put Saturday behind us and look forward," he told Liverpoolfc.tv.
 
"All of us were really disappointed afterwards, but it was a strange game. We had to make two substitutions after just 18 minutes. It is difficult when you have so many injuries and then you pick up more on the pitch.
 
"But it is very important for us to win against Debrecen, not only to give ourselves a chance in the Champions League, but also to build confidence for the future.
 
"We also have Everton to come, which is another very, very important game, but we have to think about Debrecen first.
 
"That is the most important thing - we can think about Everton afterwards."
 
Mascherano believes there have been enough signs of encouragement in Liverpool's recent performances to suggest an upturn in fortunes is imminent.
 
However, the 25-year-old feels the Reds must look to tighten up as a collective unit if they are to embark on a winning run of form.
 
"I think we deserved to win against City," said the Argentina captain.
 
"We played well, but we are conceding goals and that makes it difficult if you want to win. It is a problem and we have to improve.
 
"The team have performed well in the last two or three games. We're improving little by little, but we are still making mistakes and we have to cut them out if we are to start winning.
 
"We are Liverpool, and we want to improve and show on the pitch that we are a top side."