Gerrard ready to make amends

Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard believes the UEFA Champions League defeat by AC Milan in Athens in May will act as a spur as they chase their twin goals of English Premier League and European glory.

Ready for action
With no big summer tournament in 2007, Gerrard looks fresher than ever at the start of a season. "When I joined up with the lads last year after the [FIFA] World Cup I felt like I hadn't had a break, but this time round I've had a long rest and I was looking forward to coming back in and having a game of football after three and a half weeks," he told uefa.com. "Last year I was wanting more time off because I didn't feel ready mentally or physically."

Twin focus
Gerrard kicked off the campaign with a superb last-minute winner against Aston Villa FC on the first day of the domestic season and is now looking forward to making his mark in Europe once again as Liverpool prepare to face Toulouse FC tonight in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. "Obviously you read magazines and papers and you listen to fans [about Athens], and you obviously know it's a big blow you didn't bring the trophy home, but you've got to move on in football," he said. "We have to look now at our goals and dreams for this year, and that's to win more trophies. Everyone knows the Premier League is the priority but if we can go a long way in the European Cup again it would obviously be great for the club and the fans."

Milan example
And he believes Liverpool can follow the example of their UEFA Champions League final conquerors and emerge stronger after their defeat. "Athens can be a spur," he said. "It was a big blow for everyone involved but good players and big clubs bounce back. You only have to look at AC Milan and how many finals they've reached over the years. We've got to use their attitude. They lost in Istanbul but bounced back to win in Athens. Who's to say we can't do the same?"

'Time to move on'
With Liverpool having added wide players to the squad in the summer, coach Rafael Benítez has suggested his captain will spend more time in the centre of midfield this season. "He enjoys playing there and I think he will play a lot more games there this season," the Spaniard said. Wherever he lines up, Gerrard will again be Liverpool's talisman as they seek to right the wrongs of last season. "I've seen highlights of the [Milan] game but I don't need to watch it back," Gerrard said. "You know as a player what's gone wrong or right. I know what I did wrong and right, and what the team did wrong or right, but it's time to move on."

This is an abridged version of a story that appears in this week's edition of the uefa.com Magazine. To read it in full click here.