Use your head like Sadio and subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Gary McAllister has vowed to play his part in ensuring Liverpool show the “bravery” required to transform their season.

The Reds face Carlisle United in the third round of the Capital One Cup at Anfield on Wednesday night looking to secure their first win in six matches.

First-team coach McAllister, who returned to the club as part of Brendan Rodgers’ new-look backroom staff this summer, admits it’s been a difficult period with supporters growing increasingly restless.

However, the former Liverpool midfielder is convinced Rodgers’ side will kick on and he’s drawing upon his own experiences at Anfield to help the current crop deal with the pressure.

“They’ve got to rise above that and that’s where we come in and hopefully where I do,” McAllister said.

“I have played in front of frustrated crowds when things aren’t going well and I think that’s when you push your shoulders back and show that bravery.

“And bravery is not whacking into people and elbowing people. It’s about getting on the ball in tight areas and taking responsibility. We have enough here to do that. I don’t have any fears about us putting that right.

“The middle of the park is where you do need people to get on the ball and make play. I watch Philippe Coutinho, Lucas and (James) Milner. They don’t shy away from the ball. They will continue to prompt and probe to try and make things happen.”

Anfield return reminds McAllister of sky-high expectation levels

The feeling of unrest inside Anfield was audible at the final whistle of Sunday’s 1-1 home draw with Norwich City. A haul of just eight points out of a possible 18 has already prompted talk of a crisis.

It’s been a reminder for McAllister about the sky-high expectation levels he had to get to grips with himself when he arrived from Coventry City on a free transfer 15 years ago.

“I thought I knew about Liverpool and what the expectation level was, but it’s not until you actually get inside the building that you realise,” he said,

“It’s not changed. A couple of poor results and the heat is on - you’re under the microscope.

“Players have to thrive under that sort of pressure and cope with the demands. It has to drive you.

“As for the grumblings from the fans, that impresses me. If you lose that and it just becomes accepted then it not’s going to be right.

“That won’t happen here. It will be driven through by the frustration of the fans. That’s got to be the driving force for players and they’ve got to put that right.

“We’ve got to be competing right at the highest level. It’s how I see Liverpool. I just associate it with winning things.”

The League Cup proved to be the catalyst for Liverpool under Gerard Houllier in 2001. McAllister helped the Reds beat Birmingham City in a dramatic penalty shootout in the final in Cardiff.

Prior to that Liverpool hadn’t won a trophy for six years, Within three months of lifting the League Cup they had completed an historic treble with the FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

McAllister is hoping the competition will have a similarly galvanising effect on Rodgers’ men as they prepare to face Carlisle.

That search for greater fluency ahead of Saturday’s league clash with Aston Villa is why there are unlikely to be wholesale changes.

The players should be looking around at the quality in the dressing room

“Seeing the quality when I arrived I thought we could achieve something here,” he said.

“Just gathering momentum and winning the first one just gives you that ‘we can do something, we can effect it’.

“And that’s the things we have got to try and press on here. They should be looking around the dressing room and thinking there’s a lot of quality and depth as well.

“If you looked at the bench at the weekend it was strong so the nucleus is there to actually go on and be threatening to win.

“In the early rounds you gather momentum and gain belief, We’ll give the competition the respect it deserves.

“There will be some changes but we’ll be strong. We need some stability with our shape and style, and we want to go as far as we can in it.”

(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

A young squad will be without its captain for the next two months after Jordan Henderson underwent surgery on his broken foot, But McAllister says he has no concerns about a lack of leadership,

“I think we’ve got enough leaders,” he said.

“There are different types of leadership. You have guys who clench fists and guys who are vocal, there is a mix here.

“Sometimes you just look to the British players but the foreign lads can lead in different ways as well. Some lead by taking that responsibility of getting on the ball and trying to make things happen.

“We’ve only played six games and there were loads of good things at the weekend. We created chances and passed it as well as we have done all season.

“There is always pressure when things don’t go well at a club like Liverpool. But going right back to when I was a young boy, a fear of Jock Wallace as the manager (at Motherwell) was the driver.

“Maybe that’s a generation thing, but that little bit of fear is a good thing if it’s channelled the right way for you to perform.

“When heat is on you get even closer. We are all getting to know each other and day by day it’s getting better.”