Last night's dress rehearsal for the FA Cup Final was a fiery affair at Upton Park with Luis Garcia and Hayden Mullins both seeing red. Both Liverpool and West Ham will appeal but there is a chance neither player will be able to play in the showcase occasion. Liverpool won 2-1 to maintain the pressure on Manchester United for second place in the Premiership, but it has been another successful season for Liverpool. It has also been a successful campaign for PFA Player of the Year Steven Gerrard. After being voted as the best player in the country by his contemporaries, Gerrard also has an FA Cup Final and World Cup finals in Germany to look forward to. Gerrard insists that England have a good chance of lifting the prestigious trophy for the first time in 40 years. However, as he told givemefootball's Ian Clarkson, there are a dozen countries that will have the same ambitions.
Q:CAN ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP?
A:If we are realistic we have got a good chance. There are ten or 12 teams who are very strong. It would be silly of me to stand here and say we are definitely going to win it. We have got to be realistic. If we keep everyone fit in the summer, we get luck and we click and play how we know we can play then we can go all the way. The conditions in Germany will suit us more than in South Africa in four years time as well.
Q:DO YOU FEEL UNFULFILLED AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL?
A:I am sure all the boys feel unfulfilled internationally. I do, especially because I missed out on the lastone through injury. It is the biggest stage there is and all the boys are looking forward to it. It is difficult to give it your full attention while there are league games left for Liverpool. However, you can't help dreaming about it as it is only weeks away and everyone is so excited. I still feel as if I have my best football to offer at this level. No-one is more excited than me.
Q:ALAN BALL SAID THAT YOU WERE THE BEST MIDFIELD PLAYER IN EUROPE AT THE PFA AWARDS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
A:I think he only said that because I was there! It is a fantastic compliment and I have to keep proving that I am worthy of these compliments. I go into every game and try and give it my best shot and try and play as well as I can. If the compliments keep coming great, but the most important thing to me is to be a winner and win trophies. I want to be successful on the international stage. It is going well domestically at present and hopefully I can translate that onto the international stage.
Q:YOUR AMBITION STILL BURNS BIRGHTLY DOESN'T IT?
A:I have got a lot of ambitions and I want to win as many trophies as possible and at international level as well. I think I have been hot and cold at international level I need to find a consistency where when I receive these compliments people will say you are right. As a player you always strive for more. My career has been quite successful so far but I don’t want to stand still and I want to keep moving and want more medals.
Q:HAVE YOU IMPROVED AS A PLAYER IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS?
A:I'd like to think I am a better player than 12 months ago. When you are working with Rafael Benitez you can only get better. He is the type of manager that doesn't relax on any individual and he is on to every part of my game, day in and day out, and that is the type of manager I want to work with. He's a manager who is going to improve me and I think he can take me to a higher level than I am at now.
Q:ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT PICKING UP AN INJURY BEFORE THE WORLD CUP FINALS AGAIN?
A:I don't think you can go into games worrying about getting injured or worrying about missing the tournament. Of course, it is very important to me in the summer but I have got to give Liverpool Football club 100 per cent as I am the captain and I have a role to play for Liverpool before I go away in the summer. If I can join up with England in the summer after an FA Cup win I will be a lot more confident and looking back on the season saying it is a success. That is how you want to go into a big tournament.
Q:WAS IT A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR LIVERPOOL TO RELINQUISH THEIR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CROWN?
A:When you get knocked out of a competition and don't succeed in a league then there is always a touch of disappointment. When you start out the season at a big club like Liverpool the idea is to finish with a trophy and give it your best shot in the league. We have got every chance of winning the FA Cup and we have qualified for the Champions League in April, which is a big improvement on last year.
Q:DO YOU WANT ARSENAL TO TAKE YOUR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CROWN?
A:Of course I want Arsenal to win. You might not believe me, but I have got a lot of respect for the Arsenal players. They were on the phone to me before the Champions League Final last year and saying 'good luck' and I am cheering them on and I hope they win. It will be great for Arsene Wenger, as he is a top manager and I have a lot of respect for him. I have a lot of friends at Arsenal and I hope they go on to win it. They have got a difficult game but, speaking from experience, anything can happen in the final.
Q:IS IT IMPORTANT FOR THE PREMIERSHIP THAT ANOTHER ENGLISH TEAM WINS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE?
A:Our league is getting stronger al the time and I think you can see that in Europe. Each year in the Champions League the English teams are doing better and better. We won it last year and we were the underdogs and I think Arsenal are going to do the same. I think people under-estimate the strength of the English teams and credit to Arsenal as they have done fantastically well.
