Liverpool FC Forum

by **A.B.** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 3:16 am

I found an interview with Harry Kewell on Codemasters, it's a couple months old but I found it a descent read.

Codemasters Club Football and Liverpool FC recently got together to talk with Harry Kewell, the Reds Australian international, in a quick question and answer session about his career, life under the new manager Rafael Benitez and his advice for upcoming and coming players. These were the questions posed by the Codemasters forums and here’s what he had to say...
Q: What are your first impressions of Rafael Benitez as [the new Liverpool] manager?
Harry Kewell: Very good - very, very good.

Q: In what ways has he impressed you?
HK: Everything - the way he goes about training, the way he talks and the way he brings the best out of the players.

Q: Do you think Liverpool have a realistic chance of winning the league in the near future?
HK: For me, personally, I think we’ve got the team to win it now!

Q: Do you have any ambitions to play abroad at some part of your career?
HK: I’ve always said since I was young that I’ve got ambitions to play abroad. But as you know, things happen and things change and could end up playing the rest of my career here.

Q: Which leagues excite you - are you a big fan of European football?
HK: I’m a big fan of every league but I don’t think you get much more exciting than the Premiership at the moment.

Q: Do you still remember scoring your first goal?
HK: Yes I do - it was a volley, I think it was back in the days of the Coca-Cola Cup. A long ball was played down the right, Rod Wallace flicked it back in and I volleyed it from about 30 yards out.

Q: Who was that against?
HK: Stoke City.

Q: Which goal, out of all of those that you have scored, do you feel most proud of?
HK: There are obviously a few that I’ve scored that I think ”well, that’s great” but I have to say the one I scored against Arsenal at Highbury [during the 2002/03 season for Leeds - they won 3-2, ensuring their survival in the Premiership while the result meant Arsenal lost the title]

Q: Talk us through the goal...
HK: I just got the ball and kicked it! Easy as that!

Q: What advice would you give a young player whose dream it was to be a professional footballer?
HK: Just go out there and just play for the love of the game, really - as long as you enjoy it you’ll learn more and more each day. So long as you enjoy it.

Q: Who is your best non-football friend?
HK: I’d have to say James Carlton.

Q: Do you have a regular pre-match routine? Any superstitions?
HK: I think I do but I don’t know what they are - I think I must do. Everyone does so I must do. If something works for me one week then I’ll try it again until it doesn’t work and then I’ll try something else instead.

Q: Are there many superstitious lads in the dressing room?
HK: I don’t know, I think everyone’s walking around doing his own thing to prepare for the game.

Q: What do you think are the prospects of the new Anfield stadium?
HK: Well, I’ve seen the designs and it’s going to be a sad time when we leave Anfield as that been here for a very long time - but times are changing, and if they want to build a new stadium then it’s going to be great, It looks fantastic and hopefully it’ll all go well.

Q: I suppose for Liverpool to keep up with the top clubs they need a bigger stadium and more fans inside?
HK: Yes, as long as you can fill it. At the moment at Anfield it fills all the time - and you ask any player and they’d rather play in a packed house of 30-40,000 than have a 60,000 and it’s only 40,000 full. It looks a bit empty so you’d rather play in a full stadium!

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