Liverpool stand-in captain James Milner feels it is important that senior players take leadership roles against Everton in the Merseyside derby tomorrow.
The Reds have not lost to Everton in the Merseyside derby since September 2010 and the current group of players will be keen to continue that record at Goodison Park tomorrow.
While Liverpool have not made the best of starts to the season, they are only a point of shy of their Merseyside rivals in the league table and will be looking to topple the Toffees in front of their rivals' fans.
In the absence of Jordan Henderson, Milner will be the Reds captain and he revealed that it will be a great honour for him to lead Liverpool in the derby tomorrow.
The former Manchester City man added that he will be looking to help the youngsters to cope with the pressure of playing in the derby, but admits that others also need to share the leadership mantle tomorrow.
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The England international believes that the senior players in the squad need to help the team to stick together under the pressure cooker scenario of the derby and help the inexperienced players to handle the tension.
“It’s obviously a huge honour to lead out the team and that pressure doesn’t change whether you’re captain or not”, Milner told the club’s official website.
“You want to go out there and perform well and win the game for the team, that’s the most important thing. If being captain I can help some of the guys in keeping them calm in pressure situations and help out some of the younger guys, then great.
“But whether you’re wearing the armband or not, I try to be the same player and try to help the guys in the same way and be a bit of a leader on the field. I think that’s important.
“We’ve got other great leaders in the squad as well. It is important that you stick together and the guys that have been there before and played in derbies can help out the younger guys and players who haven’t done that.
“It’s about sticking together and making sure we have more than one captain out there.”
Everton have a mixed record at home this season with one win, one draw and one loss.
