Gerard Houllier has revealed just how much European success means to him as he put his faith in his Liverpool team to complete an unprecedented cup treble tonight in the UEFA Cup final.
The Liverpool boss insisted that although their main target for the season is qualifying for the Champions League, this weekend's decisive final Premiership game would be banished from their minds against Alaves.
Although Liverpool need to beat Charlton on Saturday to assure themselves of a top-three finish, Houllier rejected suggestions that he would rest several first team players tonight.
Indeed, he appeared to indicate there would be at most three changes from the line-up which won the FA Cup last weekend, with Gary McAllister, Patrik Berger and Robbie Fowler all hoping to start.
Houllier acknowledged how much that FA Cup victory against Arsenal had meant to the fans and English players in his squad.
However, he added: "Maybe as a foreigner, I didn't realise how important the FA Cup final is for English players and I was very happy for the fans.
"But now we have to do it for ourselves as Europe means a lot to European players. What the FA Cup means to English players, Europe means to me."
"This is now a huge game as it could mark the beginning of a new era. For a Frenchman, Europe is important for the team to make a name for themselves," he added. - PA