Club news

Ryan: Anfield Trip A Chance To Show Progress

By Alex Stedman • 12 May 2018

Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Maty Ryan insists that the side won’t be approaching Sunday’s game with Liverpool any differently, despite now being sure of Premier League football next season. 

The Seagulls travel to Anfield in their final game of the league season this weekend with top flight football secured for the 2018/19 campaign, but the Australian emphasised that the contest on Merseyside was one that they would be competitive in. 

He said, “Just because we’re safe now doesn’t mean anything has changed – that’s the feeling I get from the boys and as an individual I always put pressure on myself to perform.

“We want to still prove we deserve to be in this league and these are the games as players that you love playing in.

“You have the opportunity to do something special if you can be successful, and against Manchester City we had a couple of moments in the game where we could have easily got level.

“There’s no fear factor – one thing we’ve learnt this season is not to fear any side, I think over the course of the campaign we’ve improved in situations within matches and that shows now in our performances.”

Ryan has played every minute of the Premier League campaign so far this season, and with one final game to go against Jurgen Klopp’s men on Sunday he reflected on the reverse fixture back at the Amex at the start of December.

“The game against them at our ground was a big lesson for us, and probably the first that we’d been played off the park. 

“But we saw first-hand the dangers of not being at the right level against those sorts of sides, we got punished and they were lethal.

“We have another opportunity on Sunday to show how much we have improved since that afternoon and it’s a challenge that we’re all looking forward to.”

The side fell to a 3-1 defeat to champions Manchester City on Wednesday evening, despite competing for large parts of the contest in the north-west, and Ryan highlighted the importance of the finer details within matches when facing the division’s top sides. 

“The thing that probably sets players at the top level apart is the constant level that they can find and perform at. 

“It’s about making the right decisions at the right times, that’s what makes the difference between good and great players – we’re learning and trying to get to those levels. 

“We’ve all made great progress this year and now we have one game left to finish on a high and get ready for next season.”