Neil Warnock has warned his Cardiff City relegation-battlers they need to improve against the top teams – or else they are heading for a “battering” against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Cardiff City manager seems intent on not allowing any drop in standards set by his players in their 2-0 victory at Brighton on Tuesday – arguably their best performance of the season.
The victory has revived the Bluebirds’ hope of staying in the Premier League, by cutting the gap between themselves and Brighton to just two points.
But as Warnock prepares his team to host title-chasing Liverpool on Sunday, he has challenged them to finally get in right against the big boys.
Heavy defeats have been suffered at home to Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham already this season and Warnock says: “We realise the challenge. They’ve shown this season that they can beat anyone on a good day.
“We just want to give a good performance and not get a battering really. We can work all week, but if we freeze and make a mistake early on we may as well go home.
“They will just pick you off. That’s what you get with quality players. When you realise our wage bill is £11million is less than what they spent on agents’ fees, I think it puts it in perspective what we’re up against.
“But when I arrived at the club, if you’d told me they would be selling tickets on the black market for £1,000, you’d probably be locked up in a straight-jacket.
“So, that’s where we are at the minute and we’re enjoying it. I think you’ve got to try and enjoy what you’re doing when the pressure’s on you.”
Liverpool have won their last eight games in all competitions, while Cardiff have yet to pick up a point against top-six opponents in the Premier League this season.
Cardiff have also not beaten the Reds for nearly 60 years, a 4-0 win at Anfield in December 1959 which was Bill Shankly’s first game as Liverpool manager.
But Tuesday’s win at Brighton – the team directly above them – has given Cardiff hope that they can avoid the drop with four games left to play.
Brighton, who have a game in hand, are away to Wolves on Saturday and a face Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham during a tricky run-in.
“The dressing room was elated,” Warnock said of the Brighton victory. “Not just at winning, but the way we won.
“We were always aware that if we lost the game that would be it.
“We’ve still got a massive job to do and you’d still want to be in Brighton’s shoes.
“You’ve just got to hope that (Wolves manager) Nuno (Espirito Santo) and his players aren’t on the beach.
“There are a lot of factors that come into it and we’re just glad that with four games to go we’re still surprising people. I like it when we surprise people.”
Warnock, meanwhile, revealed that his Football Association hearing over remarks he made following the controversial 2-1 defeat to Chelsea last month will not be held until May.
The 70-year-old described Premier League officials as the “worst in the world” after that game and has pleaded not guilty to three FA charges.
“We are into May at the moment, so I don’t really know and I haven’t got a date yet,” Warnock said.
“They don’t seem to be in a rush to see me!”
