Kyrgiakos - Experience vital

Kyrgiakos: Banking on experience

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New Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos thinks his title-winning experience can aid the Reds' bid for Premier League glory.

The 30-year-old centre-back was part of the Panathinaikos team that triumphed in the Greek league during the 2003/2004 season and also won an SPL title with Rangers.

Now he believes that experience will be useful to his new team-mates, although he admits that winning a Premier League title is a tougher challenge.

"I have a little experience of winning titles from my previous career in Greece and in Scotland," Kyrgiakos said.

"I won one title with Panathinaikos and two in Scotland when I played with Rangers. I hope that the experiences I had in Scotland will help me begin well at Liverpool.

"I believe that I have the qualities needed to play in the Premier League. My time in Scotland will help because it is a similar style of football to here.

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"It is true that the Premier League will be more difficult than the SPL because the game is faster here and there are more quality players.

"In Scotland you had Rangers, Celtic and Hearts and it was very rare for us to lose to anyone - and if we did it was normally to one of those teams. In England, everyone is capable of beating everyone else."

After the loss of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid during the summer, it has been suggested that Liverpool would not be able to maintain the form that saw them finish only four points behind champions Manchester United last season.

But the veteran Greece international believes that Rafa Benitez's side are in an even stronger position to challenge for top honours during the current campaign.

He added: "I watched a lot of last season's Premier League on TV and Liverpool were very close to the title.

"From what I have seen this season we are equipped to go even better. In my experience of winning titles, you need a great team spirit in the dressing room and I have seen this already among my new team-mates.

"Everyone works hard and gives everything. That is the most important thing you need for such a long battle as the title race. After that, you need to be brave and have a little bit of luck along the way."