"Not being involved in Europe is a major blow to the club so the Carling Cup is a great trophy to win because we're all desperate to win some silverware," said the Dutchman.
"Last season was such a disappointment, this one is all about improvement and we can achieve that by doing well in the Carling Cup.
"We have the squad to do well in each competition and have a lot of depth. The Carling Cup is being taken very seriously and hopefully we can use the bad taste we have in our mouth after drawing with Norwich in the league and use that in a positive way against Stoke."
"In all my time as a Liverpool player I have been close to winning trophies. There was the Champions League final, the semi-final and coming second in the Premier League. We have been close but it is now time to get some silverware."