Houllier's Liverpool pride

Gerard Houllier has told his Liverpool players not to be ashamed of their Champions League draw with Galatasaray in Istanbul.

The Liverpool boss - still waiting for medical clearance to return to Anfield after emergency heart surgery - had two lengthy telephone conversations with assistant manager Phil Thompson after the match.

And the recovering manager, expected to return to work next month, praised his team.

Thompson said: "I spoke to him at 7.30 this morning, I spoke to him up until 12.30 the night before.

"He was in good spirits and we talked a lot about what we are going to do at Fulham on Saturday.

Thompson - looking forward to stepping aside

"He said that we shouldn't feel ashamed that we haven't got the victory, just be positive, and we were still playing well and that everybody should be proud of what they have achieved."

Thompson added: "When Gerard and the medical people feel the time is right he will be back. Let's hope it's in the near future.

"If it's further on than that, so be it, but I am looking forward to him coming back."

Thompson knows Liverpool face a make-or-break clash in Barcelona in a fortnight.

He said: "We are confident of going to Barcelona, they've had a few hiccups and have lost some league games so we are very positive about things.

When Gerard and the medical people feel the time is right he will be back- let's hope it's in the near future

Phil Thompson on Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier

"We have two important league games, first at Fulham and then Newcastle at Anfield, and they are crucial matches we must do well in. We want maximum points from them.

"We still have a lot of young players, yes they are learning, but coming into March we still have a chance of the league title and in Europe. We would have accepted that from the off.

"The lads handled themselves well in an intimidating atmosphere, they played well and we were particularly happy with the level of performance.

"It is not dropping at a vital time of the season. The last three games, Galatasaray twice and Everton, were all matches we should have won and created plenty of opportunities.

"The standard of performance is right for our push to qualify for the Champions League last eight and to win the Premiership title."