Patrik Berger is harboring a double dream as he looks forward to a successful beginning to the new millennium.
Liverpool's Czech midfielder not only wants to help the Reds ensure Champions League qualification for next season - he also has his sights set on Euro 2000 where he will be hoping his country can go one step further than they did four years ago when losing out to Germany in the final.
'It would be a fantastic achievement if I could succeed with both of those wishes,' says Patrik. 'At the moment it is only a dream but sometimes dreams can come true. In football you never know what can happen.'
Berger has been a regular in the Liverpool team this season as the Reds have recovered from a slow start to mount a serious surge up the Premiership table. With the top four clubs now within their sights Berger believes there is no reason why the club can't end the season in the perfect style by qualifying for next season's premier European competition.
He says: 'I think it is a very realistic target and we must go all out for it in the remaining months of the season. We are doing very well at the moment but these games over the Christmas period are very important because there are lots of points available and if we can keep on winning then who knows what we can achieve.
'We didn't start the season particularly well but over recent matches we have played more as a team. We are better in defence and when we attack we always look like we will score goals. We haven't always played our best football but it is the sign of a good side when you can play poorly and still pick up victories on a regular basis. We have 25 great players here and every one has played a big part in helping to turn our season around.'
In fact, such was Liverpool's relatively poor start to the campaign, Berger admits he expected the team to be occupying a mid-table position at this stage of the season. He says: 'We signed a lot of new players in the summer and, although they are all excellent footballers, it isn't easy to predict how quickly they will settle in. With the way we started I thought we would be mid-table at the half way point of the season so credit has to be given to everybody for the run of results we have managed to put together.
'The new players have been fantastic and the quality within our side now is incredible. I think the players also understand the squad system which is very important. It is impossible to play the same eleven players week after week, especially in England where the season is so long and where games are played over the Christmas period as well. A lot of countries take a break over Christmas but that isn't the case here so we need to keep fresh legs out on the field all the time.'
Patrik has recently recovered from a knee injury which sidelined him for two weeks, but while he has been able to regain full fitness within a short period of time his close friend and international team-mate Vladimir Smicer has been dogged by a series of injuries all season long.
Says Patrik: 'I really feel for Vladimir because he hasn't really been able to show the fans what a great player he is yet. I know for sure that will come in time though. I have known him for many years and I speak from experience when I say he is a top class player who can create and score goals. When he is on the field then you can always expect the unexpected because he has the ability to create a goalscoring chance from nothing. It will be a great boost for both himself and the team when he is clear of his injuries and able to put together a long run of matches.'
As Liverpool go into today's clash with Wimbledon hoping for more points to aid their title challenge, Patrik can already boast to having one award this season. He was recently voted the Czech Republic's Player of the Year for 1999 ahead of fellow countrymen Jan Koller (Anderlecht) and Pavel Nedved (Lazio).
He says: 'It is always nice to win personal awards but I would gladly exchange any of them for success with Liverpool. I am proud of my country and it is nice to be honoured in this way by the Czech journalists but winning some silverware with Liverpool this season would make me much happier.
'Hopefully we can do that this season but if we don't then we shouldn't be too worried because the strength of our squad now is such that we can mount a real challenge next year. We have a lot of young players coming through who have all done well in the first team and I certainly believe that the future of this club is extremely bright.'
Once this season comes to an end Berger will join up with his international team-mates ahead of the European Championships in Holland and Belgium. Despite being suspended for the opening two games he believes the Czech's can once again upset the odds and progress through the competition.
He says: 'It is very frustrating that I will miss the first two games against Holland and France but there is nothing I can do about that now. I know we have a tough group with the Dutch, the French and also Denmark but I honestly think that England's group is even harder.
'The Czech Republic are a very experienced side and there is no reason why we can't do as well, if not better, than we did four years ago. Most of our players play abroad for big European clubs while others play for the biggest teams in the Czech Republic. We are all four years older and more experienced than we were in Euro '96 and we reached the final then so there is no reason why we can't do at least as well again.
'It will be a great competition full of great matches with lots of world class players on show. If we can get past the group stages then we would really fancy our chances. In a one off match anybody can beat anybody else and it is down to who can handle the occasion the better. We have been through it before and been successful before and I know all the lads think we can prove ourselves to be a quality side again. We did very well in the qualifying stages and so we will go there in the summer high in confidence.
'Hopefully myself and Vladimir will go there on the back of a successful end of season at Liverpool. It promises to be a great year anyway but if things go the way I want then to then it could yet be the best year of my career so far.'