Ryan Babel says he has been scared into committing to performing for Liverpool but only because he is worried he won’t be in the Holland squad for World Cup 2010.
Babel was recently dropped from the Dutch international squad by coach Bert van Marwijk after not appearing enough for the Reds during the early start to the 2009/10 campaign.
But Babel says he is determined to impress van Marwijk to earn a re-call to the Holland squad in time for next summer’s games in South Africa.
Babel has struggled to pin down a first team place since joining the club from Ajax in the summer of 2007, but now says he is spurred on to perform by the prospect of representing his country.
He says, “Not being called up by Holland has definitely scared me into doing something. The situation for me is clear. This has to be the year for me. I am rying to do whatever it takes to get into the team.
“If I give everything and the situation is still difficult, then you have to be honest with yourself. But I’m still confident that I can be a very important player for Liverpool.
“For the first time in 33 games, I wasn’t called up for the national team. That was very scary. It’s clear I have to play a lot of games for Liverpool to earn a ticket to the World Cup. The Holland coach made a statement that he wants his players playing for their clubs.”
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