Rodgers: We're on road for title

24 March 2014 18:01

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers argues his side are far from the finished article but he believes they are on the road to winning the title.

He accepts that may not be this season - although sitting in second place four points behind Chelsea with a match in hand and Jose Mourinho's team still to visit Anfield gives them their best chance in years - but thinks everything is in place for it to happen.

"We haven't won it for a long time and it may or may not be this year but there is no doubt we are on the right road to winning a title here," said the Red boss.

"We are nowhere near the finished article but while we are learning and improving we will hopefully continue to pick up the points.

"We are enjoying the moment and the football. We still have a hell of a way to go to be near where I want us to be but we are certainly making strides and are on the right path.

"It is by no means the finished article but we are evolving and I take great pride in that.

"It is (about developing) a consistency and it is doing it year after year. I feel there is still quite a lot of improvements to make.

"We have been asked questions in games and have come through and I am sure we will be asked many more questions."

Questions are currently being asked about Liverpool's defence after they conceded three at second-bottom Cardiff on Saturday, but Rodgers insists it is "lazy" to suggest they concede cheap goals.

He points to the success they have had in attack - they are the Premier League's top scorers with 82 and in Luis Suarez (28) and Daniel Sturridge (19) they have the top flight's two leading marksmen.

And while the Reds may be regularly blowing opponents out of the water with their firepower, Rodgers insists he is not hell-bent on racking up a record total of goals.

"I am happy to win 1-0 but sometimes even the best teams will concede goals. It's lazy to say we concede cheap goals," he added.

"The aim is to win playing attractive football. I'm not thinking about (100 goals) that is not the mentality, our mentality is to win and I'm just thinking about winning the next game.

"We have the quality to score goals and people are probably looking at that (100) as a target, which shows the monumental development which has been made here.

"We go into every game with great optimism that we can attack but there has to be a balance: to press the game hard when we haven't got it and when we have it to be creative.

"But the 82 goals shows the confidence we have. If we maintain that, we will win many more games.

"Every manager will tell you if you come up against an opponent who shows no fear in their game and can flood forward in numbers and get goals that is always what can make you think and you know you need to set your team up to counter that."

Sturridge, with 33 goals in 42 games since signing from Chelsea in January 2013, has been a key part in that attack and has probably exceeded expectations in his short time at Anfield.

He is one of the players who is expected to be rewarded with a new contract - Suarez signed his in December - but that will not happen until the end of the season.

"There will be no contracts talked about until the summer, our focus is the club and not any individual whether it is the player or the manager," said Rodgers.

"Come the summer I'm sure there will be a number of contracts that will be looked at to retain services.

"Daniel has been outstanding since he came here and I am sure the owners may well look at that come the summer but he has shown the consistency for over a year to be a world-class striker."

Further down the club, however, there are contracts to be signed and academy midfielder Jordan Rossiter has signed his first professional contract on his 17th birthday.

Source: PA