Success comes first for Rodgers

19 June 2012 11:47

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers earned numerous plaudits for his attractive style of football at former club Swansea, but he insists the most important attribute to have is success.

The Northern Irishman masterminded victories over the likes of champions Manchester City, Arsenal, as well as his current club on the final day of the domestic season. He is expected to reproduce that on a much bigger scale at Anfield but stressed that for all the style it was substance which mattered.

"The way I want to play here is the Liverpool way," he said.

"The history and tradition of this club has been about offensive football, attacking football - but always with discipline. The game will be based around what Liverpool are about, which is control, dominating games with the ball, working very hard when you haven't got the ball and keeping the game as simple as possible.

"Of course I'll bring in a certain philosophy which I'm attached to but the principles of your game are based around the players.

"For me the best thing about the game other than scoring goals is having the football, and that'll be the idea and the fundamentals we'll work on - but they are playing ultimately to win. We're in the business of winning and hopefully we can entertain along the way."

The 39-year-old said he was not trying to emulate Barcelona, whom his Swansea side were likened to in terms of approach, but develop his own approach.

"I suppose the tiki-taka football has come from Barcelona and that Spanish version," he added on liverpoolfc.com.

"It probably came up with the players at Swansea, who referred to it a lot in our training and our work on having the ball and resting on the ball.

"It doesn't matter if it's tiki-taka football or possession football - the supporters and all of us want winning football. That's what the philosophy will be about. It will be about playing attractive, attacking football full of imagination."

Source: PA