Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed he didn’t expect to be challenging for Champions League qualification until next season…
Although there are still 11 games remaining in the 2013-14 Premier League season, Liverpool are well on course for a much-coverted top four finish.
The Reds, who were leading at Christmas and now sit fourth, have a six point advantage over fifth placed Tottenham Hotspur. That buffer is further enhanced by a vastly superior goal difference of +32 over the Londoners.
In fact, the club and it’s supporters are currently spending more time looking up the table rather than down; trailing league leaders Chelsea, as they do, by just four points.
The positivity around Anfield grows further when you consider the Merseysiders possess the top flight’s most potent attack – 70 goals scored in 27 matches – and both Jose Mourinho’s Blues and third placed Manchester City still have to visit L4 before the season is done.
It is a remarkable improvement for a side which finished seventh, a whopping 28 points behind champions Manchester United, last season and eighth the year before.
Even Kop boss Brendan Rodgers, in his second season at the helm, admits the prospect of securing a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2009-10 exceeds expectations.
“When I decided to come to Liverpool I certainly wanted to be challenging for the Champions League places by my third year at the club,” commented the 41-year-old to talkSPORT.
“I knew there was a big job to be done at Liverpool and a lot of work to be done.
“But I haven’t been surprised by the players because I’ve seen how much they put into their game and I know the quality we have.
“I think we’ve probably moved ahead of where I thought we would be this season. Some of our play has been exceptional.
“We’ve playing with great confidence and great belief, but there are still areas of the team that I feel we need to improve on.
“It’s been a wonderful season to be in our position with 11 games to go.”
Despite the current position, Rodgers is understandably keen to play down the chances of securing a long-overdue title success.
Liverpool, once the dominant force in both English and European football, have not lifted a league championship since way back in 1990.
To put that into perspective, five of the players who featured in Sunday’s dramatic 4-3 win over Swansea City were not even born when Kenny Dalglish secured a sixth triumph in ten years.
“At times I’ve been deemed to have played down our hopes but it’s an authentic look at where we’re at,” added Rodgers.
“There are other teams above us who are favourites to win it and are probably more equipped than us to win the league – they’ve been in that position before.
“I’m only looking at the next game against Southampton. All we can do is just continue to do our best.
“We’re in a really good position at the moment but there’s still an awful lot of work to do before we can think about winning anything.”
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