Liverpool will challenge for the Premier League title next season: Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers

Despite possibly finishing outside the Champions League places this season, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers remained upbeat about his side’s ability to challenge at the top next season. He thinks that the club will be fighting for the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season.

The Premier League title has eluded the club since 1990, when they lifted the English top division trophy. However, Rodgers believes his side can put up a good fight to end the 25-year drought next season.

The club currently lie in 5th position with 58 points from 33 matches, 7 points behind Manchester United in 4th spot, but have a game in hand on their rivals from Manchester.

On being asked about a title challenge next season, the Northern Irishman said, “Absolutely. We have great hope we can really push on again. I have absolutely no doubt it will happen.”

He admitted that the summer transfer window will be massive for Liverpool to get the type of players that would help Liverpool regain the heights of last season. The 18-times Premier League winners have been linked with the likes of Memphis Depay, James Milner and Danny Ings lately.

“It will be a big summer for us to find the right type of player that can come in and do that. Then we can go and work how we've worked for a lot of the last 18 months,” said Rodgers.

“I'm as hungry as I've ever been. I'm ambitious to win and there is no greater place than here to win. I am still committed to doing that here.”

Rodgers’ job will be made harder with mercurial captain Steven Gerrard leaving the club at the end of the season while there will be others, who haven’t produced the goods expected when they were signed, leaving Merseyside. There is a mass exodus expected at the club, but the former Swansea manager

“The club has moved forward”

He admitted that this season has been disappointing without a title challenge, but said that the team has made tremendous progress since his time at the club. He claimed that the Reds were a “long way off” from challenging for the league title before he arrived.

The 42-year-old said, “Of course it's been disappointing not to have had a challenge [for the title], but when I came in here that was a long way off. The club was eighth and you'd never have even talked about it.

“It's a mark of how the club has moved forward that there's such disappointment we weren't challenging this year, but you can't just accept it.

“I think it's something you have to continue to fight. We have to continue to find ways to develop players and find a way to break that.”

Liverpool came within a whisker of winning the league title last year, but this season have been disappointing in the Premier League with high chances that they won’t qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Rodgers’ job is under constant threat as well with sections of the media reporting that owners Fenway Sports Group are wondering if the club is going in the right direction under Brendan Rodgers’ stewardship.