Rodgers promises title challenge next year

Brendan Rodgers insists that Liverpool will challenge for the Premier League next season.

Rodgers was bullish in July when Luis Suarez had left the club after their second-placed finish, saying: "I am confident we will improve the team further and will be stronger for this coming season, when we will be competing on all fronts; domestically and in the greatest club competition in the world, the Champions League."

Liverpool are now in seventh position and out of the Champions League after a stumbling start to the season without Suarez and the injured Daniel Sturridge.

Rodgers has now changed his tune, saying ahead of Saturday's FA Cup game with Bolton: "The FA Cup is up there on our list of priorities. This season was always going to be difficult. We weren't going to challenge for the league this year.

"This season was about getting into the top four, minimising the impact of so many new signings, trying to make them have an impact and winning silverware.

"Next season we will be challenging for the league again.

"The beauty of our squad is we have so many players who have much development, who are young and still learning. This squad needs that time to evolve and work together but it has Premier League-winning capabilities.

"The untegration of new players will be complete by summer...then we can go on and challenge for the league."