Clarke: LFC playing best in country
Steve Clarke believes Liverpool are currently playing the best football of any team in the Barclays Premier League.
The Scot spent 18 months on Merseyside as assistant to Kenny Dalglish, but made way this summer as the Brendan Rodgers era began.
Clarke will return to the Anfield dugout for the first time since his departure on Monday night as manager of West Bromwich Albion.
He is expecting a tough game.
"I'm not surprised now that some of the younger players are starting to flourish, or some of the more experienced ones that Kenny signed," Clarke told reporters. "It can take a period of time for people to settle into a club the size of Liverpool.
"For Stewart Downing to be in the team and Jordan Henderson, as well as Jose Enrique, and doing really well, is good. Luis Suarez has really settled into the club now and, if you look at it at this stage, Liverpool are probably playing the best football in the Premier League."
Clarke worked with Rodgers at Chelsea and has been impressed with how he has gone about steering Liverpool.
"I don't think there's anybody in football now who thinks you just turn up at a club and create a good team just because they're a great, historical club," he said. "You have to work at it. Every club in the league has to work hard to try to put a good team on the pitch and you have to work as hard as you can with your players.
"Brendan went in there with a different philosophy to Kenny but Liverpool have always tried to play good football. Brendan has slightly different ideas that maybe took a little bit of time to get across. But you can see now that the team is starting to gel and maybe starting to play the way Brendan wants them to play.
"They had a difficult start but they have picked up and are doing really well and it's going to be a tough night for us. But hopefully West Brom can get the same result as they did last year at Anfield (a 1-0 win).''
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