Boss: Daniel can be right up there

The 23-year-old returned from an injury lay-off in last weekend's final pre-season friendly against Celtic with a lively second-half display in Dublin.

Sturridge is now expected to be involved in Saturday's opening game of the campaign against Stoke City at Anfield - and Rodgers is convinced he can improve upon the form that saw him fire 11 goals in 16 appearances after joining the Reds from Chelsea in January.

The manager told a press conference at Melwood: "With Daniel he was very unfortunate that he got his injury at the end of last season, but what he has shown over the course of the off-season is his determination to be just that [a leading Premier League striker].

"He's worked tirelessly with the medical group. As a team, they've got him back. He's not 100 per cent fit yet, but for me Daniel Sturridge is a player that even if he's 70 or 80 per cent fit, he'll be right up there as one of the top strikers.

"He's shown in particular over the last few weeks since re-joining the group that with his power, his pace, his quality and his finishing that I believe he can be up there.

"He needs numbers this year because that's important for him. He needs to score goals and create goals - if he does that, while working hard, I think England will have one of the top strikers in the Premier League."

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Though injury may have disrupted Sturridge's pre-season programme, Rodgers feels the No.15 will head into the new term having benefitted greatly from his experience of representing Liverpool in the second half of 2012-13.

He added: "For every player, and in particular strikers, they feed on confidence. It's a huge part of the game, especially for goalscorers.

"He feels very settled now; January to the end of the season was like an adaptation into this club and the expectations that surround it.

"He's fully up to speed with that and now it's about fine-tuning his fitness, but even at this stage he looks very, very strong."

Though Sturridge's strike rate since moving to Anfield is outstanding, Rodgers insists it remains the job of every player on the pitch to supply goals.

"There's not just pressure on Daniel to score goals - it's throughout the team," said the boss. "You can't just have the focus on one man. Of course, that's the job as a striker, you're paid to score and create goals. It's as simple as that, just like it is for defenders who have got to stop them.

"He's a really outstanding talent and has all the tools to be a leading marksman at this level. We're hoping with a full season here with us, he can go and really showcase the qualities that everyone knows he has."

One man who'll be charged with supplying Sturridge with ammunition this season is Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian was also a January recruit and, like his fellow new signing, was outstanding in his first half-season at the club.

However, Rodgers insists no extra obligation will be placed on Coutinho's shoulders heading into the new campaign.

He explained: "There will be no more responsibility than what has ever been asked of him. He is a player that you would actually pay money to watch - he's an absolutely incredible talent. He's just turned 21 years of age and he's got great humility to want to improve and be better.

"He can play in a number of positions, that's the beauty of him. You'll have seen him play in the No.10 role, in behind and off the side. He can even play as one of the central midfield players - he's a wonderful footballer.

"His biggest attribute is he's effective - he scores and creates goals. That's something if we have over the course of the season, it's going to put us as a group in a great position.

"We ask everything of the players, they all know their jobs inside out right the way through the team. There's always that responsibility on the attackers to create and score, but it's the responsibility of everyone. If everyone takes up that challenge, we'll be okay."

Coutinho was often deployed in a left-wing berth during his first few months as a Liverpool player - but Rodgers was eager to stress the playmaker is capable of operating in several different positions to great effect.

"With us as a group, we're flexible tactically," said the Northern Irishman. "We'll make subtle changes to our structure.

"What's important is the type of profile of player we bring in - which is intelligent. When you work with intelligent players, they have the capacity to play in one or two positions - and that's what Philippe is.

"I know what his best position is, but in order for the team to maybe win a game or do something tactically different, he's flexible and happy enough to play in a different position. His effectiveness in the game still maintains the same level."

Meanwhile, Rodgers is expecting Joe Allen to recapture the kind of form that helped him make an encouraging start to life at Anfield last season.

He predicted: "This season I'm sure you'll see Joe feel much more settled at the club. He came in and started very brightly and through injury had probably a difficult period last year.

"He's still a very, very important player for us. We've seen over the course of pre-season, he's now back to what he's best at, which is being really aggressive with and without the ball. I'm sure Joe, along with the other players, will play a key role."