Boss: We're blessed with balance here

The Reds are locked in a tussle with leaders Chelsea and Manchester City towards the summit of the standings, trailing the former by just one point with seven fixtures remaining this season.

Cardiff City and Sunderland have been successfully seen off during the past week, with rivals Tottenham Hotspur the next obstacle as Rodgers' side search for an eighth straight win.

Reporters at the manager's pre-match press conference were keen to quiz the Northern Irishman on how his team compare to their closest challengers - prompting a glowing report from the boss.

"I'm only worried about Liverpool and the players that we have," he said at Melwood. "We're blessed to have a mixture within our team.

"We've got some world-class talent; we've got some youthful exuberance and hunger to learn; we've got some local talent, which is very important.

"We've got a wonderful balance of what we're trying to do here. It's something that we're looking to continue beyond this year, to hopefully gain success over a period of time.

"It can work both ways. If you've had the experience of it, then you maybe know what's ahead. But you can look at it from the other perspective; our team and the staff are very hungry to succeed.

"That hunger can sometimes be a real advantage. We've seen it already this season. There are other teams with more experienced players than ours, that have won more titles than ours.

"But we're a team that has got quality and got hunger. We're showing that we're developing as a team and growing. We're looking to put something in place not just for this one season, it's a process that started 18 months ago.

"We're looking to make sustainable success; we're looking to build something here."

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The Reds are currently 12 points clear of Sunday's opponents, Spurs, and hold an 11-point advantage over Merseyside neighbours Everton with regard to a Champions League qualification berth.

Rodgers warned that a return to Europe's elite competition has not yet been secured, however, as he fielded a question on how many points may be required to ensure a position in the top four.

He continued: "I'm not sure what the number will be. We've got seven games and 21 points to play for, and we're going to go for every point we possibly can.

"The idea was to finish as high as we possibly could; the objectives haven't changed from the beginning of the season. We wanted to fight to get into the top four and we haven't achieved that yet.

"We know it's going to be a tough game. It's only three points per game and the next three points are the most important." 

The progress overseen and inspired by Rodgers during his two seasons at the helm has reached heights previously unexpected, with the Reds rising from seventh to second as it stands.

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That trajectory is one that the 41-year-old has taken considerable personal pleasure in; particularly as he points to the education he soaked up as a coach as a key factor in the team's development.

"In terms of management, this will have been my fifth season," added the manager. "But I've been stood on the touchline for 20-odd years.

"The experiences I've got, I've been able to put into practice this year, things that I've been working on for many years in youth football, reserve-team football, working across the world and playing against many different teams on many different continents.

"Those tactics and ideas, I've been able to implement at senior level. So it's actually benefited me. There's no doubt that as one of the youngest managers in the league, there's still a lot for me to learn.

"I'm really enjoying it; it's not as if I'm new to it. I'm just enjoying the position and seeing us develop as a team and a club."