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Gerrard expects Rodgers to take Reds back into top four

Steven Gerrard expects Liverpool to be better this season © PA Photos

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• Profile: Steven Gerrard

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is confident the club will finish in the top four this season and earn a place in the Champions League.

Gerrard, who was also full of praise for new manager Brendan Rodgers, believes Liverpool cannot find themselves languishing down in eighth again this term and must make sure they return to Europe's elite for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.

Rodgers is expected to bring a more attacking style to Liverpool this season which excites Gerrard, and he hopes the club will no longer find themselves frustrated by the opposition - an issue which led to the Reds drawing more home games than any other side in the Premier League last season.

"We'll see a bolder Liverpool team - and more exciting too," Gerrard is quoted as saying by the Sun. "It's not just been these last few days that I've had a chance to learn about the new manager, he's been in touch with me since he came in.

"He has made me aware of where he's at and what he's trying to do - I've been really impressed with him. His man-management is fantastic and if he can do that with all the players in the squad, then it can be really good for the club.

"I don't think a team has ever gone from eighth to first. But there's still other big targets for us to achieve short-term and that's getting in that top four again - that's the priority. And if you perform hard enough and well enough, it will come. That is the only way you get it and I am confident we will.

"But the other players have got to think how I think and use the hurt of what happened to make up for it. That is the only way you can do it. I honestly think we will get in the top four because if we play like we did in a lot of games last season and take our chances, we will be high up the table.

"The idea is to improve and have some fun along the way in the cup competitions, like we did last year. We were brilliant at times in the league too, it's just we never got out of them what we deserved. But there were times you would come off thinking 'no wonder we are sixth, seventh and eighth'.

"It was frustrating but if you look at the season, you can't use it as an excuse for finishing eighth. It wasn't good enough. Over the years sometimes Liverpool have come up against a certain type of opposition and shown them too much respect. But maybe we have had to, because of the style we've been asked to play.

"There were times under previous managers when we showed too much respect, but Brendan wants us to play like a big team. He's been coaching for 20 years and dealing with big players. I've been impressed with his knowledge and how he's dealt with me. The players who have worked with him over the past few weeks have said the same.

"There is a lot of hard work to be done sharpish. But already in training, in only my second session, we are doing team shape and he is telling players what he expects movement wise.

"We are Liverpool, we can't finish eighth. We have to put that right."

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