• Premier League

Rodgers: Success isn't all about trophies

Brendan Rodgers has brought the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jon Flanagan into the first team set-up © Getty Images

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Brendan Rodgers insists establishing a long-standing youth system at Liverpool will be just as important to his Anfield legacy as winning silverware.

Rodgers' side have surged into second place in the Premier League, scoring 73 goals in 28 matches - more than any team in the division.

The club look set to end a four-year exile from the Champions League and are in contention to win their first title since 1990 with leaders Chelsea just four points ahead of them.

Sorry Jose, Chelsea are as good as champions

If Mourinho takes a clear view, he might change his tune about Chelsea's prospects © Getty Images

• Jose Mourinho has protested too much and Brendan Rodgers hasn't been much better. But the words of the Chelsea and Liverpool managers have more than a hint of weasel, writes Alex Perry.
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Since arriving from Swansea in June 2012, Rodgers has also brought youth prospects Raheem Sterling and Jon Flanagan into the first team set-up and hopes to keep promoting talented young players for years to come.

"There's no point in having a youth system and an academy system in place if you're not going to look from within," Rodgers told Liverpool's official website.

"For me, it's how I work, it's also part of my definition of success.

"When I eventually retire from football, I want to be able to look back and see that not only have I won trophies but I've developed a football club that has brought through their own youth players and made them better. That is very important in my work.

"Other managers may be different and might just be about purely winning trophies but for me success isn't just about picking up the trophy at the end of the season.

"It's also about the football club, giving value to young players and seeing them develop."

Rodgers also insist there is plenty of room for improvement in his side, despite their remarkable progress this season.

"I've been satisfied in terms of the progress we have made but there is still a long way to go in terms of where I want to go with the whole project," he added.

"We're recognised now as one of the most exciting teams in the country to watch, over the next 18 months we want to eventually be really challenging on the trophy front."

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