Brendan Rodgers believes his side must improve their consistency and become more clinical in front of goal if they are to keep their slim Champions League qualification chances alive, with just four wins in 10 games leaving Liverpool in 12th place in the Premier League.
The Anfield club have only been beaten once in their last 10, but they have failed to achieve enough wins in that time, picking up five draws along the way, with Rodgers feeling that they should have turned many of those games into victories.
“We managed to go eight games unbeaten in the league and the draws we had could very easily have been turned into victories,” Rodgers told reporters.
“If you’re going to challenge at the top end, you always have to be striving for that level of consistency. In fairness to the players, their consistency and the level of their work every day has been brilliant.”
Rodgers wants more from his players though, and Sunday’s game against West Ham is a key fixture for the Northern Irishman and his players, where three points will lift them into the top 10 in the Premier League, but Rodgers knows it will be a stern test for the players.
“We know West Ham will be a tough game,” he said. “They got a fantastic result in their last game against Chelsea and Sam Allardyce has done very, very well in getting them promoted. He’s made them difficult to beat but we’ll arrive at West Ham with great confidence.”
The Liverpool boss is adamant that his side can improve over the course of the season though and become a force to be reckoned with once again in the top flight.
“We’re blooding a lot of young players into the group and we’re asking them to do men’s jobs at this level. Sometimes that breeds inconsistency,” he added.
“But it’s something we’re improving on and if we go to West Ham and get a good result, that will keep us moving in the right direction. The most important thing is that we are winning games.
“I believe that, as the season goes on, we’ll become more clinical and see improvements in our finishing at the top end of the field.”