Liverpool legend Ian Rush: It’s too soon to talk about winning the title

Ian Rush has played down talk of Liverpool challenging for the Premier League title this season.

The Reds moved to within six points of leaders Arsenal following their emphatic 4-0 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Tuesday night.

It’s too soon to talk about winning the league

Ian Rush

However, Rush feels Liverpool’s target for the campaign should be a more realistic top-four finish and secure a long-awaited return to the Champions League.

“I think it’s too soon to talk about winning the league, we’ve got to be realistic,” Rush told Sky Sports News.

“If you said at the start of the season that we’d finish in the top four, we would have taken that.

“There are three or four teams fighting for that fourth place and it’s a big result for Liverpool because Everton were fighting for that fourth place.

“So from that point of view, we need to be looking to finish third or fourth.”

Rush believes Rodgers does need to strengthen to provide more competition for places in his squad, with the Reds linked with a £16m move for Dnipro winger Yevhen Konoplyanka on Wednesday.

“I think it would be nice to do that [strengthen]. Even when I played and Liverpool won the league, we’d always strengthen at the end of the season,” Rush added.

“It’s called competition for places and if Brendan can get someone in, it would be a great boost for the supporters, but the players as well and keep them on their toes.

“You’d like to strengthen in every area and that’s down to the manager. Brendan knows what he wants. Suarez and Sturridge have been in fantastic form but imagine if one of them got injured. We would need replacements.”