Rodgers claims ignorance to increased pressure

Brendan Rodgers is adamant that he is not feeling more pressure than usual following Liverpool’s stuttering start to the new Premier League season.

Liverpool have accumulated just seven points from a possible 15 so far, losing in their two most recent outings against West Ham and bitter rivals Manchester United.

Despite those losses, Rodgers insists that he does not feel any different, before going on to remind critics that Liverpool still have new players settling into the club.

“It’s [the pressure] the same as it ever was,” Rodgers told reporters. “I don’t think it has increased. It’s pressure that comes from managing a huge club.

“Nothing has changed in that way. I just need to concentrate on getting the team right. We are only a few points off where we want to be in the league.

“The pressure is always here, it’s part and parcel of being the manager at such a huge club.

“There is a long way to go. Players are still settling in. There’s been a big transformation. I need to integrate that back in and get us back to an exciting way of working.

“My vision of the game and the model of how I work is pretty clear really.

“We need to get back to playing that way. We are working hard to reinforce the principles of how we have worked successfully here.”

However, Rodgers was quick to warn his players that the displays against West Ham and United were not up to scratch.

He added: “You can lose games, but it’s how you lose them. The last couple of defeats is not how you want to lose a game of football.

“We have seen in last few performances, when we don’t play well it gives us far less chance of winning.

“We need to get back to a way of playing. We have an inherent belief that if we get back to that level we will get results.”