As impressed as Ian Rush has been with Liverpool this season, he believes it is premature to consider them to be genuine title contenders.
The Reds have made giant strides under Brendan Rodgers over the past 18 months, and are now considered to be one of the strongest sides in the Premier League. They are currently occupying fourth position in the table, three points clear of Tottenham Hotspur, who have a game in hand, and six ahead of their fierce rivals Manchester United.
Indeed, such has their improvement been, they are only six points behind leaders Arsenal with 15 matches remaining. And following their 4-0 win over rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby on Tuesday night, there have been suggestions they could even win the title this season, which would be their first such success since 1990.
Rush was part of that side which claimed an 18th title, which was a record until United passed it in 2011 before adding a 20th success last season. And as much as the former Wales international would love to see the Anfield club finally add another league championship to their cabinet, he feels it is asking too much for them to do so this season.
“It’s too soon to say about going on and winning the league,” he is quoted on Sky Sports. “I think you got to be realistic. At the start of the season if you finish in the top four, we’ll take that. There are four teams, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, you’d expect them to be in the top four then it’s like three or four teams fighting for that fourth place.”
If Liverpool were to finish ahead of the likes of Spurs, Everton and United to finish fourth, it would be a huge achievement from Rodgers, who is desperate to return the club to the UEFA Champions League. And should he add the FA Cup to this success – they take on Arsenal in the fifth round – it would be one of their best campaigns for some time.
