Rodgers dismisses talk about title chances
>> LIVERPOOL: Liverpool will remain top of the Premier League with a win over Southampton at the weekend but manager Brendan Rodgers feels it is still far too soon to discuss a potential title challenge.
The Reds have 10 points from their first four Premier League matches, with 1-0 wins over Stoke, Aston Villa and Manchester United and a 2-2 draw at Swansea.
After Southampton’s visit to Anfield, Liverpool face a run of games against Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion before travelling to Arsenal on Nov 2.
They also have Luis Suarez set to return from a 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic when they head to Manchester United in the League Cup on Wednesday.
Rodgers feels it will only be possible to judge his team’s prospects for the season once they’ve played their 10th game of the campaign at Arsenal.
Asked about Liverpool’s chances of a push for a first title since 1990, Rodgers said: ‘‘I haven’t even considered that at all. Our expectation is to improve as a team.
‘‘We’ll assess it after 10 games and then at the halfway point and we’ll have a more realistic idea of where we can be.
‘‘There’s a lot more to come. We’ve made a good start and people will say that it’s early stages, as will I, but these are still hurdles you have to get over.
‘‘We’re on 10 points already and at the end of last season we finished on 61 points and we talked about those extra 10 points that might have taken us into the Champions League.
‘‘At this early stage we’ve got them. I believe the team has still got a lot of improving, only because of the nature of what I’ve seen in the games and the potential we have in the players still to grow.
Luis Suarez serves the final game of his ban against Southampton, while Daniel Agger should be available to face the Saints following a rib injury.
Philippe Coutinho is facing six weeks on the sidelines after undergoing shoulder surgery and defenders Glen Johnson and Aly Cissokho are also out of action.
Southampton were the last side to beat Liverpool, winning 3-1 at St Mary’s in March thanks to goals from Morgan Schneiderlin, Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez.