More ´pain´ to come – Rodgers

4 October 2014 04:43

A frustrated Brendan Rodgers admitted more pain could follow for a Liverpool team with “no resemblance” to the one of last season.

The Northern Irishman’s men have struggled this campaign as several new signings slowly settle in to a side that went close to winning the Premier League last season.

Rodgers’ 14th-placed side host West Brom on Saturday having won just two of their opening six league outings.

He said Liverpool looked unrecognisable to the team that finished two points adrift of champions Manchester City in 2013-14.

“I think the pain is for now. I think it’s unfortunate,” Rodgers said.

“It’s hard for the supporters and I understand that. It must be so difficult at the moment to see a team that for 18 months has been so fluent and dynamic.

“Now they probably look and see a team with maybe no resemblance to that in many ways. I understand that and there is no-one more frustrated than myself.”

With Luis Suarez departing for Barcelona, Liverpool brought in the likes of Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Lazar Markovic and Mario Balotelli.

Rodgers believes once the signings settle, his team will return to where they were.

He is lamenting his side’s inability to break lines and get in behind, particularly with striker Daniel Sturridge out injured.

“We look at our game, where we’re a big threat in transition when we’ve won the ball back and we’re on the break… but we don’t look a threat on the break at the moment,” Rodgers said.

“You could argue that we don’t even play in transition. We’re getting no-one in behind, no-one breaking lines.

“Once we lose that movement and speed of Sturridge – and the link up of other people within that – that has broken the dynamic a little bit for us.

“We just have to persevere until I get the squad back – until we get Emre Can back, Joe Allen, Daniel and the others. Then I think we will return to that level.

“With so many new players coming in this year, even though they understand the ideas and the principles you still want to work with them on the field and that time has been very limited.”