Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers warns against complacency

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 24 December 2013

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers warns his side that they have not achieved anything yet and cannot afford to be complacent in the second half of the season.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has warned his side that they can't afford to become complacent in the second half of the season.

The Reds lead the Premier League table on Christmas Day for the first time since 2008, and Rodgers acknowledged that the achievement should be enjoyed by the fans, who have seen their side gradually slip down the league since then.

However, the 40-year-old insists that he is looking no further than Liverpool's next match - against Manchester City on Boxing Day - and is confident that his players are in a similar frame of mind.

"You don't get the rewards at Christmas. It is a nostalgic time and people always want to know where the team is at around Christmas Day. We want to be there but we want to be there at the end of the season and for that there is a lot of hard work ahead," Rodgers is quoted as saying by PA.

"It is brilliant for supporters, I am not going to deny them a dream - it is nice for us all to dream. It has been a hard period in this club for four or five years and [being top] was probably a distant thought for them. They have to enjoy it but for me as a manager my concentration has always been and always will be on the next game.

"That has served us well and seen us grow so I won't change that. Strategically we have to keep pushing the club forward. We can't be complacent and we won't be because we haven't done anything yet. We are top at Christmas, which is great, but we need to continue that run in the second half of the season."

In contrast to the current campaign, where Liverpool have only been out of the top six for two days, at the same stage last season the Reds had not been in the top half of the table at any point.