KUALA LUMPUR: Liverpool legend Ian Rush believes his former club are still capable of finishing this season’s Premier League (EPL) in the top four despite facing a less than convincing start.
Rush admitted that Arsenal and Manchester City are the favourites at the moment, but he did not see Liverpool’s position as something to worry about.
“For me, Arsenal and Manchester City are the favorites. But this isn’t a bad start for Liverpool.
“Actually I expected us to get a positive result against Arsenal, but it didn’t happen. If we won, the gap would have been only three points but now it’s nine points.
“So it’s not easy, but I believe Liverpool are on the right track. They know what they’re doing and success won’t come overnight,” he said when met at an event organised by Standard Chartered here.
The former Wales striker said that Liverpool’s main target this season is to secure a place in the Champions League, but admitted that the competition is becoming more open with several other teams also showing encouraging performances.
“I think the main target is to qualify for the Champions League. We’ve already talked about Arsenal and Manchester City, they really stand out.
“Brighton also beat Manchester City the other day, so the competition is still wide open. With teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea in the mix, and even Bournemouth and Brentford also posing a growing challenge, it’s going to be an exciting league campaign.
Rush, who scored 346 goals in over 660 appearances over 15 years with Liverpool, also recalled the most meaningful moments throughout his career, including the winning goal in the 1986 FA Cup final which he described as a dream since childhood.
“All the goals I’ve scored for Liverpool are special. My dream since I was a kid was to score the winning goal in the 1986 FA Cup final.
“My dream came true, so that’s one of them. But I think the first goal I scored for Liverpool gave me the confidence to keep scoring so many goals.
“Before that I played seven matches without scoring any goals. I came on as a substitute, scored the first goal in the European Cup and that gave me the confidence to continue scoring more goals,” he said.