Goal-crazy Reds create club scoring history

LONDON — Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool are on track to become the most prolific in the club’s modern history, their goal tally at the start of the Northern Irishman’s reign eclipsing that of the greatest Anfield managers.

With six against Cardiff City on Saturday, Liverpool have scored 153 goals in 68 games under Rodgers. To put that into perspective, Bill Shankly took 69 games to reach the 150-goal milestone — and that was when they were in the old second division, reported The Daily Telegraph.

Even the great Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish sides could not beat that. Paisley’s side scored their 150th goal after 98 games, while it was 77 for Dalglish.

Rodgers obviously has some way to go to match the trophy-winning exploits of those iconic managers, but it is another measure of his impact in only his second season in charge. Liverpool, who are second in the league and face Sunderland at Anfield tonight (tomorrow morning, Singapore time) have already scored more goals this season than in any of their previous Premier League campaigns.

Key to this is the presence of Luis Suarez, who has 51 goals in 58 games under Rodgers. Former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy believes anything is possible for his old club with Suarez in the team.

Suarez’s hat-trick against Bellamy and his Cardiff team-mates took his tally to 28 for the season, giving him eight games to become the first Anfield striker since Robbie Fowler to score 30 in a season.

“Liverpool have a lot of top players — (Daniel) Sturridge is brilliant and there’s Stevie (Gerrard), who is just immense,” Bellamy said.

“But with a player like Luis there, you have an opportunity to win every single game you go into — because he is that good. There’s (Lionel) Messi and then (Cristiano) Ronaldo — that is it for the best, best players. Then there’s a group just beneath that and Luis is at the top of that group.

“The better the team has got, it has allowed Luis to flourish as well.”

Meanwhile, Rodgers has declared that while he believes Liverpool are on course to end their arduous wait for their 19th league title, it is unlikely to happen this season. “It may or may not be this year, but there’s no doubt we’re on the right road to winning a title here,” he said of the Reds, who have not won the title since 1990.

“We are nowhere near the finished article, but we are learning and improving. It’s good for them to see the level of our performance. For us, it’s continuing our work. We are far from perfect, but we have a great attitude to learn.” AGENCIES

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