Liverpool rebuild will take time

Brendan Rodgers has urged patience as his new-look Liverpool side attempt to hit the heights of last season.

The departure of Luis Suarez and prospect of a first UEFA Champions League campaign for five years heralded a raft of new arrivals at Anfield during the off-season.

Liverpool have not enjoyed the start to the term they might have wished for, losing two of their opening four Premier League games before requiring a last-minute Steven Gerrard penalty to kick off their continental campaign with a 2-1 win over Ludogorets.

But Rodgers insists he has not been taken by surprise and claimed that it will take some time for his troops to gel.

He said: "There is no magic formula. It is just constant work on the training field.

"I remember this time last year I was being asked if we were going to be able to score goals and we ended up with 101.

"It just takes time and patience. We were not playing how we were in February, March, April and May in September.

"It will be the same this year. By the time the second part of the season comes, we will always be stronger.

"We have had to bring in a lot of players because of the Champions League and that takes time.

"We have got players adapting and I am really pleased with the way they are settling in. My experience tells me we will get stronger and better."