Whatever result, Rodgers believes Reds on right road

Contrasting methods have made Liverpool and Manchester City title contenders but Reds boss Brendan Rodgers resolutely believes his preferred way of doing things is making the club better for the long term.

Tomorrow’s opponents spent hundreds of millions of pounds on transfers and salaries to bring in top-class talent which allowed City to win the Premier League in 2012 and become regular contenders.

Liverpool, under Rodgers, have paid out far less and opted instead for a policy of development which has seen them unexpectedly leap from eighth in May 2012 to top by April 2014.

“Both clubs work on different models, we are on different roads in terms of how we want to achieve success,” he said.

“We are a club who have an identity and a philosophy of how we want to work and that is built through the club and we will hopefully cultivate and grow it over the years to come.

“However this season finishes it will be a great victory for the model we have employed here of player development. I won’t disrespect what [City] have done because they had a lot of new money come into the club in order to gain success.

“They have invested that money wisely in a lot of top players and that has won them the league, the FA Cup and the League Cup, so I am sure their supporters won’t be complaining.

“Liverpool as a club is very much a development club and it is a model we are happy with and will give us sustainable success over a long period.

“We are looking to build and create something here which gives the young players at the club hope they can pull on the great shirt of Liverpool. They have seen local boys come through here, a lot of young players getting an opportunity, and they have also seen a model of football which is exciting.

“We are a club that is looking to the future and to the youth of our club as well as having a defined philosophy of football. Hopefully that will provide the vision for years to come.”

Tomorrow’s encounter at Anfield is being billed as a title decider and City have won just once in 16 Premier League visits to the ground but Rodgers played down its importance.

“It is a significant game, there is no doubt about that. I am sleeping very well but I’ve not dreamt of lifting the title. Our objective remains to qualify for the Champions League, only then can we think of other things. Once we’ve cleared that hurdle we can look at other objectives.”