The 49-year-old believes that his club are capable of catching the top three Premier League teams, but added that Liverpool will require a stroke of luck to do so.

He told the club's official website: "They are three very good teams. Only results will prove whether I'm right or wrong, but I feel that we need to be looking to be not just as good as, but better than those three.

"We just need that little stroke of luck, that little attention to detail, and you never know.

"We are not that far away and I feel we have proven on many occasions over the past four or five years that we can be better than them. Not as good as - but better."

He continued: "Only time will tell, but what I will say is that everyone is striving and working hard to try and make sure that we can close that gap and overhaul it.