Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam believes the club have to challenge for the UEFA Champions League places in the coming season.
Midfielder urges team-mates to fight for Champions League spot
Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam believes the club have to challenge for the UEFA Champions League places in the coming season.
The Reds finished a disappointing eighth in the Premier League last campaign, the third season in a row they have finished outside of the top four.
Scotland international Adam, who moved to Anfield from Blackpool last summer, accepts that a club of Liverpool's history and standing should be playing in Europe's premier competition.
However, he also admits that the Reds have no divine right to a top four berth and they will have to battle hard if they are to finish in those positions next season.
"We should be challenging for the Champions League, no doubt about that," he told the
club's official website.
"This club deserves to be where it is, but you don't get where you are just because of the name. You get there because of hard work and a bit of luck.
Unlucky
"You set your standards high and we've got a good group of players. People saw that last season and at times we were unlucky.
"We need to set our standards as high as we can, participate in every tournament we are in and try to win everything available to us."
Adam also revealed that he has fully recovered from a knee injury that curtailed the remainder of last season.
The 26-year-old is now out to impress new Reds boss Brendan Rodgers and prove his fitness ahead of the new campaign.
"I'm fine now," he added. "I was back training in the last week of the season basically and I had four weeks' break in the summer. I'm back now and I've joined in every session since the lads have been back.
"It's good to get going again because the last couple of months were frustrating but it's time to reflect on what you have done and it's good to be back in the groove again."
