Brendan Rodgers believes Daniel Sturridge can cement his place among Europe's finest forwards over the coming years - but insists he has set no goalscoring targets for the league's leading striker.

Sturridge has raced to seven goals in just eight Barclays Premier League matches this season and, today, Reds legend Ian Rush backed him to notch at least 20 before the campaign ends.

However, Rodgers is yet to discuss figures and tallies with the No.15, choosing instead to take a different tact.

"The way I've always worked with Daniel is I don't set him goal targets - I think he's a natural goalscorer," the manager told reporters gathered at Melwood.

"For me, the communication and the talk with Daniel is about him getting into areas and working hard.

"I think you've seen already this season the types of goals he can score, whether it be with his head, his left foot, his right foot, his pace or his power.

"I believe he's a natural goalscorer, it's just about him understanding his role in the team, with the ball and the intensity without the ball.

"I firmly believe, and I've said it before, he can be one of the top strikers in European football over the next two to three years as long as he continues to work hard."

Sturridge will get a chance to extend his goalscoring record of 20 in 26 Liverpool appearances when West Brom visit Anfield on Saturday.

Steve Clarke's side currently sit 12th in the league table; however, they've made something of a promising start to the current campaign.

A precious 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford came their way in September, before the Baggies went on to earn a 1-1 draw against league leaders Arsenal at the start of this month.

Rodgers is under no illusions as to the threat they will pose at the weekend. He continued: "It's a difficult game for us.

"West Brom have shown already this season they are a good side. They've been to Old Trafford and won, so they're a dangerous team and we know from our experience last year [in the two defeats against them] that they are a threat.

"We also know our home games are vital for us and that in the main, apart from one game [against Southampton], we've been excellent at home.

"Even though the difficulty of the game is high, we need to ensure that we get the three points.

"They've got some really good players. They have brought players into the club who are quality. Stephane Sessegnon is quality. The back four have been there for a while and they are solid.

"Their centre-halves have been in the league now for a few years and they work well together, their full-backs know how to defend and when to get forward. Their two central midfield players are strong and aggressive and can play simple and pass the ball.

"And obviously they have players in the attacking areas that can hurt you as well. So we know it's a difficult game, but it's no different to the rest of the games.

"At this level, whether it's home or away, it's a really difficult game and you've just got to find the solutions to get the points and perform well."

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With the Baggies taking points off United at Old Trafford - a feat repeated by Southampton last weekend - reporters asked Rodgers if he felt competition provided by sides occupying mid-table spots has increased significantly this season.

He responded: "I think that's how the Premier League is evolving. It was clear a number of years ago that you really only had your top teams and the rest were fighting to stay in the league.

"But you've got teams now that are spending a lot of money to bring in quality. Teams like Southampton have invested a lot of money and added to the quality players that they already had and they've made an excellent start.

"Teams like West Brom, who have been there now for a couple of seasons, have good players.

"They've all got talents and if you don't bring your A-game to the field and they do, then it's always going to be tough. So the idea is to bring your A-game to as many games as you possibly can and that's what we intend to do this weekend."

After eight games, the Reds have lost just once in the league, slipping to two draws on the road and picking up three points in each of the other five matches so far.

They sit two points behind table-toppers Arsenal in third place - but while the manager is satisfied with the early progress, he knows there's still plenty of work to do.

"We will always look to improve and endeavour to work hard to improve our performance levels," he said.

"The squad will evolve. If you look at Champions League level, and I was at the Bayern Munich v Manchester City game recently, we know we've got a bit of work to do. But it's about building here. That's the key.

"There's not going to be a quick fix. We've got to build towards that level so that it can be sustainable in the longer term.

"It's something that I will always feel. I think that the minute you're happy with what you've got, maybe that wee bit of complacency will set in. We all understand that we needed to improve. When I came in here, the club finished eighth in the Premier League and last year we were seventh.

"So we've still got huge strides to make, but I think it's pretty clear in the work that the players are putting in. We've had a few injuries this year as well and those players are returning.

"I think our game will continue to improve and alongside that the results will come."

One area the manager is keen to focus on over the coming weeks is set-pieces.

The Reds were undone by a free-kick during the 2-2 draw against Newcastle last week, after Crystal Palace snatched a consolation goal from a set-play during the 3-1 win at Anfield in the previous game.

Rodgers said: "It's just concentration. The ball that came into the box against Newcastle was quite a straightforward one into the area and we just didn't defend it well enough. We went to sleep a little bit.

"Against Crystal Palace, even though the game was over, it was still a goal from a set-piece that you shouldn't concede. But it's something that we've spoken about this week in terms of our defensive mentality.

"We started the season with three clean-sheets and we just need to get back to that mentality because we know that we can get goals."