A counter-attacking approach saw the Anfield side score 101 goals in the Premier League last season, but attracted criticism after the team conceded 50 times

Brendan Rodgers has pledged there will be no compromise over Liverpool’s style of play next season.

Rodgers led the Merseyside club to within touching distance of their first top-flight title in 24 years last season, as they finished two points behind champions Manchester City.

Liverpool scored 101 goals but conceded 50 times – 13 more than City – which led to Liverpool facing criticism from some quarters over their apparent weaknesses at the back.

Rodgers employed a number of different formations and tactical tweaks in the second half of last season, but he insisted this merely showed his squad’s flexibility as opposed to any change to his ideology.

“The style has evolved from the first day I came in, and it’s continuing,” Rodgers told the club’s official website.

“We can make passes – if we sit deep, we can play on the counter-attack; we can sit on a low block or we can press high.

“There’s a real flexibility now and it’s a huge credit to the players that we can now flip from formation to formation. The style doesn’t change, but the system does.

“What has been interesting is people talking about me moving away from some of the principles that I’ve always worked with – it couldn’t be further from the truth.

“What we have shown is that we are now better equipped – we can have a variety in our game.

“As time has gone on, we’ve added penetration – it’s much better. We’re much quicker with our passing, the speed of our game is better and obviously we’ve got quality at the top end of the field.

“Players are now flooding forward looking to score goals, as opposed to the idea of just keeping the ball – because that’s no good on its own.”