Gini Wijnaldum believes Liverpool can vie for this season’s Premier League title.
The midfielder scored in a final day win over Middlesbrough that ensured Jurgen Klopp’s side qualified for Champions League football for the first time since 2014.
Wijnaldum’s debut season also saw the Reds challenging eventual champions Chelsea at the midway point only to be undone by inconsistent performances.
But the Holland international believes that a more sustained bid for this year’s title can be staged in a bid to end Anfield’s 27-year domestic drought.
However Wijnaldum also warned that Liverpool must emulate aspects of Chelsea’s title-winning ethos to avoid a repeat of last season’s shortfall.
He said: “We know we must read the games better. You don’t always have to win beautiful. Chelsea is a good example.
“Last season, they were the best team. They knew what they had to do. That’s what we needed to do. We must make sure we learn from the past and do it this season.
“I won’t say we can immediately win the title, but I think we have a squad that can compete for it. I’m confident we will not make the same mistakes like last season.
“You do it as a team and not as an individual. I have the trust and confidence. It’s not only me, the whole team must have the confidence.
“A lot of people said that when a team parks the bus, we don’t have a lot of solutions.
“We worked on it in training, when one team was parking the bus, the other team was still finding solutions.
“If you have confidence, then you will find solutions, even if a team drops really deep.”