Reds can end 19-year wait for title glory: Lee

Liverpool’s new assistant manager Sammy Lee on Sunday said the Anfield outfit can outshine their Premier League rivals and end the club’s 19-year wait for title glory.

“There are three very good teams,” Lee told the club’s website. “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.”

Last season Liverpool came fourth in England’s top flight behind champions Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

“I feel we are going in the right way. I feel with just a little bit of tweaking here and there we will not be far off,” said Lee, who returned to the club in May as Rafael Benitez’s second in charge.

“Only time will tell, but everyone is striving and working hard to try and make sure we can close that gap and overhaul it.”

As a player Lee enjoyed nine fruitful years at Anfield, making almost 300 first-team appearances and scoring 19 goals as the club won three first division titles and two European Cups in the early 1980s.

After finishing his career at Bolton Wanderers, Lee was invited to join the Liverpool coaching staff by manager Graeme Souness in 1993, going on to help Gerard Houllier steer the club to a Premier League runners-up spot in 2002.

He joined Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England national team set-up on a full-time basis in 2004 and was appointed Sam Allardyce’s assistant at Bolton in 2005.

“The attention to detail of Rafa and his staff is fantastic,” said Lee of his new boss and his backroom team.

“It’s a joy to watch. They look at every facet of every player and work out how they can maximise and get the best out of every player. That for me is an education.

“All the top men have their own ideas, but the best ones are also prepared to listen to other ideas and decide how much of that input they want to implement.”