Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has again stated the Reds will play an attacking brand of football next season but insisted he would not copy Barcelona's style.

The Northern Irishman is known for a possession-based approach, which he successfully deployed at former club Swansea City, and for which he attracted comparisons with the Catalans. However, the manager has said the style of football he is planning to implement at Anfield will complement the club's traditional approach and would be an original model.

"The way I want to play here is the Liverpool way. The history and tradition of this club has been about offensive football, attacking football - but always with discipline. The game will be based around what Liverpool are about, which is control, dominating games with the ball, working very hard when you haven't got the ball, and keeping the game as simple as possible," the club's official site quoted Rodgers as saying.

"Of course I'll bring in a certain philosophy which I'm attached to, but the principles of your game are based around the players. I suppose the Tiki-Taka football has come from Barcelona and that Spanish version. It probably came up with the players at Swansea, who referred to it a lot in our training and our work on having the ball and resting on the ball. It doesn't matter if it's Tiki-Taka football or possession football - the supporters and all of us want winning football. That's what the philosophy will be about," the manager stressed.

Rodgers will have his first big test as Liverpool boss when the Reds travel to the Hawthorns to take on West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of next season.

Meanwhile, big-spending Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala are interested in signing Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, reports the Daily Mail.

Manchester City, Juventus and AC Milan were earlier keeping tabs on the 27 year old but after Liverpool put a £20mn price tag on the centre-back, their interests have cooled. However, Anzhi have enough financial muscle to meet that valuation and bring the player back to Russia.

Skrtel joined the Reds from Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2007 and has made 119 league appearances so far, scoring five times.

Russia