Brendan Rodgers Criticises Liverpool Pitch, Hails Emre Can and Jordan Henderson

Liverpool may be cruising through their Premier League schedule right now, but manager Brendan Rodgers believes Anfield's bad pitch is stopping his young squad from doing even better.

As reported by ESPN, the Northern Irishman claimed the Reds' home advantage is being wasted by a poor pitch that doesn't fit their particular brand of fast, free-flowing football:

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You can see the excitement we are creating when we go forward and it is not being helped by our pitch, which is not the best. We need to do something about the pitch because we need a better pitch if we are going to play the game we are playing.

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This isn't the first time Rodgers has spoken out over the state of Anfield's pitch, and he even refused to train on it ahead of the pivotal encounter with Manchester City less than two weeks ago, via the Daily Mail's Dominic King:

He also took the time to praise Besiktas' large, open pitch before their Europa League encounter:

After a rough start to the season, Liverpool have found their footing in the past few months. The Reds have suffered just one domestic defeat since December and sit just two points outside of the Premier League's top four, battling it out for one of the Champions League tickets.

The club's younger players have played a big part in that resurgence, and Emre Can has been no exception. The German youngster has played both in midfield and as a member of the back three so far, and Rodgers thinks the early signs point to a massive future for the summer arrival:

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He is an incredible player. I look at him and I think you give him another couple of years and he could play in any team in world football -- that's how highly I rate him.

He has played in midfield, he has played wide, he's played as one of three central-defenders and he is on the way to becoming a world class talent.

He is still young and adapting to the British game and his performance was exceptional. A total footballer can play anywhere on the field and he is so quick and strong.

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The 21-year-old wasn't the only player showered with compliments this week—midfielder Jordan Henderson was next in line, per the Daily Mirror's David Maddock:

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I think Jordan is improving all the time. As he matures even more tactically, he'll become even better. He's always had athleticism and tactically he's improving all the time.

Technically, you see his qualities. His passing is improving. And he's becoming one of the real leaders of this young team. It was a wonderful performance by him and the team in general.

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Henderson is enjoying a fine season for the Reds, functioning as one of the squad's top playmakers in midfield and doing plenty of dirty work ahead of the back line. His emergence has certainly softened the blow of Steven Gerrard's impending departure.

Even Queens Parks Rangers' Joey Barton got a little carried away when the England international scored a stunning goal against Manchester City:

Regardless, it's safe to say the Reds' future looks as bright as ever. When Rodgers invested heavily in younger players following the departure of Luis Suarez during the summer, it immediately became clear this new Liverpool side would be a long-term project.

Said project is starting to show results well ahead of schedule, however, and the two contributors highlighted by the manager are hardly the only players who look like future stars. The sky may be the limit once Rodgers gets the pitch he so desperately desires.

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