You'll have plenty to celebrate when you subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Brendan Rodgers has praised the intelligence and versatility of Liverpool FC teenager Raheem Sterling ahead of Saturday's trip to Cardiff City.

The Reds boss has utilised the talents of the 19-year-old winger in a central role in recent weeks.

Sterling scored after coming off the bench against Southampton and he then shone in last weekend's 3-0 rout of Manchester United.

On both occasions he played at the tip of a midfield diamond and his contribution to the club's title challenge has delighted Rodgers.

“Raheem is a clever footballer,” Rodgers told the ECHO.

“For a young boy, tactically he's very good.

"That’s what we are trying to do, develop footballers, and it gives me more options. I think he could even play on the side of a diamond.

“When he starts in the centre he offers us penetration with his speed. For our first goal against United he played a really important part as he took the ball out of pressure, around Marouane Fellaini and then switched play to Jordan Henderson.

“For the second goal, he made a great penetrating run in behind from Glen Johnson’s pass.

“Raheem is intricate in tight spaces. We encourage players to play under pressure with players tight on them, and he can play with bodies around him.

“He’s maturing very well. We've seen we have options with him because of his tactical intelligence.”

Rodgers has repeatedly made tactical tweaks and altered formations this season in a bid to maximise the Reds' threat. He believes such changes have helped catch opponents by surprise.

“We have a really small squad so we have to find ways and solutions to win games,” he added. “One of the ways is to be really flexible with your tactics.

“The beauty of this team and how we are developing is we do have different ways to win.

“If teams sit deep, we can play through. We have the brightness and imagination around the box to score goals. If teams push on, we have the pace and penetration to get in behind them.

“What we are now doing is we are developing the team tactically.

“A diamond is a difficult formation to play - it’s very complex with the movement patterns and the pressure. But we've worked on it and how they have implemented it has been superb.

“We know we can go to 3-5-2. We've had some great games like West Brom at home when we played in that structure and looked good.

“Whatever the game demands, we have the flexibility to operate in the way required.”

No matter what formation is employed, Rodgers insists the team's principles remain unchanged from when he first took over.

“The system can change but the style will always be the same,” he said.

“Yes, we've had less possession this season compared to last season but the difference this year is we're leading games much quicker.

“The statistics show you that when you are winning in a game you have between 4% and 8% less of the ball.

“We are more clinical in our possession now. But if you look at the intensity of our game, nothing has changed.

“We construct the game from behind, we play quickly through the thirds and we want to attack and create goal scoring chances. We want that with tactical discipline.

“We had a move in the 88 minute against United which involved 56 passes. That’s why players like Wayne Rooney came off and it had been a real hard day for them because we kept the ball.”