LIVERPOOL -- Brendan Rodgers says there is no one better than him to manage Liverpool, despite acknowledging that they are likely to miss both of their targets for this season.
Reports have suggested that Jurgen Klopp is keen to take over at Anfield after announcing that he would be leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of the Bundesliga campaign. But Klopp himself has said the Premier League might not necessarily be his next port of call.
Rodgers retains the support of the Reds' American owners Fenway Sports Group despite the disappointment of losing last Sunday's FA Cup semifinal to Aston Villa at Wembley.
Liverpool's targets at the start of the season were to qualify for the Champions League -- by finishing in the Premier League top four -- and to win a trophy.
But even though their season is set to end in disappointment, Rodgers feels he is the right man to continue leading them.
He said: "I don't think there's anyone better. That's the reality of how I see it. Three months ago, I was a tactical genius and performing to a good level. We lost a couple of important games and suddenly you're not so good.
"But that is football. That's what'll happen. People will speculate. I feel the same now as I did back then. I never get too carried away if we win or overly disappointed when we lose because you have to look to the next game.
"I've a strong relationship with the owners. They understood when we spoke at the beginning that this was going to be a process.
"This isn't a group of ready-made players who were used to winning. I hadn't taken over a machine that had been winning trophies for 10 years. That's something that we're clear on. But of course we'll want to be better next year and improve on the performance level.
"We've missed out on one of our goals, which was to win a trophy. We went close, but not close enough. The other goal was to reach the top four. It's going to be difficult, but we have to be there and fighting right to the very end. So these games are very, very important for us. We'll be fighting right to the very last game."
Rodgers, who has yet to win a trophy in three seasons as Liverpool's manager, accepts that there will be speculation about his future.
He said: "When you're at a club like Liverpool, there'll be lots of names mentioned. In my time here alone, there have been lots of names mentioned.
"That's the mark of being at such a huge, well-respected club. This is a club that's known worldwide. There's absolutely no problem with that. It's something that happens all the time if you lose a couple of games.
"We've had former managers linked with the job here before, and that will continue or however long I'm here -- whether you're doing well, badly, or indifferently. There'll always be people linked with this job because it's such a great club."
Rodgers' side are fifth in the Premier League, seven points outside the top four with seven matches left, although they do have a game in hand on fourth-placed Manchester City.
The Reds visit West Brom on Saturday and Hull on Tuesday, with the manager seeking a strong finish to build momentum for next season.
He said: "It's important because we want to finish the season strongly. I always think if you finish the season strongly, then you can take the momentum into the following season."