Former Liverpool winger John Barnes has suggested that the team are only good enough to finish fourth, and that they could have achieved that target with Brendan Rodgers in charge.

Rodgers was sacked by Liverpool earlier today after three years in charge at the club, but Barnes believes that the team's players are not good enough to win titles, and that Rodgers was unlucky to lose his job.

"If you look at the players Liverpool have, they're very good, honest, hardworking players but we haven't got strength in terms of the quality," Barnes told talkSPORT.

"A new manager coming in now with the harmony, with the expectation, and the positivity behind them can possibly do better [than Brendan Rodgers], but in terms of thinking this Liverpool team have the quality to be first, second or third, quite frankly, is crazy.

"I think Liverpool can target finishing between fourth and sixth, which is where we really should be. I still believe even with Brendan Rodgers we could have challenged for that and I still believe we will."

Liverpool will take on Tottenham Hotspur in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday, October 17.