Former Liverpool midfielder Patrick Berger has claimed that Brendan Rodgers will be starting the new season under pressure.

The club's hierarchy agreed to keep Rodgers at Anfield when reviewing a season which saw Liverpool finish sixth in the Premier League and crash out of the Champions League group stage.

Berger believes that a poor start to the campaign could force the club to make a tough decision as Liverpool look to challenge with the title contenders.

"He has to deliver this season and right from the start. If they find themselves behind the top teams right from the beginning then it is going to be tough for him to stay," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Star.

"The pressure is there on Rodgers because over the period he has been there he has spent a lot of money and he hasn't won anything.

"Last season was a big disappointment, not just result wise, but also the way they played."

Liverpool begin the season with a trip to Stoke City on August 8.