Steven Gerrard insists Liverpool must launch a genuine title challenge next season after admitting the club was not good enough this year.

Gerrard is set to lead the club into a second Champions League final in three years against AC Milan on May 23rd but despite their continued good form in Europe, the England midfielder wants to see a sharp improvement in Liverpool's league fortunes.

Rafael Benitez's side finished third behind champions Manchester United and runners-up Chelsea, but the points difference was 21 and 15 respectively - a gap the 26-year-old finds unacceptable.

He said: "We can't escape the fact that, in the league, this season we haven't been good enough. You ask the manager, or me, or indeed any of the players in our dressing room and they will all say exactly the same thing.

"We had bigger ambitions for this season than the Champions League. We always had one eye on Europe because it is so prestigious and a tournament that has always served us well, but we also wanted the league flag flying back at Anfield and felt we were in a good position to have a real go."

Now Gerrard hopes the money made available by new owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett can help Benitez make the final improvements needed to claim a first title since 1990.

"The league is always your bread and butter as a Liverpool player and we're not far away," he added. "With investment in the summer, and the squad here staying together we can promise to push Chelsea and United all the way next year."