Crouch: Title gap is too wide

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Monday night's 2-2 draw against Aston Villa left Rafael Benitez's side 14 points adrift of leaders Manchester United and 10 points behind third-placed Chelsea.

And Crouch said: "With the squad we have at Liverpool, the gap to the top three is certainly too far. We felt before the season we would mount a serious challenge, but that doesn't appear to be the case now,"

He added: "We've fallen a long way behind and, like Stevie (Gerrard) said, it's not good enough. There's enough talent in the dressing room.

"We've got a good set of players here. Whether it's good enough to win the title, I don't know, but we certainly should be doing better than the position we are in right now."

Crouch has found it difficult to break into Benitez's first team since the arrival of Fernando Torres in the summer but struck in the 88th minute to earn his side a point against Villa.

The England forward, who is attracting interest from former club Portsmouth in the transfer window, now believes the club's main target is to maintain their place in the top four.

And he wants the players to achieve that aim despite the off-field speculation regarding a possible takeover bid from Dubai International Capital and uncertainty over Benitez's future.

"It's nothing to do with the players. We've just got to concentrate on the job out on the pitch and we're still positive in the dressing room," said Crouch.

"First and foremost now we have to cement a Champions League spot for next year, that's the minimum and that's what we have got to strive for."