ROY HODGSON has warned there is no quick fix to Liverpool’s worrying start to the season as he prepared to ring the changes in Europe once again this evening.

The Anfield outfit came in for some strong criticism after their stuttering start to the Premier League campaign continued with a dismal goalless draw at Birmingham City last Sunday.

It kept Hodgson’s side in the bottom half of the embryonic league table with just five points from four games, already seven points adrift of leaders Chelsea.

Hodgson will rotate his resources when his side begin their Europa League Group K campaign by hosting Romanian side Steaua Bucharest this evening. And the Liverpool manager admits it will take time to impose his philosophy during a “transitional” period for a new-look squad.

When asked when he believes the team will be at optimum form, Hodgson said: “I don’t know. I’m not unhappy with what the players have done. They are working very hard and trying hard to do the right things.

“We’ll get better but I’m not prepared to set a timescale. We need to be more creative, we need to be better defensively, we need to be better at set plays. We need to be better at all the things we work at. We do as much as we can in training. But it is still a newish team and it will take some time before we can sit back and say we are firing on all cylinders. I am only confirming that of course it is a time of transition, which is always a difficult period. Every transition is difficult, even if there are no changes in the club itself.”

Hodgson added: “I came from a team where I had been for two-and-a-half years with the same team, same players and same ideas and same philosophy. Now I am at a team where I am trying to put a team together and put together a philosophy.

“Everything is new all the time and every training session and match is a learning curve and I will learn from those things. I have a very good, receptive group of players with talent. All of these games are important steps towards becoming a better team.”