In this week's Talking Reds, Simon Steers analyses Liverpool's growth this season.

As the title race reaches a pulsating conclusion, the different approaches of the title rivals draw an interesting comparison. Both Manchester City and Chelsea have built strong squads over a period of time with a great deal of investment. Liverpool have taken a different journey, and it has largely been growth from within the club that has taken it from seventh place to title contenders in just one season.

Finance does play a dominating role in a football club's ability to compete, but the factor that many people seem to forget sometimes is that time is as important as money, and that is something Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool are proving this season.

Liverpool's growth this season has come from three key areas.

The manager

When he arrived at the club, Brendan Rodgers was a young manager with a great philosophy and ideas on the game, but he had little experience at the very top of the game. John Henry was able to look beyond that potential and saw all of the attributes that could make Rodgers a great manager. This season, he has been rewarded in that faith.

The growth of Brendan Rodgers this season has been meteoric. One of the great things about Rodgers is he is willing to listen and learn, he has taken something from each setback on his development journey at Liverpool and used it to help shape his future decisions. He is a manager that listens to his players and his staff; he uses the knowledge around him. That is the sign of a great leader.

One of the keys to our success this season has been a change in mentality. There have been times where the players and the club have looked weighed down by a glorious history, but not this season. Rodgers has everyone at the club looking forward - he has overseen a subtle cultural change, assisted by the likes of sports psychologist, Professor Steve Peters, who has a world-class track record of helping elite athletes reach top performance.

Brendan Rodgers has grown in stature and in authority. He isn't intimidated by any rival; he is firm in his belief that Liverpool can beat anyone. The growth of Rodgers this season has been one of the catalysts behind our title challenge.

The players

Every single player has at some stage contributed to our season. It is the growth of the players that were already at the club like Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and even Luis Suarez that have had the biggest impact. It is a testament to the coaching abilities of Brendan Rodgers that the squad has improved both individually and collectively under his guidance.

But the players also have to take a great deal of credit. To improve, you need to have the desire to improve, and the players have responded to the challenge. There is so much hunger in this Liverpool squad, there isn't a player that isn't striving to be the very best they can be. That collective desire has driven us on to a different level.

One of the qualities of this Liverpool team is that they are a team in every sense of the word. There is individual brilliance, but it is the power of the collective that is the driving force behind our success. The players trust each other, they trust the manager, and they have a complete understanding of the roles they have on the pitch.

That isn't to say that we are perfect yet (that will come), we have sacrificed some balance and defensive solidity for one of the most exciting, offensive styles in Europe. But football is rarely perfect, and it is goals that win games, and with our attack, we go into any game confident we will outscore the opposition.

This season what we have done brilliantly is look inwards and ask - what can we do to get the very best out of the players we have? Rodgers and his team have done an outstanding job at growing this team from within.

The club

It isn't just on the pitch that we have grown; it is off it as well. There has been a subtle revolution going on behind the scenes, as the club has been working hard to improve its commercial operations. We have seen new partnerships with Dunkin' Donuts and Garuda Indonesia airlines.

We are following a similar journey to the Boston Red Sox off the field, who have won three World Series titles in 10 years under the ownership of FSG. The growth of our club off the pitch has a direct correlation with our growth on it, so our commercial success is an important factor in our future. Our commercial team deserve great credit for making a significant contribution to the club's bottom line.

We have also seen the club visit the US, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia in the last two years. The passion of the supporters across the world has been incredible to watch. Growth isn't just about being financially competitive; it is also about being one of the best supported clubs in the world. There is a real sense of a sleeping giant awakening, watching 'You'll Never Walk Alone' from the MCG in Australia was a potent reminder of just how big this football club is and can be on the world stage.

Daring to dream

Perhaps the biggest indicator of growth from within at Liverpool comes from supporters, who are 'daring to dream' again with Rodgers and his Liverpool side.

It has been over 20 years since Liverpool last won the league title, but there is now a sense that even if we don't quite get over the finishing line this year, the wait for a first Premier League title isn't far away.

What Rodgers has done is made the club (players and supporters) fearless. Nobody is afraid of failure, because the direction we are heading in sets a clear signpost that success isn't far away. We have a manager and players that are giving absolutely everything to the cause, and the quality of football is an absolute joy to behold.

Everybody at the club is pulling in the right direction. It may be Rodgers that is leading the charge, but the club's owners have laid the foundations, and it is that collective vision for success that is providing us with the opportunity to dare to dream.

Earlier this year the Boston Red Sox won the World Series against the odds; if Liverpool can follow suit, it will be great for the game of football.

Growth from within has been our journey, and it's a reminder that vision, time and patience can take you a long way.

Follow the author @sisteers and read more of his work at tomkinstimes.com.