Johnson: Now let's climb the table
Glen Johnson is eager for Liverpool to build on back-to-back wins in the Barclays Premier League and start to scale the table by making home advantage count in their two upcoming fixtures.
Johnson was the Reds' stand-out player and struck a goal-of-the-season contender from the edge of Jussi Jaaskelainen's penalty area in a thrilling 3-2 victory over West Ham at Upton Park on Sunday.
And the full-back is determined to close the four-point gap on the Champions League spots by claiming two more victories against Aston Villa and then Fulham at Anfield.
"It's important to get back-to-back wins," he told the Liverpool Echo. "We've probably played a lot better than our points total suggests this season, but it's great to now have two wins on the bounce.
"We've got a week now to prepare for the next game, and we have a couple of home games to come, so we can really try and push on and climb up the league.
"It's a tight league. Anyone can beat anyone these days, so you have to be on top of your game no matter who you are playing. That's why it is one of the best leagues in the world. No-one can guess what is going to happen."
The main talking point prior to kick-off in Sunday's game was the absence of Luis Suarez due to suspension; however, Jonjo Shelvey stepped up to fill the Uruguayan's boots and turned in an impressive performance in the forward role.
"Any team is going to miss Luis Suarez," said Johnson. "But we have players here who can step in and do a job. The players and the staff have never thought that we are a one-man team.
"We play the way we play, with or without Luis. I thought Jonjo did fantastically well on Sunday. He got into a few good positions, and grew into the role.
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"I think at the start it was a bit unusual for him, but he found his feet and I thought he did very well.
"That's what you have to do these days. You have to be willing to play in other positions, and do a job for the team when they need you to. It's a long season, and throughout the year you're going to get injuries and suspensions.
"And you might have to play in positions you're not used to, but that's fine. There are not many players that can only play in one position these days."