'Show them what it's all about'
Joe Cole has urged his Liverpool teammates to show Aston Villa's young side exactly what it means to play at Anfield by turning in a commanding performance when the sides clash on Saturday.
Victory for the Reds would make it three wins on the bounce in the Barclays Premier League - a feat the club last achieved back in May 2011.
Villa started the season slowly; however, a recent run of solid results in the league, driven by their youthful set-up and a switch to a 3-5-2 formation, has made them a difficult side to face.
"They have a young side and they'll have no fear coming to Anfield," Cole explained to Liverpoolfc.com.
"It might be the first time for a lot of them. So we have to make sure from the off that they know what it's all about when you come and play here. We need to get in their faces and press high.
"To make your home a fortress, you need to play on the front foot, so you need your defence to be on their game. We have been trying to press high and a couple of our goals against Wigan came from pressure high up the field.
"Villa have [Christian] Benteke up front, who is a real talent. There's a lot of energy in the team and plenty of youngsters - they're a good team who will want to do well. It's going to be a really tough game. They've recently gone to 3-5-2 and they may play that at Anfield.
"We've played that formation in a few games and it's worked well for us. It's a system that the Italians have brought back into favour and it does make you solid defensively. So I think it might be a game in which we need patience to break them down. It's a game that we have to win."
Cole returned from a successful loan spell with French outfit Lille in time for the Reds' pre-season tour of North America.
He was introduced as a second-half substitute against West Brom on the opening day of the Reds' 2012-13 season but was forced to withdraw after nine minutes with a hamstring problem.
And after returning from absence in late October, the midfielder looks to have found his goalscoring form again, netting against Young Boys and West Ham - and he wants to thank the fans for their support.
"What is an amazing boost for me is that I get the feeling from everyone that they really want me to do well, which is really nice and touching," he insisted.
"The people have been great with me and when I play at Anfield, people want me to do well and that's brilliant. I've always been highly motivated but you want to go out there and do your best every game.
"If I just keep working, hit the back of the net a few more times and help us get the points we need then that'll be great.
"The last two games I've played, I've scored in, and so I'm brimming with confidence now. It was great to go back to my old stomping ground and see a lot of old faces. We showed a lot of character to win the game after going behind.
"Hopefully I'll get the nod at the weekend and we can get another good win. I'm happy to be part of it and take it game by game."
Fancy picking up some FREE Warrior goodies, eating a few mince pies, enjoying a Christmas choir, taking part in a reindeer rodeo and playing footy on an inflatable pitch? Head to Anfield's Family Park pre-match today!