'Formation and youth makes Villa tough'
Brendan Rodgers has warned of the threat a rejuvenated Aston Villa will pose when they arrive at Anfield on Saturday aiming to prevent Liverpool from making it three wins on the trot in the Barclays Premier League.
Villa experienced a difficult start to the 2012-13 season; however, a recent run of solid results in the league has added a sense of stability that defies their precarious position in the table - level on points with 18th-placed Wigan.
An injection of youth into their side, coupled with the switch to a more unconventional 3-5-2 formation, has made Paul Lambert's men difficult opposition and they go into Saturday's clash on the back of a four-game unbeaten run in the league.
"Paul's an outstanding manager," Rodgers told reporters gathered at Melwood. "We talk from time to time. We shared the experience of playing in the Championship and then coming through into the Premier League and he'll do a terrific job there.
"It's never easy in those first six months, whatever club you are going into - especially if you are looking to make changes and establish a culture which you want to put in place.
"I think you see now he is starting to give young players the opportunity in his team and what he'll get from them is that energy and commitment. They've changed their formation in the last few weeks and that has made them that wee bit more solid.
"One thing is for sure - we know it will be a tough game for us and the longer Paul is there, the more he'll be able to implement his ideas and his way of working. You'll see Aston Villa grow over the next couple of seasons."
Meanwhile, the manager was able to reflect with a degree of satisfaction upon the Reds' recent form and the way his players have been able to turn match-winning performances into results.
Back-to-back wins were secured when James Collins put through his own net in the game against West Ham at Upton Park - and Rodgers believes his team demonstrated great character to fight back from behind late in the game.
He said: "I've sat here on many occasions this season and talked about our performance levels and how we weren't quite getting the results our performances have deserved.
"We were drawing a lot of games. But the concentration and focus of the players has been brilliant. Their belief is increasing all the time and last week was another watershed moment for us.
"At 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining, we could have felt sorry for ourselves, having had a hard week in terms of travel and the European game. But I saw in the players then what I see every week here, which is the ability to dig deep and show persistence and honesty. They eventually got the result which was great.
"We're making steady progress and that's important for us."
One of the Reds' stand-out players on the day was Joe Cole, who took to the field as a first-half replacement for Jose Enrique.
Cole pulled the Reds level after a fine through ball from Raheem Sterling slid into his path and the 31-year-old notched his second goal in three games for the side by coolly finishing in front of the travelling Kop.
"It was important for Joe to contribute," insisted Rodgers. "This season has been difficult for him because he has been injured for the majority of it.
"Joe's game is very simple: it's about goals, assists, interceptions and tackles. And in that period when he came on [against West Ham], particularly in the second half, he did all of those things. He was working and fighting for the team.
"As a forward player, you have got to be looking to score goals and create goals and he scored a terrific goal. Joe's a good guy, a good man who works very hard at his game and when the opportunities come, he really wants to take those opportunities and be effective for the team.
"That's the challenge for all the players [to take their opportunities]. It's no different for Joe. The biggest thing for me here is the commitment to the cause. All the players here are really working and fighting.
"The level of performance and the nature of our game has been very good. So it's a challenge for us all. We all want to improve and we'll keep rising up the table.
"Our confidence level is high and playing at home is a good thing for us now, so we're looking forward to the game against Villa."