Rodgers reflects on 'wonderful occasion'

Having kicked off their 2013 summer tour with a rapturous reception in Indonesia, an equally incredible atmosphere was generated in Melbourne yesterday as the Reds downed local outfit Melbourne Victory 2-0.

The manager has talked on almost a daily basis of the deep impression the current tour is making on the staff and players, a sentiment Rodgers stressed once more as the team prepared to move on to Thailand.

"We're talking over 80,000 in Jakarta and 95,000 here, and we're only on tour - it's absolutely incredible," the boss told LFC TV immediately after the win against Victory.

"But again it's another demonstration of the huge appeal of Liverpool and the status of the football club. Great credit to the people of Melbourne and the people of Australia because I know many have flown in from various parts of the country to be here."

Reflecting specifically on the breathtaking rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' pre-match, Rodgers added: "To sing like that in the most iconic stadium in Australia and one of the best in the world, it was a really emotional start to the game."

Wednesday's triumph was the Reds' third in three pre-season fixtures to date, without conceding a goal in the process. The Northern Irishman has been suitably impressed with the efforts of his squad.

"I was pleased with the performance," he continued. "I think you've got to give big credit to Melbourne Victory, they're obviously the top team in Australia and they've been back for seven to eight weeks in their pre-season.

"They're a very good side, very well coached. The manager's very much along the same lines as myself in terms of philosophy - he wants to play and dominate the ball.

"I was really pleased with our performance tonight. We had to be patient because their defence was really solid and we had to wait for our moments to break them down and we showed that patience in the first goal.

"Tactically, we had to absorb a wee bit of pressure with them having the ball, but then we broke away and scored a wonderful goal to go 1-0 up and I thought from there we controlled the game reasonably well.

"Obviously a change midway through the second half sometimes can unbalance the team but all the players have been great and I thought defensively we were really solid and pressed the game well at the right times.

"So overall, a wonderful occasion - 95,500 people, it's a night that a lot of players at this club won't forget in a hurry."

Teenagers Jordon Ibe and Raheem Sterling were rewarded for their summer form with starts at the MCG, while Andre Wisdom partnered Martin Skrtel at central defence - and all three caught the eye of the boss once again.

Rodgers said: "If you look towards the back, you've got Andre Wisdom, who's becoming a really assured young player within the squad. He'll have a big future, I'm sure, at Liverpool.

"We're just educating him on a couple of positions but he's got a lot of tools to be a really good player in the future.

"Jordon Ibe, at 17 years of age, I've been really impressed with his football intelligence and his willingness to go on a one-on-one in the duel.

"His pace is phenomenal, like an Olympic sprinter. But he's great with the ball and his tactical understanding of the game is improving all the time.

"Young Raheem has been about so people know what he can do and what he's like.

"Overall, I've been really pleased with a lot of the players but it's always nice when you can put boys of 17, 18 and 19 into an environment like that in front of 95,500 and they can play and perform like they did."

The Liverpool squad will now depart for the final leg of their summer tour, in Bangkok, on Thursday and the manager's anticipation levels are showing no signs of decreasing.

"If it's anything like what Indonesia and Melbourne have been like then it's going to be a phenomenal finish to it," the 40-year-old concluded.

"The players have been working really well - obviously we'll recover tonight, we'll go for a meal. We'll be away first thing in the morning.

"We'll fly over there, recover, and then we'll get ready for our game at the weekend. And again, another beautiful country that we're travelling to and I'm sure the supporters out there will come to see us."