Boss on Skrtel, Swansea and PL prize

The boss was named Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month on Friday after masterminding three consecutive victories for his side to kick off the 2013-14 campaign.

Daniel Sturridge was collecting a personal accolade too, having been voted Player of the Month in the division following five goals in four matches in all competitions so far this season.

"I was very honoured, but I didn't receive it on my own," Rodgers told journalists at Melwood.

"It's very much a collective effort here; the players have been outstanding since they came back on the first day of pre-season. They have maintained their mentality very quickly from last year.

"Right the way through pre-season and into the beginning of the season they have been outstanding. It was very much them that have allowed me to get the award.

"The other group of people is our staff here - not just at Melwood but throughout the club. There's very much a one-club mentality and Liverpool is a very powerful club when it's like that.

"It's a good start and the players and all the staff deserve the credit for it."

Sturridge has enjoyed a prolonged purple patch since becoming a Liverpool player in January, firing a total of 16 goals in 20 appearances for the club - much to his credit, according to the boss.

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The Northern Irishman added: "You never know how it's going to go but I felt if you gave him an opportunity, he's shown in his career when given an opportunity that he's a natural goalscorer.

"He's 24 years of age, he's got all the things to his game that can lead him to being a top striker. Since coming here, he's had that confidence that he's going to play.

"We work on him on a daily basis on and off the field to make him the best that he can be.

"It's also a big credit to him because he has committed himself to the challenges of playing and being one of the leading strikers at one of the biggest clubs in the world, which isn't easy.

"To get a return of 16 goals in 20 games, as a striker that's what you have to do now. It's not so much about one in two; standards are set throughout European football and if you want to be a top striker, you have to get into the goals.

"He's a natural goalscorer and he's working hard at his game to add to it. I'm not surprised but it's always pleasant when they come in and do so well. He just needs to keep it going."

Rodgers' team travel to Wales on Monday evening to take on his former club, Swansea City, and the manager is well aware of the necessity for focus and concentration at the Liberty Stadium.

"It's a club that I'm sure will again be vying for a top-10 spot," he said of Swansea.

"They have got a tough week ahead of them - a game on Monday against ourselves, Valencia in the Europa League and then a game on Sunday. But that's why they have built their squad.

"Every game there, and I know from being the manager there for a couple of years, you never have an easy game at the Liberty Stadium.

"We've jumped three barriers already this season that were tough games; how we've done in those games bears no resemblance to the game on Monday.

"We have to approach the game with the same vigilance as we have done in those games. It will be a tough game but we've got belief and confidence.

"It's important to maintain that. We have to be vigilant now. It has been a good start but we can be better.

"We've shown in all three of our games at certain stages, the qualities that we want from our team. The quality of our football has been good in parts.

"That sort of commitment and passion and desire to win games and resilience has been there. That's something that we need to consistently do and something we have shown since January. It's just more of the same and we've got to keep it going.

"It won't be an exhibition: two teams that want to play but two teams that will want to win. We know we have got the capacity now to play in different ways.

"We haven't always been at our best throughout the 90 minutes of games this season, but we certainly have resilience and a way to win games other than just playing football. In this league, it is so tough, you need that."

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Despite an enforced change at the heart of his defence against Manchester United due to Kolo Toure's injury, Rodgers' charges recorded a third consecutive league clean sheet.

Much of that achievement can be attributed to Martin Skrtel, who produced an 'absolutely brilliant' performance on his return to the first-team fold in the boss' opinion.

The 40-year-old said: "I thought he was outstanding, he was absolutely brilliant in that game. And he's done very well away with Slovakia as well.

"It was hard on him at the beginning of the season, like last January when I made the change, I just felt that we needed experience in there.

"Kolo came in and did really well in the games that he played. But I've got no doubts about Martin Skrtel, he's a very good player and the competition will help him.

"I think that has been part of the problem here; players that have been comfortable and never really had competition.

"With Kolo going out and him going in, it is incredible credit to him for how professional he has been. He has never moaned once despite lots of speculation about him going here, there and everywhere.

"He and I have spoken a number of times, he knows where he has been at - he has never moaned or groaned. He has just got on with his work, done extra work so when that time came he was going to be ready.

"He was absolutely brilliant against Manchester United. It doesn't give me a problem, it just gives me a nice problem to think about. That's my job as the manager."