Rodgers: Go out and make a statement
Brendan Rodgers insists his Liverpool side have the confidence and belief to lay down a marker against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane this afternoon.
The Reds go into the clash brimming with confidence on the back of two comprehensive Anfield victories over Norwich City and West Ham United last week.
However, the last time Liverpool won away to Spurs was May 2008 - and, since that date, the visitors have slipped to six successive losses in all competitions at the Lane.
Andre Villas-Boas' side sit a place and three points behind the Reds, but Rodgers believes a statement can be made with a self-assured display in today's afternoon kick-off.
The boss told Liverpoolfc.com: "We'll go there with great confidence knowing that we can hurt the opponent.
"But we also respect Tottenham and know that they are a good side, who will want to win their home games just as we do.
"There's still a way to go, but it certainly would be a good victory for us. We know we can win. We've shown throughout this calendar year that we are a team who can win games and can score goals.
"I'm confident that we can win these games. We should have won a number of these games last year. So that's where we'll see the progress in the group.
"But what I also know is that this team always gives their best. This is a really honest group. After the Hull game, the players came away and reflected that it wasn't good enough for what we have been doing.
"And then to go and put in two performances like they did at Anfield [against Norwich and West Ham], showed the mentality of the team and that's something we'll look to carry into these coming games.
"We've got five tough games, but our focus is on the Tottenham match and none more than that. For us, it's just throwing everything into our concentration and our focus.
"We're coming off the back of two good results and two very good performances and we'll go to White Hart Lane in real confidence that we can get a result."
Luis Suarez will lead the Liverpool line as they go in search of a third consecutive victory - and the Uruguayan was singled out for praise by Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas prior to the match.
Likewise, Rodgers was pressed for his thoughts on Roberto Soldado, who made a high-profile switch to England in the summer and notched a hat-trick in Tottenham's 4-1 Europa League win over Anzhi Makhachkala earlier in the week.
"He's a player I have admired or a long time," said the manager. "I saw him at Real Madrid when he was younger and he's a top player.
"Tottenham spent a lot of money on bringing him in and he is an outstanding player. But even a player of that quality can take a bit of time to settle in.
"He benefits in and around the box. He scores with plenty of one-touch finishes. His movement is good to get across defenders and I think he's a really good player. He got his hat-trick this week, so that will give him confidence."
