Rodgers: We must maintain fans' pride

Rightly so, too - the Northern Irishman has overseen a campaign in which the Reds have arguably been the most entertaining side to watch in the Barclays Premier League, plundering 66 goals.

Rodgers has developed a fluid attacking system to maximise the creative talents available in his squad, with strike partners Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez the regular beneficiaries up front.

As they prepare to host Swansea City at Anfield on Sunday, the boss' charges are fully established in the league's top four, holding a three-point advantage over closest rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

In addition to maintaining, or strengthening, that lead by beating his former club, Rodgers is determined to also send Kopites home with a familiar sensation of positivity coursing through their veins.

He told Liverpoolfc.com: "What is nice is that they feel proud of their team. I obviously meet a lot of supporters and speak to them - they are complimentary of the work the players are putting in.

"We just need to keep doing them proud. Their support is so important for us, home and away. We hope to keep them positive. They are watching an exciting brand of football - a positive way of working and playing - and from what I hear they are enjoying it. We've just got to keep that going.

"We go into every game now and it's vital for us, in order to be where we want to be. We've been outstanding now for over a year and we just aim to keep that going.

"Our way of doing that is just to focus on the next game. We've got many big challenges ahead and still an awful lot of work to do to arrive where we want. We've got confidence in the group, belief in how we're working and we've got hunger to succeed. We'll look to bring that into every game."

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A glance at the standings shows today's Welsh opponents firmly in mid-table with two-thirds of the campaign completed, and the Swans remain in continental contention through the Europa League.

Now under the stewardship of Garry Monk, who replaced previous incumbent Michael Laudrup earlier this month, the visitors drew 0-0 in the first leg of their knockout tie with Napoli on Thursday.

Naturally, Rodgers was an interested observer; he reflected: "It will gain them confidence. It was an excellent performance, they were clearly the better team and should have won the game. Obviously the 'keeper made good saves.

"Of course, it's a tough game - they'll have to recover now for a couple of days. We've had that experience as well, where you play on the Thursday, recover and then come into your Sunday game. Coming to Anfield, one of the most iconic grounds in the world, will give them that boost.

"It will be a tough game for us. Garry has taken over for the last three games and looks like he's galvanised the group. They are back to pressing the ball well, their positioning on the field is good and possession is good. It'll prove to be a tough game for us, I'm sure."

Liverpool will welcome full-back Glen Johnson to the matchday squad for Swansea's visit, following an enforced period on the sidelines for the England international during the past month.

Having confirmed the 29-year-old's comeback at his pre-match press conference on Friday, the manager expanded on the reasons for the No.2's absence and the high level of his fitness now.

Rodgers commented: "We are looking fine - we've got Glen Johnson back into the squad after being out for a while. That's great news for us. He's feeling much, much better; in his own words, he feels as well as he has done for a long time. It's good for him to be back.

"He had played all season, in fairness to him, with a number of injuries and a number of little niggles. He could just never get up to the level that he wanted to. But he was putting himself out there for the team.

"It got to the point where he wasn't overly keen in terms of how his fitness was, and we needed to respect that because he's been an outstanding player here for Liverpool and for his country for a number of years.

"It was in our best interests to ensure that we got him fit. It was an indefinite period because it just needed time to clear up, but now his ankle has cleared up and around his groin. He's in a really good moment."

Teammates Jose Enrique, Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho must wait longer to complete their respective returns to action, however. Once again, the boss provided the latest update directly from Melwood.

"Jose was in America still getting specialist opinions on his knee," said the 41-year-old. "Hopefully he'll come back within the next week or so and be much closer to where we would want him to be.

"Lucas is training really well, obviously not near to playing yet but he's working very hard on the field. So he is progressing each day.

"Sakho is probably a week or so away; again, he's out on the field. He just had a problem with a tendon at the top of his hamstring, but that looks like it's getting better and he's working his way back to fitness."