Rodgers: Sterling and co have no fear
Brendan Rodgers believes the performance of Raheem Sterling during the 4-0 dismantling of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday typified the balance of talent available to the Liverpool boss.
Although he did not register on the scoresheet himself, the 19-year-old forward was a fervent menace to the opposition throughout the 90 minutes with his direct running, quick feet and vision.
His display echoed those of fellow youngsters Philippe Coutinho and Jon Flanagan, as the Reds clocked up an eighth consecutive Barclays Premier League victory to claim top spot by two points.
Asked about Sterling, in particular, at his post-match press conference, Rodgers enthused about a young Englishman who has developed exponentially in recent months.
"I thought he was brilliant," the Northern Irishman commented. "19 years of age and you can see his intelligence improving all the time.
"He can run in behind, he's fast and direct, but you can see his football improving. He can be with the ball under pressure. I thought he was magnificent today.
"We've got a really wonderful mix - we've got world-class players, we've got young talents from Europe and South America and we've got a lot of young British talent here.
"Technically, they showed they can play and tactically their ideas were very good. They showed they can go and operate at this level without fear. There's no anxiety and no pressure and it was great to watch."
That freedom to shine was perhaps most evident in the Reds' third goal on Sunday; backed into a defensive corner by Spurs, Rodgers' charges calmly controlled possession and looked for an option.
Flanagan provided an out ball, spun around an oncoming opponent and quickly released Coutinho, who wasted no time in gliding forward, choosing a spot in the net and planting a finish right there.
Rodgers reflected: "We talk a lot about getting the ball out of pressure zones and areas of the field.
"If you watch it, instead of going forward and smashing it up the field, we circulate the ball and take it out; we use our goalkeeper, recycle the ball out of the other side.
"We look and work to get numbers and options around the ball. Young Jon Flanagan had a great bit of skill and once you come out of that pressure, the field opens up for you.
"Philippe then receives the ball, carries it and scores. It was a wonderful team goal.
"We had lots of spells in the game where we were very impressive. The players take all the credit because they were fantastic."
The boss attributes the confidence coursing through not just the aforementioned youngsters, but the entire squad, to the constant fine-tuning undertaken in training every single day.
"It's a daily thing in our work," he said. "If you ask players to play, pass and move, with fluency and flexibility in the team, you have to give them the confidence to do that.
"I've said it all along: I feel as it goes along, when there are pressure situations that the team can cope with that because of the nature of our game.
"Our nature on a daily basis is to touch the ball - that's what you want, for your team to have the courage to play.
"Everyone was probably looking at this as a game that could be really difficult - and it was. But we made it the game that it was because of our intensity, our focus and the quality of our football.
"It's how we work; we work to deal with pressure, we work to deal with pressure getting on the ball, and players know, 100 per cent, that if they make a mistake then I will take the blame for that.
"But we must play football."