Brendan: You fans can make City think

Fans have reached heights to match the side's on-field performances in recent weeks, generating atmospheres few will ever forget during the home ties against Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur.

A solid wall of flags and banners have adorned the Kop long before kick-off, while the noise levels outside and inside the stadium created environments in which the players could hardly fail to be inspired.

Next up for Rodgers' outfit, who top the Barclays Premier League table having been victorious in each and every one of their past nine fixtures - is the challenge of hosting third-place City in L4.

Ahead of the mouth-watering encounter, the Northern Irishman explained exclusively to Liverpoolfc.com the importance of fans filling the ground in advance to scare the visitors and help the hosts feel fearless.

Read on for the full Q&A with the Premier League Manager of the Month, in which Rodgers also expands on the crucial nature of starting quickly and what his players have learned from previous meetings with the Manchester club.

It's not often that a team wins nine consecutive games in the Barclays Premier League - has that run surprised you or have you always had confidence that your players could put something like that together?

We haven't really looked at it in terms of sequences; we've just concentrated on trying to perform well in whatever the next game was going to be. But the level that we've produced over the course of the nine games has been at a really high standard. We've demonstrated all elements of how we play - we've had some wonderful football, technically; we've scored counter-attack goals; we've scored set-piece goals; we've scored goals having dominated possession; we've shown different rhythm in our game. And, collectively, we've shown a real mentality and determination to win. We've just approached each game at a time - that has served us really well since I came in here and that's what we'll look to do going forward.

At West Ham, you made a change in personnel and system at half-time. Does the flexibility and the options at your disposal give you confidence that there's never a lost cause for this Liverpool team?

When I first came in, that was certainly the vision and where we wanted to get to. Our style will always be the same - we want to have domination in games, we want to have dangerous possession and we want to be really aggressive in our attack and in our pressing. In the game against West Ham, the pitch was a little slow and we maybe weren't able to dominate the middle of the field as much. We made the change, put the two strikers a bit closer together, put the extra body in midfield and changed the shape of the midfield. That allowed us to control the game. I thought in the second half we showed real dominance. Then when we had to defend, we defended really well and were really aggressive. The two centre-halves were outstanding; Martin Skrtel was brilliant in the game, he was a real leader from behind. We got the penalties purely because of the aggression in our attack.

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Manchester City are the next challenge; given the amount of goals both sides have scored this season, everybody is expecting a really open and attacking game. Is that what you anticipate or will you try to combat that?

We'll respect them, because they have got some outstanding players and they are a top team. For us, the concentration will be mainly on ourselves. We need to respect our own qualities and go into the game as we have done, which is to be fearless in our attack. We understand that we're going to have moments where we have to defend well as a team and a group. But we're at home - and we always expect to win at home, no matter who the opponent. We know it's going to be a really good game of football. They are a side that has got really gifted technical players and the coach has an attacking philosophy. We'll just see how the game pans out. For us, it's to score goals and be balanced in our defensive game.

We have played City three times under your stewardship and perhaps been unfortunate on each occasion not to take the three points. Is that something you will highlight to the players ahead of this one?

The previous games give us confidence. We drew the two games in my first season that we should have won when leading the games. Earlier in the season, we probably didn't manage the game quite so well just before half-time. But, performance-wise, I looked at it and that gave us great confidence. As the manager, I looked at it and felt that we weren't too far behind as a team. From that game, around the Christmas period, we've improved again. The previous performances give us confidence; but hopefully in this game we can now make the performance count in terms of the result.

In almost every game at Anfield this season, we have flown out of the blocks; is that planning, or is it adrenaline, and how important would a similar start be on Sunday?

It's always important. I've said all along since I came in here, you find that good teams start quickly and finish strongly. It's how we set up to work; we're very aggressive in all moments of the game, and in particular the beginning. We use the crowd as well as a part of that commitment to playing an attacking game, because they are so important for us. And hopefully they will be again this weekend.

You always talk about the supporters in very descriptive terms - 'army of supporters' and the 'cauldron' of Anfield. What would your message be to them ahead of the game?

It's to continue to do what they do. I look at Anfield now and in particular the last couple of games, it has been a real throwback. The Kop is just in full bloom with the colours and the scarves and the flags, and the noise has just gone up another level. When it's like that, there's no greater place. As a manager, I'm so proud to manage the team in those conditions. If we can get that right from driving in - the banners and flags going in - it gives great confidence for our players, but it can also give the other team something to think about. So hopefully they can get into the stadium very early and get the atmosphere right up, so by the time kick-off comes the team is ready to flow with them and together we can get the result that we want.