Johnson: Drive is down to individual
Fit again and aiming to reclaim a regular spot in the Liverpool defence, Glen Johnson is currently preoccupied solely by clocking up as many minutes as possible during the coming months.
The 30-year-old full-back satisfyingly returned to Reds duty at the outset of the month, entering the proceedings against West Bromwich Albion at Anfield with 26 minutes remaining on the clock.
Johnson had previously been on the sidelines for almost six weeks with a thigh injury picked up at Manchester City in August, allowing on-loan Javier Manquillo an opportunity to stake a claim on the right side.
The Spaniard's presence and the battle for game time it naturally brings is welcomed by the team's No.2, though the Englishman has explained how his motivation runs even deeper than such competition.
"You don't need other players to drive you, you drive yourself," Johnson commented ahead of Liverpool's Barclays Premier League duel with Queens Park Rangers.
"You never enjoy the months when you are injured. You always want to work hard and become available again. And once you are fit, you need to get the games in to get the match fitness.
"The club needs bodies - you need a few players in different positions. We have a game every three or four days and one player cannot play every match."
The encounter at Loftus Road is the first of seven fixtures in 21 days for Brendan Rodgers' side, a schedule that includes the visit of Real Madrid to L4 in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Johnson sensibly echoed the approach of his manager, however, in insisting that there will be no thoughts of that upcoming glamour tie until the task in hand is completed at QPR.
"I have always said that we have to take the next week or the next game as the priority," he added. "We have to make sure we win at the weekend and then we can concentrate on Madrid."