Rodgers Pleads For Patience

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has urged his team to be patient when Crystal Palace visits Anfield on Saturday.

The Northern Irishman's Reds welcome Ian Holloway's Londoners knowing that a fifth victory of the campaign would see his side sit top of the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Struggling Palace lie second from bottom after one win and five defeats on their return to the top flight but Rodgers insisted he would not underestimate the visitors.

"In the modern game, teams are set up defensively well. Tactically, there is limited space - especially at home," Rodgers told Liverpoolfc.com.

"You have to be patient, teams aren't going to just turn up and roll over. Especially if you don't get an early goal - a goal in that first 20-25 minutes - then it can be difficult.

"However, we're a team that's evolving and starting to understand that side of football; with every attack, you can't score.

Since the 1-0 defeat by Southampton at home in the league, Rodgers's men have gone down 1-0 at Manchester United in the Capital One Cup but won comfortably 3-1 at Sunderland's Stadium Of Light.

"I'm not one to dwell on too many negatives, to be honest," added the 40-year-old. "We were disappointing in that (Southampton) game; we maybe didn't deserve to lose it but we certainly didn't do enough to win it.

"We reflect on the areas, in terms of the corners, that we can be better at. But then we move on, and we have moved on well with a good performance at Sunderland.

"We love playing at home; Anfield is a good place for us to be. This year, 2013, has shown that. Hopefully we continue with our record, which is playing well there and getting results, and improving that record.

"We understand it will be a difficult game and we will look to get the three points and perform well."