Kenny: We'll Find The Solution

Kenny Dalglish is convinced Liverpool are close to rediscovering the ruthless streak that will kick-start their season.

The Reds were held to a stalemate by Swansea City on Saturday afternoon despite creating countless openings.

However, Dalglish remains confident his players will find the cutting edge to improve on their chance-conversion ratio and end their run of draws in L4.

"You are better drawing one, losing one and winning one because you get more points than three draws," said Dalglish.

"But my perspective has never changed. We look forward to the next game, take each one as it comes and eventually add up the points and see where we are.

"There is no difference."

"The most important thing is to create the chances and the next thing is to put them away," he added.

"We go through this nearly after every game. We must be getting closer if the goalkeeper was tested because we have been missing the target.

"We just need to keep working on it and keep getting in there but we never got in there as much as we have done.

"It is more noticeable when you have chances and you walk off with just a point. It punishes you more.

"But it doesn't matter what your reward is, you have to find a better level than we did.

"If you don't do what you are good at you make it more difficult for yourself.

"But the problems that are there are problems that we can solve ourselves."

Agger Slams Liverpool's 'Headless Chickens'

Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has warned Liverpool must raise their game if they are to avoid yet another season without Champions League football.

Liverpool were held to a goalless draw in Saturday's home meeting with Swansea at the weekend, meaning the club have now won just two of their six Premier League matches at Anfield this season.

"Sometimes we looked like headless chickens running around after the ball,'' Agger said in quotes reported by the Daily Express.”It is far from good enough. Everyone was angry and disappointed - some more than others - but that is the way it is.''

Despite their indifferent form, Kenny Dalglish's men are just three points off the Champions League berths in sixth place - but with games against Chelsea and leaders Manchester City looming, Agger admits now is the time to raise the standard.

"If we play like this, we won't do it [qualify for the Champions League],'' he said. We have got to move up a level or two. I won't say it is not possible, because it is, but it is up to the players. We are the only ones who can make a difference. We definitely have to do a lot better.''

Carroll Costs ‘Headless’ Liverpool More Than £35m

If Andy Carroll is not good enough for England, should he continue to be at the heart of Liverpool’s plans.

England coach Fabio Capello picked Daniel Sturridge and Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor, but left out Liverpool striker Andy Carroll for friendly matches against Spain and Sweden at Wembley.

That might be a message to Liverpool’s coach Kenny Dalglish, who despite a string of poor performances by the £35million record signing.

Carroll hit the bar from six yards on another frustrating day for Dalglish's strikers at Anfield as they were held to a draw on the weekend by newly-promoted Swansea.

Dalglish's men have now won just two of their six league matches at Anfield this season.

And Andy Carroll amazingly is still being protected by King Kenny.

He said: "If we had scored early on it might have changed the way the game went but we never scored so it is hypothetical. No-one has ever in the history of football deliberately missed a chance.

Comolli Interested In Serie-A Striker

Sources in Italy have claimed that Argentine striker Ezequiel Lavezzi may be tempted to an Anfield switch during the summer if Liverpool can book a place in next seasons Champions League.

Liverpool would require to finish this season in at least fourth place to stand a chance of Champions League qualification, a position that many believe the Anfield side can accomplish this season despite competition from Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

The striker currently plys his trade in the Serie A for Napoli and will turn 27 by May next year. Since joining the Italian side in 2007 the Argentina international has scored 39 league goals in close to 150 league matches. Although his scoring record does not compete with that of former Liverpool strikers, there is room for another striker at the club.

With Kenny Dalglish having to rely on Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez as his main striker force he is well aware that the forward area is lacking in depth and a player of Lavezzi’s quality would not be as expensive as one might fear with a price of around £15m likely to be the maximum most teams would pay for his services.

Inter Milan Set To Swoop On Liverpool In Audacious £15 Million Raid

Inter Milan have set their sights on Liverpool’s Daniel Agger and could make a move for the Danish International as soon as January.

Agger started his senior career at Danish club Brøndby in July 2004, with whom he won the 2005 Danish Superliga championship, Agger then joined Liverpool in January 2006 and fast became a favourite at Anfield whose fans have coined a song about Agger to the tune of Agadoo.

Agger has suffered from injuries and there was concern at Liverpool at the amount of games Agger could manage in a season, this concern prompted a lot of speculation towards the end of last season with talk of moving him on but this talk has since cooled and it appeared that Agger would remain a Liverpool player for some time.

Inter are in a transition period and they are looking for an experienced defender to add to their defensive line up and they have identified Agger as an ideal candidate if the reports are to be believed.

A fee in the region of £15 Million was mentioned and it is thought that the Liverpool board would seriously consider such an offer.

Liverpool Set To Go Up Against Juventus In Race To Sign Portuguese Defender

Liverpool is set to go up against Juventus in the battle to sign Portuguese international centre-back Bruno Alves, playing with with Zenit Saint-Petersbourg.

It has been reported that the 29 year old was Juventus bound, however it now appears, according to reports in Italy, that Juventus face strong opposition from Liverpool who are looking to add Alves experience to their defence.

Alves is noted for his strength, tough tackling and aerial ability. He spent most of his professional career at F.C. Porto, winning a total of nine titles, seven as first-choice.

On 3 August 2010, aged 28, Alves signed with Russian Premier League’s FC Zenit for €22 million, joining compatriots Danny and Fernando Meira in the squad. Upon his arrival, head coach Luciano Spalletti described him as a very important player for the team, noting his experience, ability in the air and strong character.

No fee has been mentioned but it is thought that at least £20 Million will be required to even tempt Zenit in to opening up negotiations.

Dalglish To Resurrect Interest In Real Madrid Striker

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is ready to resurrect his interest in Real Madrid's prolific goal scorer Gonzalo Higuain after watching his side once again dominate possession but fail to find the back of the net.

The Reds had plenty of chances against Swansea on Saturday but failed to tale their chances as they ended up drawing their third consecutive game at Anfield in a 0-0 draw with the newly promoted Welsh side.

Liverpool were linked with the Argentina international during the summer but instead decided to bring a number of midfielders to the club and eventually completed a deal for Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy.

Dalglish already has Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez at the club but it seems he may once again try to bring another goal scorer to Anfield in the New Year as he plots to finish in the top four and achieve Champions League football.

Higuain has started the season in superb fashion as he today scored his eleventh league goal of the season as Real Madrid strolled past Osasuna with a 7-1 win.

The 23-year-old has scored 80 league goals for the Spanish giants and also has an equally impressive record for Argentina where he has scored 12 goals in 20 games.

Higuain was signed from River Plate back in 2007 for €13million and should Liverpool try to prise the striker away from the Bernanbeu then they would almost certainly have to make a substantial offer.

Real Madrid have a number of attacking options and despite the superb form of Higuain he often has to start on the bench because of the competition at the club with the likes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria all battling for a place in the front three.

Liverpool proved they have big ambitions over the summer as they paid £20million for Jordan Henderson, while in January they spent £35m on Carroll. Should they want to land Higuain then they would need to make a similar offer to Real Madrid.

Lucas Our Most Accurate Passer

Lucas Leiva was the most accurate passer on the pitch during Liverpool's goalless draw with Swansea at the weekend.

Liverpool had 25 shots, five of which were on target. Swansea directed three of their 12 efforts between the sticks.

Ten of Liverpool's hits were from outside of the 18-yard box - Swansea tried from distance nine times.

The hosts had 52.3% of possession but lost 52.4% of their 'duels'.

They dominated in the air, however, winning 68.8% of their aerial battles.

The story of the goalkeepers was that Pepe Reina made three saves to Michel Vorm's five. Our man between the posts had an 80% passing accuracy to Vorm's 43.8%.

Charlie Adam had the most touches of anyone in red with 100. Glen Johnson had 82 to leave him second.

Lucas Leiva recorded the best stats in possession of the 22 who started the game. He passed the ball 66 times with an accuracy of 95.5%, though just 3% of his passes were long.

For the second game in succession, Martin Skrtel pipped every defender on the pitch when it came to passing. An impressive 91.9 % of his 37 passes reached their destination.

The Slovakia international also attempted a higher percentage of long balls than any of his LFC teammates with 18.9%.

Of all the strikers who started, Luis Suarez completed the most passes (39) and had the highest accuracy (71.8%).

Daniel Agger executed more shots than any defender on the pitch - four. None were on target. Stewart Downing took this honour in midfield, hitting the target twice from four attempts.

Suarez was by far the busiest striker on the field of play with seven shots, three of which were on target.

Adam set up more shots for teammates than anyone else. In fact his tally of seven shot assists was more than double anyone on the pitch.

Lucas, Adam and Agger conceded the most fouls on the day, earning a whistle three times each.

The corner count was Liverpool 11-4 Swansea.

Liverpool played 512 passes and had an 83% accuracy rate - up 1.5% from the victory over West Brom.

Swansea played 471 passes, 86% of which found their target.

Phil Dowd awarded 15 free-kicks against Kenny's men but penalized Swansea just five times.

Match Report: Liverpool 0 - 0 Swansea

Striker Andy Carroll was the fall-guy for Liverpool after missing a first-half sitter in the goalless draw at home to Swansea.

For the second successive home match against a newly-promoted team Kenny Dalglish's side failed to convert their chances.

Carroll's was the miss everyone will remember, although there were enough opportunities created afterwards to have prevented a third home draw in a row.

The £35million club-record signing side-footed against the crossbar from just six yards with the goal at his mercy.

In the end they were fortunate to escape with a draw as Swansea improved as the game progressed and could have snatched victory in the closing stages.

It was only the second point away from home this season for Brendan Rodgers' side but, on the strength of their performance alone, they were well worth it.

Liverpool have hit the frame of the goal more than any other team this season and they made that unwanted tally 10 in only the seventh minute with a chance which Carroll should have buried.

Charlie Adam's through-ball down the inside-left channel was picked up by Stewart Downing whose low, teasing cross into the six-yard box required only the simplest of touches to convert but the big striker leant back and somehow crashed his shot against the crossbar.

Swansea were confident enough in possession without really opening up the home defence but it was a different story at the other end with Luis Suarez flashing a long-range shot just wide, Downing having an effort deflected behind and Lucas Leiva's header dropping the wrong side of the post.

Only a brilliant one-handed reaction save from Jose Reina, on his 163rd consecutive league appearance, kept out Wayne Routledge's inswinging cross intended for Danny Graham.

But Swansea counterpart Michel Vorm, who kept a clean sheet for Utrecht at Anfield in the Europa League last season, showed he was equally adept as he got down superbly to tip wide Suarez's shot wide after the Uruguay international had reacted first to Adam's blocked shot on the edge of the penalty area.

Joe Allen was next to try his luck for the visitors with a low, right-footed shot but there was just not enough curl on the ball to get it inside the far post while just before the interval Downing's weak far-post header from Jose Enrique's deep cross was easily picked up by Vorm.

It was no surprise to see Dirk Kuyt replace the ineffective Jordan Henderson for the start of the second half as the Reds resumed their pressure on the visitors' goal with Suarez heading Adam's free-kick into the arms of Vorm.

While Liverpool have been their own worst enemies up front they nearly compounded that problem at the other end when Graham almost robbed Reina just a couple of yards off his goalline as the goalkeeper tried to clear a Daniel Agger backpass.

Swansea were starting to ask more questions of the Liverpool defence and in the 64th minute Dyer's diagonal right-to-left run allowed him to collect a through-ball but Reina deflected his shot behind off his body.

Suddenly the Spaniard was the busier of the two goalkeepers and when he only half-saved Dyer's shot he had to react swiftly to blocked what looked like being a certain goal from Graham on the follow-up.

Carroll's hopes of redeeming himself for that first-half miss were ended in the 74th minute when he was replaced by former Cardiff striker Craig Bellamy.

Carroll did not hang around to see how the Wales international would do as he headed straight down the tunnel.

Liverpool cranked up the pressure with Neil Taylor's last-gasp clearance denying Kuyt, Agger heading over and Adam having a free-kick deflected wide.

With six minutes remaining Mark Gower should have snatched victory for the Swans but he could not keep his shot down from Graham's knockdown.

Kuyt thought he had scored the winner in the 88th minute but he was correctly flagged offside from Agger's header by assistant referee Sian Massey.

There was still time for Vorm, emulating Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy a fortnight ago, to pull off a brilliant save to deny Suarez and an even better one to tip over Johnson's volley.

Liverpool felt they should have had a penalty in added time when Suarez went down in the area but referee Phil Dowd waved away appeals.

It may have been an eighth successive match unbeaten for Dalgish's side but four dropped points at home to two of the promoted teams does not make good reading for Liverpool's top-four prospects.

Reds Must Improve, Says Dalglish

Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Swansea condemned Liverpool to their third successive home draw in the Barclays Premier League, leaving Kenny Dalglish to call for improvements from his players.

Another frustrating afternoon at Anfield with the Reds again unable to break the deadlock, was compounded when Andy Carroll missed a guilt-edged chance when he lashed against the crossbar - the tenth time Liverpool have been denied by the woodwork in 2011-12.

"Our performance was disappointing," Dalglish admitted. "Swansea played the way we expected them to play but we didn't play the way we expected to play.

"Maybe if the chance went in early doors it would have changed the complexion of the game but as well as paying credit to Swansea we have to look at ourselves.

"Anything we're good at we didn't do much of today. We're usually good at passing and movement but there wasn't much of that there. When we got it back we gave it away quickly."

For all Liverpool's promise, and endeavour that has been on show in the past few weeks on their home turf, Dalglish was disappointed that his players lacked a cutting edge against the Swans.

"We've got to understand, realize and accept that that level of performance isn't acceptable," he added. "Even at the death the goalie's made a couple of good saves.

"We must be getting closer if the goalkeeper was tested today - usually we miss the target! The most important thing is to create the chances, the next is to put them away.

Downing: We'll Keep On Working

Stewart Downing acknowledged his disappointment at Saturday's 0-0 draw with Swansea City - but pledged that Liverpool will keep working hard at Melwood to ensure they turn chances into goals over the coming weeks.

While the England winger accepts the Reds were not at their best against the Swans, he cites several good goalscoring opportunities as proof that Kenny Dalglish's side can perhaps consider themselves somewhat unfortunate not to have taken all three points.

As a result, Downing remains unwavering in his belief that the goals will soon start to flow for the Reds.

He told Liverpoolfc.tv: "It was disappointing to draw, but although Swansea played quite well, if we had put our chances away and scored early it might have been different.

"Probably the pleasing thing for the manager and the team is that we are creating chances. But we're not putting them away.

"We'll just have to keep working on it and keep getting ourselves in the right positions and hopefully they'll turn into goals soon."

Andy Carroll had Liverpool's best chance of the game when the No.9 cannoned a close-range effort against the crossbar with just six minutes on the clock.

Meanwhile, Glen Johnson was left holding his head in his hands after seeing his late volley thwarted by a stunning stop from visiting goalkeeper Michel Vorm, while substitute Dirk Kuyt also had an effort ruled out for offside.

Downing added: "If Andy had scored with that early chance, it may have been a different game - Swansea might have had to change the way they played.

"It was a brilliant save from Glen's shot. I think the goalkeeper has probably been their best player this season, which shows how well he's done.

"But we had chances through Daniel (Agger), Glen as well as Andy's right at the start, and I'm not sure if Dirk's goal was offside or not.

"Swansea are a good footballing team and they've played well this season, but with no disrespect to them we need to be winning games like that at home if we want to get to where we want to be, so it was a bit disappointing for us not to get the three points."

Dalglish Refuses To Blame Carroll

Kenny Dalglish refused to blame £35million striker Andy Carroll missing a first half sitter for Liverpool's laboured 0-0 draw against Swansea.

England international Carroll blew a golden opportunity to put his team ahead when he smashed a seventh-minute strike across the crossbar with the goal at his mercy.

It did not get much better for the Anfield crowd from then on, with the home side missing a number of chances in a disjointed performance against the Premier League newcomers.

And Swansea was unlucky not to punish Liverpool further in an impressive second-half display.

Mark Gower wasted their best chance when he lacked composure and blazed over the bar on 84 minutes.

Dalglish said: "Our performance was disappointing. Swansea did well - they passed and moved it well.

"They had one chance in the second half where perhaps they would expect the lad to do a little better.

"We had the first chance of the game and if we had taken that it would have changed the outlook.

"But we've got to look deeper than the opportunity early on.

"There were other phases of the game where we might have had a goal."

Swansea keeper Michel Vorm stood up to everything thrown at his goal and denied Glen Johnson a certain winner with a brilliant acrobatic save in the dying stages.

The Liverpool boss added: "He made a couple of good saves at the end. At least we're testing him and getting a bit closer.

"We had some decent opportunities but I don't think we passed it as well as we could.

"When we lost possession they came at us quickly but when we got it back we gave it away too cheaply and too quickly."

The point extends Liverpool's unbeaten home run to six matches, but four of those have been frustrating draws.

Asked how Liverpool can turn these stalemates into wins, Dalglish said: "We score more than the opposition."

Real Madrid Planing Liverpool Raid In January

It is being reported this morning that the Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is aiming to raid Liverpool in January because he is desperate for another right back, and has been impressed with Glen Johnson since his return to the Liverpool squad and sees him as the perfect competition for Alvaro Arbeloa.

Arbeloa was not very popular at Anfield, amongst the Liverpool players or fans, but he has flourished since moving to Madrid and is now a well respected member of the squad.

But he is now 28 and Jose Mourinho is aware that he needs a younger, faster version and is hoping that Johnson is still smarting from the treatment he received from Rafael Benitez and Roy Hodgson while he was injured.

The People reports that Mourinho had a meeting with the Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to tell him to begin talks with Liverpool for Johnson, and also to try and arrange a loan deal with Man City for Carlos Tevez.

Gerrard On The Mend

Kenny Dalglish claims Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is recovering well from an ankle infection.

The Reds' boss gave a positive update on the England international midfielder, who was ruled out of Saturday's goalless draw against the Swans at Anfield on Saturday and is set for another fortnight on the sidelines.

Dalglish said: "He's fine. Everything been checked and the figures are hugely encouraging and well on his way to recovery."

Meanwhile, the Scot backed his Liverpool players to return to winning ways in the near future.

The Reds are unbeaten at Anfield but have now dropped eight points and sit in sixth spot in the table going into the international break.

However, after watching Swans goalkeeper Michel Vorm produce two excellent late saves to deny Luis Suarez and Glen Johnson, Dalglish backed the side to come good.

He said: "We just need to keep working on it and keep getting in there. But we haven't got in there as often as we have done in the past games. The problems there are problems we can solve ourselves.

"We have to look at ourselves and expect better performances than what we produced there."

Dalglish added: "Anything that we were good at, we didn't do too much of, passing and moving, we didn't do too much of that.

"The keeper was tested a few times and usually we are missing the target. That's 11 times we have hit the post or bar this season.

"If we had scored early on it might have changed the way the game went but we never scored so it is hypothetical.

"No-one has ever in the history of football deliberately missed a chance."

Reina: It's An Honour

Pepe Reina admits he feels privileged to be a regular member of Spain’s all-conquering squad.

The Reds stopper is bemused that some players retire from international duty due to a lack of action and remains adamant he will continue to answer the call from La Roja for as long as his country needs him.

Reina said: "I can't understand why 'keepers retire early from international football because they don't feel they will have the chance to play too often.

'Just being in the national squad for any country is an honour and there is always pleasure to be taken from being involved in the best players from your country."

He added: "I will not retire from international football no matter what. When the time comes Spain will have to retire me because I will not walk away from them."

John Henry Boxes Himself In At Liverpool Over Kenny Dalglish

This is why Liverpool should’ve looked into the future rather than back to the past.

There’s a section of Liverpool fans who will stand-by Kenny Dalglish regardless of how he performs as manager. That’s laudable really, especially in an age where fans are more fickle than ever. However, John Henry must surely be starting to doubt the wisdom of installing Dalglish, because the pricey team that’s been assembled grows more underwhelming by the week.

It’s interesting to compare the treatment of Dalgish by the Liverpool fans with the comparative relationship between Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal faithful. One heralded as a saviour regardless of contemporary results, and the other derided because of them. The past is Wenger’s enemy, whereas for Dalglish it’s a saving grace. Arsenal and Liverpool are currently level on points.

Can you imagine how Anfield would’ve reacted to a Roy Hodgson team that failed to beat Swansea, Norwich, and Sunderland at home? Or how the fans might have responded to getting humiliated at White Hart Lane?

The problem John Henry has, is that anytime you appoint a club legend as manager you complicate the situation. Getting rid of Dalglish, should he ever want to, is almost impossible given the fans emotional investment in the man himself. Sacking someone like that would put the ownership in direct opposition to a considerable percentage of the fanbase – and owners do that at their peril.

Some may argue that even talk of dismissing Dalglish is premature, but since when is this kind of form acceptable to a club of that stature? The Champions League grows a more remote objective by the week, and you could certainly make a case for saying that Liverpool are currently – on form – the seventh best side in the league. That’s not good enough for Liverpool. It’s definitely not acceptable when you’ve spent an absolute fortunate on putting a team together.

At times, and apologies for this being a laboured point, Andy Carroll looks little more than a Championship player. Stewart Downing is a mid-level player at best, Charlie Adam – for all his much-heralded set-piece qualities – is a passenger in that midfield, and Jordan Henderson has done so little in a Liverpool shirt that you can’t really have an opinion. Luis Suarez is a fantastic player, but he’s actually limited by what goes on behind him.

That’s an awful lot of money for very little product, and on the basis that you can’t eat out on the 1980s forever, there eventually has to be some accountability for how this team is performing. Trouble is though, how much of that accountability can John Henry put on his manager?

Match Preview: Liverpool vs. Swansea

Liverpool could move back into the top four of the Premier League when they host Swansea in the first league clash between the sides in almost 30 years.

Boss Kenny Dalglish, who played in the Reds' 3-0 victory over the Welshmen in April 1983, has overseen a rich vein of form for the Anfield side in recent weeks.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five top-flight matches and could leap above Chelsea and Tottenham if the results go their way.

Dalglish believes his new-look team, which was bolstered by seven summer signings, has started to gel and a number of key partnerships are beginning to blossom.

Strike pair Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll have showed signs of forging a deadly attack, while Jose Enrique and Stewart Downing have caused problems for the opposition by linking down the left flank.

But Dalglish has warned the home crowd not to expect Liverpool to cruise past Brendan Rodgers' men.

Swansea, who was thrashed 8-0 when they last visited Anfield for a FA Cup tie in 1990, have made a solid start to Premier League life.

After failing to score in their opening four games, the Swans have found their shooting boots to win their last three home matches.

Now the 10th placed side will be hoping to take this form away from the Liberty Stadium, having earned just one point on their travels.

History will also be created if Rodgers and his players pull off a shock against Liverpool.

It would be Swansea City's first win at Anfield, with the Welshmen's previous success - a 2-1 triumph in February 1964 - coming under their former guise of Swansea Town.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will miss the clash after being ruled out for at least the next fortnight with an ankle infection.

Gerrard's absence means midfielder Jordan Henderson, who deputised in last week's win at West Brom, is likely to keep his place.

Defender Jamie Carragher's calf injury which forced him to miss the match at the Hawthorns will be assessed late on to see whether the centre-back is ready to return.

Swansea manager Rodgers is boosted by the return of Kemy Agustien.

The Dutch midfielder has been out for six weeks with a hamstring problem, and he is likely to make his return on the bench with Mark Gower, Leon Britton and Joe Allen having performed so well in his absence.

But the trip to face the Reds comes too soon for Stephen Dobbie, who is likely to return following the international break after an ankle injury.

Possible starting XIs:

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique, Henderson, Adam, Lucas, Downing, Suarez, Carroll.

Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Williams, Monk, Taylor, Britton, Gower, Allen, Dyer, Graham, Sinclair.

Swansea's Brendan Rodgers Touched By Kenny Dalglish's Congratulations

Brendan Rodgers says he was "honoured" by the congratulations Swansea received from Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish after their Premier League promotion.

Dalglish was among the first to congratulate the Welsh side after their Championship play-off win over Reading.

As the Swans prepare to travel to Anfield on Saturday, Rodgers said he still treasures Dalglish's letter.

"I was very honoured to receive that from such a great man and a wonderful player," he said.

"It was a fantastic gesture - we received a number of those but this was the first to come through.

"It shows you why they [Liverpool] are respected worldwide. It's those class moments and acts that go a long way.

"Kenny's come in and reignited the whole club - and because of that association that he's had his impact has been fantastic.

"I liken the way the club is run and their supporters to our own.

"They're both sets of supporters who understand the traditions of their club [and] the good footballing principles."

Liverpool are unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season, while Swansea have secured only one point on the road.

But Rodgers believes Swansea can do well at Anfield, citing the draws achieved by Sunderland and Norwich as examples.

"We understand no matter what ground it is this season that every game is going to be difficult away from home," said Rodgers.

"We go there really looking forward to the game and we feel our game is progressing and we're getting success in particular at home.

"But we want to turn some good performances on the road into points.

"But you know when you go to the big teams you also need that little bit of luck.

"If we can get that and perform like we can then we want to give ourselves an opportunity."

Midfielder Mark Gower is currently holding talks with the club over a new contract and Rodgers says the former Southend player thoroughly deserves a new deal.

"He deserves it, discussions have been ongoing and I am sure that they will be completed soon," said Rodgers of the 33-year-old.

"Mark has been brilliant since I've been here, he showed his worth last season and has been exceptional when he has come into the team this season.

"He gives his all every single day and is a player I wanted to ensure we did retain."

Liverpool Open Contract Talks With Steven Gerrard

Liverpool have opened contract negotiations with captain Steven Gerrard as the club’s American owners look to reinforce his long-term role at Anfield.

Despite his absence through injury, owners Fenway Sports Group have already held discussions with Gerrard’s representatives about lengthening his current deal.

The 31-year-old has 18 months left on an existing contract, but from the moment they bought the club over a year ago FSG have made it clear they wish Gerrard to spend the remainder of his career at his boyhood team.

The same applies to Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher, who signed a three year deal last year prior to the takeover but is seen by the hierarchy as integral to the club’s identity.

Gerrard’s existing agreement will take him to his 33rd birthday, and an extension, likely to be another two years, represents a show of faith in his ability to overcome recent injury setbacks.

Although the latest negotiations began before he suffered the ankle injury which has put him back on the sidelines, he is expected to make a full recovery from the infection.

Gerrard has been at Anfield since his schoolboy days and after resisting the temptation to leave for Chelsea on three occasions between 2003-2005, and rejecting numerous less publicised offers from Inter Milan and Real Madrid, he said when penning his last deal in 2009 he would remain at Liverpool for as long as he was wanted. He rebuffed another approach from Jose Mourinho after the 2010 World Cup.

There was never a doubt manager Kenny Dalglish would seek to retain the experience of both Gerrard and Carragher as he seeks to mould a new side with the assistance of their invaluable experience.

FSG have informed the pair they see roles for them as part of the staff when they finish playing, should they decide to pursue such a course.

The Liverpool duo have come integral to how the club presents itself both on and off the park and FSG have no wish to allow rivals to benefit from the wisdom and inside knowledge of Anfield which they’ve garnered throughout their two decades.

Liverpool Angry Over Scheduling Of Carling Cup Clash

Liverpool is embroiled in a furious row with the Football League after being ordered to play their Carling Cup quarter-final against Chelsea just 48 hours after a key Premier League fixture.

The Merseyside club is unhappy they must travel to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, Nov 29, two days after they face Manchester City at Anfield.

An appeal to both the tournament organisers and the Premier League to rethink the schedule to preserve the integrity of the cup competition has been rejected.

City find themselves in the same position as Liverpool, as they must travel to London to face Arsenal in their quarter final immediately after their visit to Liverpool.

However, Robert Mancini’s side — with a vastly deeper squad and other priorities — are understood to be more relaxed about honouring both fixtures within such a short period.

Liverpool had expected to head to Chelsea for a Wednesday evening kick-off, but the Football League claimed it could not do so because of Metropolitan Police advice.

There is a TUC rally in central London on that day and Spurs are playing at home to PAOK Salonika in the Europa League.

These explanations hold little sway with Liverpool, who do not believe they should suffer as a consequence of other commitments in the capital city, especially with other dates available in the fixture calendar.

Manager Kenny Dalglish is deeply concerned Liverpool will not have any time to train for a game ranked as one of the most important of their season.

After a brief warm down on Monday after the City game, Liverpool will have to make their 200-mile journey to London and play with minimal preparation.

Chelsea, in comparison, play Wolves at home on Saturday, Nov 26, giving them an obvious advantage. Liverpool appealed to the Football League for this to be taken into consideration. They asked for the quarter-final to be played in the week of the semi-final, commencing Jan 9.

When that was refused, both Liverpool and City asked the Premier League to bring forward their league meeting by 24 hours. This was deemed impossible because of live television commitments.

Liverpool is especially unhappy with their treatment given how they have supported the League Cup, not only throughout their history, but during the course of this season.

They boast the record number of wins in the tournament and the record number of appearances in the final.

Dalglish has played a strong side throughout the early rounds this season and it has become a major priority due to a lack of European competition. He is determined to lift the club’s first trophy since 2006.