Boss: We must challenge the collective
The players not currently in Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool line-up have been reminded of their importance to the collective cause as the Reds enter the concluding stretch of the 2013-14 season.
Rodgers can boast an almost full-strength squad to choose from for the final nine matches of the campaign, following the recent returns of midfielder Lucas Leiva and defender Mamadou Sakho.
It's a scenario that the manager naturally welcomes, affirming his belief that the presence of quality on the substitutes' bench will act as an incentive to those selected to wear a shirt in each fixture.
"You'll get the best out of players when they know they've got a challenge," the Northern Irishman told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
"If a player has someone behind them that's really pushing to come into the team, that will hopefully stretch them to be at their best.
"Certainly from a defensive perspective, it helps when we have that balance. I thought our two full-backs were outstanding last week; the two centre-halves were really solid and dominant.
"The goalkeeper - the save he had to make, he saved very well. Throughout the team, the presence was good.
"The more competitions we're in, in the future, you have to interchange. As long as everyone knows their job and can come in and do the job, that's what's important."
Ensuring that the players in reserve are mentally prepared to step into the XI at short notice is a task that Rodgers oversees in great detail, communicating with said individuals regularly.
That close-quarters work is crucial to maintaining a high level of team spirit within the group - a characteristic evident by the reactions from the bench whenever the Reds hit the target.
The boss added: "They're a very committed group to the cause of what we're trying to achieve. I respect them. It's easy for the players that are playing, because they're in the team.
"My work is with the players that aren't playing, continual communication with them, reinforcing to them how important they are. When they're called upon, whether it's for one minute or 90 minutes, then they have to be ready to perform.
"That's the nature of what we build here; it's very much the collective and the team. That is what the focus is on. I always say to the players outside of the team: 'Your job is to ensure you support the players in it.' It can't be the other way.
"The players that are playing have got the shirt, and one day they'll be in and playing. That's very important for us. You see the reactions on the bench when we do score goals, there's a real collective team spirit here."