Brendan: Steel can set the standard now

Presented with an assured and industrious Potters outfit, the Reds were forced to battle for the entire 90 minutes, plus seven of added time, in the Barclays Premier League fixture.

They eventually triumphed courtesy of Glen Johnson's anticipation and bravery, as the No.2 pounced on a Rickie Lambert header that had cannoned off the crossbar to beat Asmir Begovic.

His commitment typified the hosts' display on what the manager now hopes can become a pivotal afternoon for his team's season, with a trip to Leicester City quickly following tomorrow night.

"I was very pleased with our performance and concentration at the weekend," Rodgers reflected at Melwood today as he held his pre-match press conference for the latest game.

"We were playing against a good side with an excellent manager; Stoke are a team that have been away to Manchester City and won, and been away to Tottenham and won.

"They were coming to Anfield looking to get a result and having confidence that they could get a result. My players produced a good performance and result during the week, and they didn't arrive home on Thursday until between 4.30am and 5am.

"The recovery time was obviously affected and then we had one day of preparation. So to keep a clean sheet and perform like we did, showing courage, I have got a huge amount of respect for the players for that.

"We have hopefully turned the corner during the week in terms of our performance level and getting that result. It was very important for us and something that pleased me greatly.

"The important thing, for me, is to arrive into the second part of the season either in there or not too far away, knowing that we'll be strong. That's still our objective.

"What has been pleasing in the last couple of games is that the steel and determination has returned to the team - that gives you a great platform to build your fluency and football."

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Leicester are currently bottom of the Premier League standings, having not won in the division since beating Manchester United 5-3 in September - drawing twice and losing six times.

Nevertheless, Rodgers acknowledged that his players must approach the clash with concentration, particularly as he is acutely aware of the threat posed by several opponents.

"They hadn't scored for five games, but Nigel Pearson will be pleased that they got a couple of goals at the weekend," he assessed. "You are looking at your home form when you first get promoted.

"They have got good players, players that are a threat. I looked at Jamie Vardy when I was manager at Swansea, I wanted to take him when he was at Fleetwood - he is very fast, dynamic and can get goals.

"They have got some other very good players. I worked with Andy King at Chelsea and he has gone on to have a terrific career at Leicester.

"We know we'll arrive there having to be fully concentrated. We want to keep this little bit of momentum that we have going."

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In his immediate analysis of the win against Stoke, the manager highlighted the impact made by Lucas Leiva and Kolo Toure following their recent reintroduction to his starting line-up.

The former was the subject of discussion again today, prompting Rodgers to speak at length about his appreciation for how the Brazilian has responded to the challenge of winning back a place.

"He has been outstanding," said the Northern Irishman. "It has probably been unfortunate for him that in the last season or so, I went with the holding midfield player in Steven Gerrard who was a playmaker.

"He wasn't a defensive midfield player, he was a player that could orchestrate our attacks from deep. With Steven's quality and range of passing, and the players that we had up front, I felt his quality could really exploit that.

"Now, the dynamic of that has changed at the front end of the field, so that means I need to rethink about the structure of the team. We maybe then look at a different type of midfield player to come in.

"Lucas is one that is an aggressor and can break up the attack, but he can also play as well. He has come in and in the games he has played this year he has done very well. He has been excellent.

"It's great credit to him and his professionalism - he hasn't let his head go down, he stays focused and has continued to work very hard so when he is brought into the team, he can do as well as he's done."

He added: "We haven't been in the best of form in terms of our performance level, and we needed to change that. We needed to raise the standard across the board - myself included.

"The players get an opportunity every day in training to show and demonstrate their qualities, and in games, and this year we have got a lot of games. Each time you play, that's your audition to play regularly in the team.

"As a player you hope you can perform and show the manager and supporters that you justify a place in the team. I've got players here that are working very hard."