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London - Brendan Rodgers has challenged his Liverpool players to kick-start the club's spluttering campaign against Stoke on Saturday.
Reds boss Rodgers has been forced to answer questions about his job security for the first time in his reign after Liverpool plummeted to 12th in the Premier League following successive defeats by Newcastle, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
They also suffered a setback in the Champions League in midweek, conceding an 88th-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 at Ludogorets Razgrad, but can still secure a place in the knockout phase by beating Basel at home next month.
Rodgers is keeping calm while the flak flies and he remains hopeful Liverpool will get back on track if they can secure a morale-boosting victory at Anfield on Saturday.
"We are hoping our season has really begun the other night but it will only count if we take it into Saturday's game," Rodgers said.
"Everything has been hunky dory for 18 months but it is a different hand we have been dealt this year, a different deck of cards.
"I said to the players the other night what has gone before has gone.
"We got the result the other night: a good performance, we were competitive, the structure of the team was good and we will take it into a difficult game against Stoke."
