LFC's enterprising play is exactly what Brendan Rodgers envisioned when he was installed at the Reds helm. He is not just fulfilling his promise, the manager is forging a fusion between fantasy football and a remarkable reality, writes Melissa Reddy.

"Brendan Rodgers loves to learn and he loves to work. He is very intelligent and doesn't just understand how football should be played, he understands players." That is the assessment offered by Baltemar Brito, Jose Mourinho's former assistant for eight seasons, who studied the Liverpool manager closely when the 41-year-old was head coach at Chelsea's Academy.

The man in charge of generating the audio-visual preparation for Uniao de Leiria, Porto and the Blues, admired Rodgers' quest for continual elevation and always expected him to be at the helm at one of Europe's elite as 'he is a winner, and he is a builder'.

Brito explained how the Northern Irishman would dwell on details and prided himself on perfection; there was a constant pursuit to enforce his ideals of intensity and advancement.

"He demands the best out of his players, and also of himself. He is very sharp and aware of everything... new ideas or tactics or ways to improve - he knows them all," said the Brazilian.

That analysis of Rodgers between 2004-07 is an apt current description of the Reds boss; he is still dedicated to delivering performances of distinction and developing players who exceed their own expectations.

Liverpool have already bettered their points tally from last season, with nine games left to play. The club are one strike away from reaching their best-ever goal return in the Barclays Premier League, which was posted in 2008-09.

The Reds are unbeaten in the top flight this year, averaging 2.6 points per game in a run that includes tactically astute and terrifyingly good triumphs over Everton, Arsenal and Manchester United. They have also created more clear opportunities (67) than any other side in the campaign, and completed the most dribbles (370).

The numbers don't lie, and neither does the obvious improvement of players. Rodgers' assertion that 'people see him [Raheem Sterling] as a wide player, but we don't want to pigeonhole him' after the 3-0 victory at Southampton was testament to the manager's thinking. He is not just interested in getting the best out of his charges where they're comfortable, he also intends on making them better in areas they wouldn't ordinarily operate in.

Jordan Henderson has featured across midfield, and supported a lone striker in an advanced role. His energy and industry has been beefed up with greater football intelligence.

"Tactical awareness was one thing I felt as though I needed to improve on," the 23-year-old admitted last year. "When the manager first came in, we had a few discussions about that and what I needed to do. And I felt as though the manager really helped me to do that, along with the coaching staff. I learn from the players as well. The manager has helped me improve all the time in different positions and showed what he wants me to do."

It is also impossible to ignore the strides, both tactically and mentally, made by Jon Flanagan and Joe Allen. Philippe Coutinho may have been overlooked at Inter Milan, but his creative nous is commended at Liverpool, and has been complemented with an assertive edge.

Daniel Sturridge is enjoying his most prolific professional campaign, while Luis Suarez is now spoken of as one of the wonders of world football. At the apex of this avant-garde approach is Steven Gerrard, who is excelling in a role that counters his natural inclinations, but promotes his catalogue of passing, and the control in which he commands a clash.

The club's defence has been in the spotlight this season, but the last two away games - both at historically difficult grounds for the Reds - produced clean sheets and six goals in total. Improvement is everywhere.

It isn't just poor records at St Mary's and Old Trafford which have been packed away this season; the Britannia Stadium and White Hart Lane were also left shell-shocked by a swashbuckling Liverpool. It is now not just the 'longest 90 minutes of an opponent's life at Anfield' but on their own turf as well.

Rodgers has managed to marry an aggressive pressing and attacking game with an attitude to match; his men refuse to be bullied or beaten. That steely stubbornness is born out of the manager's own refusal to swerve from his philosophies. "When I was coming through, there were plenty of people who were very negative towards it, who said we couldn't work this way in this country," he explained to the Liverpool Echo.

"But if you believe in it enough, you continue to push the boundaries and continue to get your players to believe in it. It's easy when things are going well, but it's important to reinforce the beliefs when you have lost or one of your players has given away the ball and the team has lost because of it. That's when ideas get truly tested."

There have been suggestions that Rodgers has shifted from a possession-based game to one of pressing, but this is wide of the target. He has always insisted that intensity 'is an obligation' for his players.

At Swansea, there was much more recycling of the ball as outlets weren't always available. With him unleashing the league's most lethal forward line, Liverpool have no such obstacles, and thus aggression in attack is prized over playing keep-ball.

"My idea is to win the ball higher up the field so you are pressing higher and you are in better positions," he explained at his first Anfield press conference. "You win the ball higher up the pitch so you are closer to goal, and when you do that you need people with good skills. If you win it and you can't attack, you recycle the ball and you then go and play."



Rodgers has proved that his blueprint is not rigid; the Reds are able to alter personnel, positions and tactical priorities when needed. Liverpool are playing the way the manager envisioned and promised upon his unveiling in June 2012. At the time, John Henry stated: "We will embrace the unconventional, build the right way and together set a bold, exciting course for this historic club."

He was right. There's only one Brendan Rodgers, and thank FSG he's ours.

Follow the author @1stLadyofFooty.