The Northern Irishman recalls the atmosphere at Anfield in crucial wins over Manchester United and Everton and wants the fans to be just as vocal for the visit of the Gunners

Brendan Rodgers has rallied the club’s fans ahead of Liverpool’s vital clash with Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds have only dropped five Premier League points at Anfield this season, through a 1-0 loss to Southampton and a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa.

Consequently, Rodgers was keen to pay tribute to the vociferous support his team have played in front of this term and says that the Liverpool faithful have just as important a role to play this weekend against the table-topping Gunners.

The Northern Irishman told the Liverpool Echo: “The fans are going to be key for us.

“In the couple of big games we have played at home they have been instrumental. They have been a vital component of the success we’ve had at Anfield so far this season.

“They got us over the line against Manchester United earlier in the season. The atmosphere was also brilliant for the Everton game and that result will have been a joy for them.”

Liverpool are currently in fourth position in the Premier League and look on course to qualify for the Champions League but know a win over Arsene Wenger’s side is vital in order to keep themselves ahead of the chasing pack.

Rodgers added: “I’ll ask them again to give us that support which really does make the difference. It is genuinely like an extra man for us.

“Anfield has been a real cauldron and we want the fans to make it that again this weekend.”

The German defender believes the Liverpool striker would have “fitted in” at the Emirates Stadum but claims Mesut Ozil was the right addition for Arsene Wenger’s side

Per Mertesacker has revealed his Arsenal team-mates were keen on Luis Suarez joining the club last summer.

The Gunners had two bids for the Uruguay international turned down, but Wenger insists he will not reignite his interest in Suarez at the end of the season, although Mertesacker believes the Liverpool forward would have settled quickly in north London.

“Suarez is like a cheeky boy, he looks like a cheeky boy who can really switch on and off how he wants to be, so that is really something,” Mertesacker told The Guardian.

“When he is on the pitch, what is going on around him doesn’t bother him.

“He is just a pure striker and that is what comes out after the transfer requests and him saying: ‘It’s better for me to leave because I want to play Champions League.’

“When we heard that Arsenal might be interested in him, obviously we were up for it and we thought, ‘Yeah, he would fit in.’ But after, we got [Mesut] Ozil.”

Mertesacker claims the arrival of compatriot Ozil from Real Madrid boosted everyone connected with Arsenal and believes the midfielder was “the right addition” last summer.

“To reach another level, you sometimes need the right addition to lift everybody, not just the players but the whole club and the whole public in between,” said the Germany international.

“We didn’t need five or six players late in the window, which is what Arsenal got when I arrived.

“It is not easy to get everyone settled. We were a good squad and we didn’t lose any players over the summer, which was the main part. But we needed that right addition and we can say that Ozil was it.”

The Liverpool winger, who has returned to both form and the first team, says he was too in awe of the Reds’ senior stars previously

Raheem Sterling has credited his return to form with renewed confidence in his abilities, having been overawed by some of Liverpool’s star players.

The 19-year-old, who has returned to the first team after a dip in form, says he was too eager to offload the ball – and responsibility – to the senior players on the team.

But after his uncle highlighted how he had reverted from his natural game, Sterling says he has gone back to basics and is reaping the rewards.

“He knows my game and he asked the club for a couple of DVDs from last season when I’d played well. He wanted to show me the difference,” the winger told the club’s official.

“Last season, I’d have beaten a man in two touches and raced away. Suddenly, I was going safe, passing to someone else. I didn’t realise I was doing it.
 
“I just said to myself that I had to step up and start running at defenders again; taking responsibility. I’ve also had the chance to do that week in, week out. I can feel a bit of momentum now.

“I wasn’t confident enough to have a shot myself and instead I’d pass it to someone like Luis Suarez. I needed to be more confident again – you have to respect the senior players around you but you have to stamp your own mark on the game.”

Manager Brendan Rodgers, meanwhile, believes it is only natural that a player as young as Sterling should experience peaks as well as troughs, and praised the England Under-21 international’s desire to work hard and return to form.

“It’s difficult when you have a young player at 17 and they burst onto the scene like Raheem did through his sheer natural talent,” said the Liverpool boss.

“He came into the spotlight and in those first six months, he was outstanding.

“But it happens to every single player; there’s going to be a drop-off period for them. And for him, it was probably the second half of last season. But he came in over the course of pre-season and he worked tirelessly.

“He was bright and he was given a chance this year, which he took. He’s only just turned 19 years of age. I think you’re seeing now a boy that is very focused on his football and he’s happy, which is important.”