12 November,2010 08:39 AM IST | | Agencies
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has insisted confidence at the club remains intact ahead of Saturday's match away to Stoke following the midweek draw with Wigan.
Roy Hodgson's side had won their previous three encounters ahead of the trip to the DW Stadium on Wednesday night but although they took an early lead through Fernando Torres, they eventually drew with the Latics 1-1.
That has slowed some of the momentum created by the Reds' recent resurgence which has seen them leap from 16th to ninth in the Premier League table.
They could have gone as high as fifth had they won in Lancashire and Gerrard came close when he hit the bar in the second half.
"I'm happy with my form," he said.
"After a fantastic win over Chelsea last weekend and having gone 1-0 up against Wigan, of course we understand why people will be slightly disappointed," the England midfielder added.
"Maybe our performance suffered after the energy and intensity we put into beating Chelsea.
"You can often find that happening after you play a game 72 hours after a big fixture.
"But we have kept our unbeaten run going, Fernando has got another goal and there are other positives.
"It's going to be tough at Stoke but we will have to stand up and fight, stick together and if we get a win, that would be a superb result. We will be ready for it."
Gerrard's midield partner Christian Poulsen is one player at the club who has not enjoyed the recent run as much as the others following a series of lacklustre showings.
The Dane appeared as a late substitute in the Wigan encounter and he accepts it has taken him time to get used to the pace of the Premier League following his pre-season move from Juventus.
"There have been many changes at Liverpool," he said. "We have a new manager and new owners. I am trying to learn as quickly as possible to adapt to the league. The manager has shown a lot of faith in me.
"Liverpool is a great club and I feel really proud to be here. I feel I can improve and give a lot more."
The Merseysiders will visit a Stoke side buoyant after a fine win against Birmingham City on the same night Liverpool were drawing at Wigan.
Stoke seemed to have the game sewn up until Birmingham launched a great fightback before Dean Whitehead eventually settled it with a late winner to ensure a 3-2 win.
Manager Tony Pulis was visibly relieved to end a four match losing streak with a win - and hailed the Britannia Stadium crowd for the impact they had on the encounter.
"Our supporters are magnificent.
"We knew we could rely upon them to really get behind us and they didn't let us down one bit.
"They sensed that we were deflated and we were wobbling a bit when Birmingham pulled it back to 2-2 and they raised the volume.
"That certainly drove us on in the closing stages of the game when we managed to grab the winning goal.
"We know the Liverpool match will be an incredibly tough one for us, so we will another big performance from them on Saturday.
"We've had an unbelievable run of four away defeats and one at home, so it is a big result.
"I'm pleased for the players and the supporters because they can enjoy the game against Liverpool now, but we've got to keep things in perspective."
Stoke have no known injury concerns but Liverpool have doubts over Glen Johnson (thigh), Daniel Agger (calf) and Sotirios Kyrgiakos (tonsillitis).
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