The runs enjoyed by Liverpool under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers have been some of the most enthralling in the Premier League era.

Last season’s 11-game winning sequence pushed the Reds to within touching distance of the Premier League title. In the current campaign, the chain of games they embarked on in late 2014—which saw 10 wins and three draws in 13 games—thrust them back into the UEFA Champions League race.

But both of those enchanting spells—which typically emerge during the back end of the Premier League season—during which the Merseyside outfit blew away teams with a vibrant, enterprising and incisive brand of soccer, ended in pretty volatile circumstances.

Jose Mourinho’s jig down the Anfield touchline, surrendering a three-goal lead at Crystal Palace and Luis Suarez’s tears blemished the end of last season. Juan Mata’s brace at Anfield, Arsenal’s rout at the Emirates and the rank ill-discipline of Emre Can, Martin Skrtel and perhaps most shockingly of all, Steven Gerrard, shunted Liverpool off course in this one.

When things are going well for the Reds and there’s momentum behind them, they are one of the most fearsome sides in the division. At their best, Rodgers’ team press with unrelenting endeavor, play with remarkable incision and bewitch with their enamoring intricacy.

But these runs of enchanting play are based on foundations too precarious for the Reds to retain their respective charges.

Whether it be an admittedly shock title tilt last time out, or the revised ambition of finishing in a Champions League spot, there’s a perennial need to eek out results when things aren’t going well. At the moment, the streetwise quality all the very best sides boast is a little scarce at Anfield.

It’s this dearth of nous that has seen Liverpool toil when the crunch has really come under Rodgers’ tutelage. Aside from their win against a moribund Manchester City outfit, they’ve failed to secure victories against any of the other sides which finished in last season’s top four; in both recent crunch clashes with Arsenal and United they’ve been comprehensively outplayed.

While teams like Chelsea, the Red Devils and even the Gunners have churned out arduous but effective victories when the situation demands, Liverpool don’t seem to possess an underpinning unshakeable quality. It’s a trait so important when things don’t quite click into gear, as is boasting the requisite mentality required to bounce back swiftly from set-backs suffered.

There have been signs that suggest this is a group capable of adding this fortitude to their play, though.

Liverpool’s previous match at Blackburn Rovers saw the Reds roll up their sleeves and get stuck in, with a moment of quality from Philippe Coutinho proving to be the difference between the two teams. This side also went on a stunning recent run of keeping six clean sheets in succession away from home.

Rodgers clearly harbours dreams of establishing the Reds amongst the top sides in English and European football. As he comes to the end of his third year in charge, there are undeniable indications that under his watch, Liverpool can play with a swagger which would see them match the best on the continent.

They’ve produced these levels for long spells, but there’s an eminent sense that the whirlwind of confidence this team builds can be sapped far too easily should something nudge the Reds slightly off course in their endeavors. For a team with eyes on returning to former glories, it’s a hugely debilitating property.

The signs are Rodgers can implement steel and the intention to build a young squad bristling with burgeoning talent following the sale of Suarez is understandable. After all, these players will be a year older and a year wiser as they gear up for the Premier League next season. But if they’re to continue looking upwards rather than over their shoulders, more still needs to be done.

As Rodgers gears up for his fourth season in charge of this iconic club, after the seismic shift in personnel in the previous summer window, it’s time to add some grit to this team. Whether it be courtesy of his managerial acumen, the acquisition of new faces or bolstering the group’s mental strength with an FA Cup win this season.

Either way, introducing and embedding those components will stand the Reds in far superior stead as Rodgers strives to add a dash of imperative fortitude to complement their elongated flurries of flair and ferocity.

Follow Matt on Twitter @MattJFootball