The Ivorian wants his new club to retain their concentration as Brendan Rodgers looks to guide the Reds to a fourth consecutive Premier League win at Swansea on Monday

Kolo Toure has warned Liverpool not to get carried away with their perfect start to the Premier League season.

Brendan Rodgers’ men are the only team with a 100 per cent record in the top flight after winning their opening three games of the campaign without conceding a goal.

Rodgers takes his side to former club Swansea on Monday, and Toure has urged his team-mates to keep their focus ahead of their trip to the Liberty Stadium.

“A great start is very important, definitely – but it is better to take it game-by-game,” the 32-year-old told Liverpool’s official website.

“We’ve been playing every game like a cup final and we want to win games.

“When we go out, it doesn’t matter where we’re going to play or against who we’re going to play, we will give 100 per cent and try to win.”

Toure’s all-action style of defending and leadership qualities have established him as a firm favourite among Liverpool fans since his close-season move from Manchester City.

And the Cote d’Ivoire international went on to say the camaraderie in the Anfield dressing room has been a crucial component of their superb early-season form, but insisted they will be taking nothing for granted in south Wales.

“Team spirit is high, everyone is working really hard,” he added.

“We will head to Swansea high on confidence because of the position we are in, but we know we need to be focused because it’s going to be a really hard game.”

The Reds defender insists that finishing in the top four remains the club’s primary target, while he is looking forward to welcoming Luis Suarez back into the team after his ban

EXCLUSIVE
By David Lynch

When Jose Enrique says “you never know” on two occasions during our brief interview, it conveys a cautious side to the Liverpool full-back’s personality that he rarely shows on the field.

Renowned for his rampaging runs up the wing, the fearless nature of his late flurries into the opposition box, and unrivalled ability to shield the ball in dangerous positions, Enrique is no shrinking violet on the other side of the white line.

But the Spaniard is by no means arrogant, and he is not the type to get carried away in the hype surrounding Liverpool’s 100 per cent start to the season either. Talk of the Reds’ stay at the top being a potentially lengthy one has inevitably followed three wins from three games, but Enrique remains adamant that Champions League qualification is the sole aim – for the moment, at least.

Speaking at the launch of the EA SPORTS FIFA 14 demo, he told Goal: “You never know but we have to be realistic. Our target is to be in the top four, hopefully we can fight for the title, that would be unbelievable.

“But we have to keep our feet on the ground, it’s just the start and we have only played three games. There are still many games and things can change so much, but hopefully they don’t!

“We have never started like this in the three years I have been here. It is important for confidence. We can see now all the work we have been doing with the manager since last year so hopefully we can keep it up.”

The 27-year-old is, perhaps unsurprisingly, similarly reserved about the prospect of ever playing for Spain. Despite his impressive performances at domestic level over a number of years, Enrique has yet to reap the rewards in the shape of a call-up to Vicente del Bosque’s squad.

But the three-times-capped former Under-21 international has not yet given up hope of returning to the national team fold. “I lose a little bit of confidence in that because it’s been so many years,” he added. “I think I at least deserve the chance to see if I can be there or not but at the moment I don’t have the chance.

“My main aim is to be focusing on Liverpool and hopefully we stay at the top but I hope to go to the national team because it is a World Cup this year and that would be fantastic.”

Unusually for a full-back, Enrique has formed an almost telepathic relationship with a colleague stationed much further up the pitch during his time at Anfield. Luis Suarez’s tendency to drift over to the left-hand side of the pitch has allowed the duo to noticeably link up on a number of occasions as part of Brendan Rodgers’ aggressive attacking philosophy.

And Enrique is understandably looking forward to seeing the Uruguayan back in action following the imminent completion of his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

When asked what Suarez’s return to the team will bring, the full-back enthused: “Goals!

“We are doing well without him but Luis Suarez is always more than welcome. He is one of our best players if not the best, I think he’s important for us and when he comes back it will be great.”

The former Newcastle defender also discussed the recent arrival of a threat to his previously unquestioned presence in Rodgers’ team – Aly Cissokho. The Frenchman, who has moved to Anfield on a season-long loan from Valencia, is set for a further four weeks on the sidelines as a consequence of a foot injury picked up just minutes into his debut.

However, Enrique knows that once Cissokho is back in action, he will face a difficult task in retaining his starting berth.
“I always have competition in my position wherever I’ve been,” he continued. “Here I’ve had Jack Robinson as well but it’s important to have a good opposition because you know if you don’t do well you have someone behind who can take you out of the team.

“He’s a good guy as well, I’ve been talking with him and he speaks Spanish too. Hopefully we can fight for the position and I can still play.”

Jose Enrique appears in EA SPORTS FIFA 14. Download the FIFA 14 demo version now on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Gold. Xbox Live Silver members can download from September 17!

Brendan Rodgers heads back to Swansea City looking to guide Liverpool to their longest winning run at the start of a Premier League season.

The Anfield club are top of the table after securing victories in each of their opening three matches, but they have never won the first four games of a Premier League campaign.

Their 1-0 triumph over rivals Manchester United underlined their threat this term, but Rodgers knows that their promising early form will count for nothing if they fail to maintain the high standards they have set.

“The players have been outstanding,” Rodgers, who managed Swansea between 2010 and 2012, said. “We are all together and it’s a good start.

“It is important to maintain that and we have to be vigilant. We can be better.

“We have shown in stages the quality we can have with the passion, resilience and desire. We just need to keep getting results. We need to keep the feel-good factor going.”

However, Liverpool travel to Wales with a host of injuries, with Daniel Sturridge (thigh) – scorer of the winning goal against United – a doubt for the clash at the Liberty Stadium.

Joe Allen (hamstring) and Kolo Toure (groin) could also miss out, while Aly Cissokho and Glen Johnson (both ankle) and Sebastian Coates (knee) are all definitely out.

New additions Mamadou Sakho, Tiago Ilori and Victor Moses could feature the visitors, but they are likely to face a stern test against a Swansea side that will have revenge on their minds following Liverpool’s 5-0 win at Anfield last season.

Michael Laudrup’s charges have won just one league game so far this term, which came before the international break as they cruised to a 2-0 victory at West Brom.

Swansea travel to Arsenal for another difficult encounter following their clash with Liverpool but the Danish manager is eager to get more points on the board to kick-start their campaign.

“We have a very difficult start,” Laudrup said.

“That’s why West Brom was so important.

“We need to get some points just to stay in there right now, and then we have a run of fixtures against teams who I would say are in our league.”

Laudrup has only a handful of injury concerns, although defender Neil Taylor (thigh) will definitely miss out.

Jonjo Shelvey (thigh) is a doubt to face his former club, while winger Nathan Dyer (hamstring) faces a late fitness test.