Captain Steven Gerrard is saying that his Liverpool squad indeed has the character that skipper Brendan Rodgers is looking for out of the football club. 

Rodgers voiced his disapproval over his players' poor play amid the holidays by saying that they "can't turn character on and off," according to the Mirror.

Superstar Gerrard concurred that the Reds' lackluster performance in its losses to Aston Villa and Stoke were unsatisfactory to the squad's usual standard of play.

While Rodgers did suggest that the team's younger players are making progress ahead of Wednesday night's showdown at Anfield, he's seemingly blaming the brunt of the team's inconsistencies on them.

"There will be a few blips along the way like the Villa defeat, because we are a very young squad.  But clubs are defined by how they react to adversity and I know this group shares plenty of character and togetherness.  As a collective, we will learn and we will get better," Gerrard told the U.K. publication.

"But clubs are defined by how they react to adversity and I know this group shares plenty of character and togetherness. As a collective, we will learn and we will get better. I'm excited about this Liverpool team. I genuinely believe we are moving in the right direction," he added.

While Gerrard did display a fair share of optimism in terms of his club, he did acknowledge that Liverpool's mid-table position in the Premier League is unacceptable. Hence, he feels as though a considerable improvement needs to be made in 2013.

"The league position needs to be improved and that needs to be our focus.  But we've got games in two major cup competitions to look forward to in the second half of the season as well," Gerrard explained.

CLICK HERE to watch Liverpool face off against Sunderland.  Coverage of the Premier League game is set to begin at 7:45 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Tags: International Soccer English Premier League