Brendan Rodgers believes that his players want to keep raising the bar after just failing to reach 2nd in recent weeks

The Swansea City manager appears as frustrated as anyone that his side have failed to reach the 2nd place that has been on offer in recent weeks through a series of disappointing results.

But he believes that he has the quality and desire within his squad to keep coming back for another chance as he prepares for the busy Christmas period of games.

Four games in a little over a week will go some way to indicating those who can and those who won't and Rodgers told the Evening Post "At the moment we are a bit like the high jumper who goes to clear the bar but knocks it off

"When you see in slow motion what happened, he gives the bar a slightest touch and it falls.

"When that happens, he gets up and goes again because he wants to clear it and he knows he can do it. He knows he just needs that little bit more.

"We are in that position now — we want to keep moving forward.

"We have had some chances to clear the bar in the last couple of weeks but each time it has just fallen off.

"But just like the high jumper, we will get up, dust ourselves off and go again.

"The beauty with the group of players we have at this club is that they want to make that jump," he adds.

"They want to keep raising the bar.

"It is our job to stay together as a group in the tough moments, like the one we are experiencing right now, and see it through.

"I've said it before, but it's vital that we keep the mental side of things right until the end of the season.

"I think it's natural over the course of a long season that you are going to have dips.

"But the best teams, the ones who will fulfil their ambitions by being up there at the end of the season, are the ones who get the mental side of things right.

"We have to keep showing that desire to win in every game we play."

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