Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers read letters from the players mothers as a motivational tool, revealed forward Philippe Coutinho. Last season the Reds lost out to Manchester City by two points for the Premier League title.

The message from Coutinho's own mother was read out prior to Liverpool's defeat of City at Anfield in April, a game in which the Brazilian himself went on to score a superb winner.

The 22-year-old told CNN Sport: "I was so anxious for it to be my turn, for the manager to read the letter from my mum.

"I waited and waited for it. The manager had spoken to the mothers of every player in the team, he'd been reading a message before every game for months and finally my turn had come.

"At first, I didn't know that the manager would be reading a letter from her, then he mentioned her name and I was really overwhelmed. It said she loved me, is proud of me, is always with me and missing me.

"There was more, but those are just the words I needed to hear. It filled me up. The other players were also really moved because every week, regardless of whose mother it was with the message, we were all inspired and emotional.

"We were getting really strong, powerful words and it pushed us so much."