Swansea manager Garry Monk believes recent frank talks with his players has led to an improvement, as he tries to arrest a run of poor form.
Monk is adamant the dialogue was not clear-the-air talks though, after a run of form which has sent Swansea spiralling towards the Premier League relegation zone.
But the Swans boss sensed a positive effect with a cohesive display at Liverpool last weekend, even though defeat to a James Milner penalty left Swansea with only one win in 10 league games.
After failing to impress in the 2-2 against Bournemouth in the previous match, Monk is optimistic he can get the team back to winning ways in the short term.
"At the start of last week after the Bournemouth game, I sat down with all the players and had good discussions with them on how we go forward and what we need to do to improve," Monk said.
"It was really positive, the feedback from them and my views as well.
"We put that on to the training field and I think you saw that in the Liverpool game.
"It was a much-improved performance, considering where we were the week before. It was much more like ourselves.
"It showed we are trying to work the right way and, apart from doing a little bit better in the final third, I thought we were excellent."
Monk's position has come under immense scrutiny during a miserable run which has dropped them from a Champions League position at the end of August into the bottom six.
The 36-year-old, who guided Swansea to their highest ever top-flight finish of eighth last season, has received support from counterparts including Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
And Monk has informed his squad he will deal with any criticism and let them focus on the football, starting with the visit of high-flying Leicester on Saturday.
"Those discussions were definitely the right step to make," Monk said. "It's not an easy process but it was definitely a step in the right direction.
"We talked about many things, we talked about the situation and said: 'Let's be open and honest about it.'
"I talked a lot about the mentality and the approach of how we go forward, things we need to improve football-wise on a daily basis to take into games.
"The players talked about their perception of the situation and how they felt in certain games.
"Of course, we were disappointed with the result at Liverpool, but I think the whole team stepped up and turned a corner.
"I told them let me worry about that, I'm the manager and it's for me to deal with. I've got big enough shoulders to deal with it and the players can concentrate on their performance.
"You saw that at Liverpool and it's important we take that momentum into the next game, which I'm sure we will do."