UNDER PRESSURE? It hasn’t gone to plan so far this season for Brendan Rodgers
OURS is a club of extremes. We’re either in or out, up or down, black or white. The middle path is the one least travelled. We sway from the darkest cynicism to checking out next May’s Berlin hotel availability an hour after we’ve just been gubbed by Real Madrid. We like to stay on the edges and camp out. Positive or negative: we take our position and stay there.
This has been perfectly illustrated since August. For some, we’ve got a chance of getting through the Champions’ League group and are sitting in the pack just outside the top four ready to strike. For others, we’ve blown the good work of last year, won’t get anywhere near the Promised Land and will be back where we were in the first place (but definitely not *in* first place).
I’d like to plead the value of the middle ground.
Year three hasn’t started well. It really hasn’t. The meek defeats to West Ham and Villa, the shambolic start to the Champions League and a game where we were bullied by septuagenarian Bobby Zamora have all eclipsed the joy of White Hart Lane. In the expectation stakes, Brendan isn’t having a good time and this is where he has to earn his corn. Year one was a journey for the word ‘progress’ with it’s awful start and its promising ending, while year two was a veritable rollercoaster of joy and heartache. This season is so, so different.
And this is where any analysis is judged by the extremities of any agenda. It’s fine to say this season has not begun well. Tottenham and maybe the Derby have shown that we can do better but this is a slump – not a terrible one, not one worthy of questioning the manager’s position or anything stupid like that, but one worthy of comment.
And you know what? It’s alright to say that. Sometimes you just have to deal with what’s around you and build from it. It doesn’t mean that you are elated to be doing so purely because you can’t warm to Brendan’s dogma, nor does it make you a head-in-the-sand optimist who writes ‘YNWA’ at the end of every sentence to prove authenticity. It’s okay to look at Liverpool in laboratory conditions without external stimuli colouring the issues.
GET REAL: The Kop shows its support before the match with Real Madrid at Anfield
A friend of mine recently said, while assessing this season and last: “After how close we went last season and with the money we’ve spent, we should be streets ahead by now.” That’s an illuminating remark as it suggests that the majority of the work was done last season and that this one should be a breeze. It doesn’t work like that. Football, like a shark, is always moving. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said: “Everything changes and nothing remains still … you cannot step twice into the same stream.”
This season isn’t last season in the same way that stream isn’t the same one you were in 10 minutes ago as that water has moved on. Alright, Heraclitus probably wasn’t thinking about Brendan’s tricky third album back then but he had a point. We were never going to just pick up from where we left off and take the League by storm as a matter of entitlement. True, we’d be better prepared for it than we’d been in previous seasons but you can’t just hope it’ll get us through.
(Incidentally, Heraclitus was known as the ‘weeping philosopher’, such was his susceptibility to melancholy, while his rival, Democritus, was known as the ‘laughing philosopher’. There were polar opposite views even back then. Anyway…)
Much of this slight decline is to do with Suarez obviously, as replacing one of the best strikers in the world when none of his peers are available is tricky at best, but there are other factors. Chelsea, for example. Jose Mourinho bought Costa and Fabregas – two fantastic players that have stepped straight into the first team and taken the league by storm. We, through no fault of our own, haven’t had that luxury. Instead, we’ve had Markovic (not used to the Premier League), Lallana (not fit), Can (injured), Lovren (there is no soundbite available – more of a treatise), and an over-eager yet misfiring Ricky Lambert and…and…well…
Ah, Mario. All Liverpool match reports lead back to you.
There are more extremities here than in any other player since, well, the last one. Balotelli hasn’t started well but did anyone really expect him to given the Sturridge injuries? He’s a support player to the main striker or needs a support striker when it’s his turn. He needs Daniel Sturridge up front with him. This poses the question ‘Is Liverpool’s season record based on Daniel’s fitness?’ because, if it is, we’ve had it.
I like Mario. I think he’s got something, and I like strikers who shoot the first chance they get. The trouble is, he hasn’t had that much of a chance and those he’s had he’s ballooned over the bar (Everton and QPR) thanks to the urge to break the net. I thought he was okay against Real Madrid and liked how he seemed to stay close enough to Raheem to help out but come the end of the first half the narrative had already been written and hilarious ‘banter’ knobheads like Paddy Power were lolling and lolling. (You’ve never been funny, lads. Not once).
Madrid became Mario’s fault. I mean, alright, we’d kept one clean sheet in 18 games, had played the best side in the world and showed little fight after the first goal whether he was either on the pitch or not, but somehow him swapping a shirt 10 metres away from the designated shirt-swapping zone had cost us victory. Little was made of silent centre backs and Mignolet once again trying to stop the ball with his face rather than with his hands but there are no headlines or agenda to be attached to there.
Not that I’m defending him. He doesn’t get around anything like he should and his body language is Torres-esque but I think it will come. He just needs someone with him. Strikers feed off scraps and there aren’t any if you’re up there on your own. Mind you, running around a bit might help. Just a thought.
The strangest thing about the whole Balotelli issue is why we bought him in the first place. There doesn’t seem to be much logic to it. If Adam Lallana is your chief signing — a man who relies on intricate play and delivering through balls — why bring in a target man who is more Emile Heskey than Michael Owen? True, variety is key and this Liverpool side need to find new ways to win rather than relying on one overall ‘philosophy’ but it’s an extraordinary choice. We don’t play with touchline-hugging wingers, nor do we lump it big from the back for knockdowns to a second striker. We haven’t got a second striker! Maybe it wasn’t Brendan’s doing? Maybe the transfer committee just shoved him at the manager and said “There’s your Suarez” when he’s anything but. Maybe.
This is highlighted more than ever thanks to the paucity of striking options. Lambert wants to do well but he too hasn’t managed a goal yet, and Fabio Borini has turned into persona non gratia to such an extent that you and I have more chance of game time now. Last season we outscored our own defensive mishaps but if you stop doing that there’s going to be a searchlight on your back four and the defenders have done themselves no favours. We now have two clean sheets since March and, as disappointing as Hull was, it comes to something when you’re happy with half a scoreline.
The defence is the one thing that Rodgers has never really nailed. Oh, he’s spent money there but it’s never worked for him. Whereas Benitez and Houllier went straight to the root of the problem, Brendan has pushed a strategy of defence through attacking and pressing play rather than front foot leadership from his back four. Again, if we’re not doing that, gaps are going to appear. His best defensive record stems from the second half of his first season when he brought Carragher back, when Jamie’s vocal cords got as much of a work out as his legs. I’d hoped that Lovren would at least be a loudmouth – organising the back four, telling Mignolet that he’s allowed to come off his line and coaxing Skrtel to abandon his amateur wrestling career but, if anything, he’s quieter than the others. Great defences have shouters. We don’t seem to have bothered with any of that. We’re not in the least bit aggressive.
I’ll go further. There isn’t enough aggression throughout the entire team. There’s fight to some extent but that isn’t the same thing. Yes, Brendan was right to praise the spirit of the camp in the last 10 minutes at Loftus Road but we’re just meek when it comes to getting on the front foot. This Liverpool side is easily bullied, easily cowed. Look at West Ham, City, and Villa. You can put Madrid in a separate category as they’re better than us in every way but even then we should have reminded them just exactly who they were playing. Better than us? Not while you’re in the stands, son. Faster? Not with my studs on your calf. You don’t get a free night in this ground.
Oh, they were always going to win but the resignation after the first goal was as disappointing as it was evitable. In the second half, every member of our back four scored an impressive 0% in the Tackles Won department. That’s appalling. That’s embarrassing. Obviously, you can add no bookings to that. Get fucking angry, lads. We’re not the team we were last season so what do you do? You dig in, you work harder and you give yourself a chance. Nice possession stats and pointing at one player isn’t going to do it. We’re working hard enough but where’s the fire?
This isn’t an attack on the manager but it’s his job to instill those qualities. He can do it as he’s done it before. He got mopey Gooner wannabe Luis to genius Luis in a few short weeks. Get at them, Brendan.
This club is all about extremities with few people seeing Brendan Rodgers as ‘alright, I suppose’. He’s either the new Shankly or a manager who got lucky with Suarez. I’m definitely in the middle. He’s had his start, he’s had his great season and now it’s time to see what he can do when the problems are of his own making – as all strategies have them built in. I think he can do it but he may need to edit the blueprints and become more defence-minded and pragmatic first.
This is where we find out.
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda
I’m ok with the Hull game. We desperately needed a clean sheet to give the back four some confidence so going solid makes sense. Can got more minutes under his belt too.
Big problem this season: No leaders on the pitch.
Marvellous article, and I agree with (almost) every word. Thanks,
Rodgers can’t cut it and he never stops talking shite. He’s like Lance Armstrong with Luis Suarez his performance enhancing drug. Now Suarez is gone all that’s left is the blag artist. Let’s not forget last season when SAS were terrorising teams Rodgers would take it upon himself to phone up places like TalkSport every couple of days for 20/30 minute interviews dedicated to his philosophy. At every possible opportunity Rodgers expounds on his own ideas and philosophies and is quick to take the credit through long speeches dedicated to his methods when things are going right, as well as dishing out a moral lesson or two for our benefit (usually telling us what a stand up, moral guy he personally is). When things are going wrong he just bullshits. Either we’re ‘outstanding’ after a rubbish 0-0 with Hull that would make Hodgson blush or it’s Mario’s fault. Rodgers has been led by the nose by the media in terms of handling Balotelli.
The plan when Rodgers came in was to be in the CL in season 3 which is upon us. We must be in the CL this season after the huge warchest Daddy Warbucks provided him this summer. I recall Rodgers saying ‘this will be a really good season, we’re in for a great time blah blah’ in pre season – where’s that all gone? Now it’s ‘youngsters and transition and being unfortunate.’ If Studge returns and fires us to a few wins it will be Lord Rodgers addressing The House again.
Truth is we blew it in the market. Lallana(25m) – our marquee signing is a 26 year old who hasn’t even played in the Europa League. David Silva(24m), Toni Kroos(24m), Fabregas(27m), Nasri(24m), Ya Ya Toure(24m), Hazard(32m), Rakitic(17.5m Euros) are all players who cost around that much and wipe the floor with Lallana when it comes to ability and quality and being suitable for a club of LFC’s stature and ambition. The other signings are all below LFC quality too apart from Origi, Can and Moreno.
We should have been signing players that are on Sturridge’s level of ability and consistency, he’s streets ahead of the rest of the team. People who say at Spurs we had Studge and Balo smashing it are dead wrong. That game was Sturridge on absolute fire and Sterling being inspired too.
Our defence is leaderless, our keeper can’t cut it, our midfield is easily walked through and dominated (wasn’t a cut price Sami Khedira available this summer?) Our attack is toothless without Studge.
Rodgers was unambitious in the transfer market and I’m guessing he has very little pull with big European players anyway. Either that or he believed his own hype too much, judging how often he likes to walk us through his methods and his personal journey as a coach through Europe I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the latter.
Rodgers is a very good coach, perhaps excellent, and a competent manager who would be suited to Spurs at best but not LFC. He’s a complete schoolboy in Europe as well and didn’t sign any players of the level required to compete in the CL this summer, as demonstrated by our 2 comprehensive defeats and a last minute penalty winner caused by a erroneous back pass.
Rodgers had plenty of coaching/tactical time last season and our defence was rubbish, we had a thin squad because Rodgers bought duds like Aspas and Alberto for 15m combined and Moses in on loan. He’s bought badly again and I think has already outspent Rafa in just 3 seasons. Over 210m spent and we may finish in the same position as 2012-13. Two reasons we may not and may get top 4. 1. Daniel Sturridge – literally our only real hope unless we bring in some top player in January. 2. The poor standard of our rivals. If this was 2 or 3 seasons ago we’d already be out of the top 4 running.
If Rodgers stays I can only hope he has learned the need to sign only the very best players with real European experience from now on and the importance of defence. The ‘filling out the squad’ is BS too. Instead of Markovic keep Ibe. Instead of Lallana promote Suso. That’s 45 MILLION POUNDS saved for a player who can actually cut it at CL level and win Liverpool trophies.
No top 4 this season – Rodgers has to go. Get top 4 – he gets another season and has to challenge for the title. LFC isn’t an academy for young managers learning their trade. Rodgers doesn’t seem to possess that killer instinct top managers have anyway, and I think it was Suarez who gave us that killer instinct last season.
Was last season down to Suarez or Rodgers? Well Suarez is gone and where are we now? Mourinho, Pellegrini, Wenger, Ferguson would all have won the PL last season if they had SAS. Simple. Benitez as well.
The truth is Rodgers is like the rest of us, desperately hoping Sturridge returns someday and pulls us out of the mire. In difficult situations you should rely on your star player/s I agree but also your manager. Rodgers is bottling it big time.
Rodgers is very modern with the media, a great talker, a very good coach but there’s not as much evidence he’s a top manager as his sunshiners like to make out. Last season was the ‘perfect storm’ – 1 game a week, 2 out of this world strikers, unbelievable support that won us games like Man City (h).
Liverpool now look ordinary because they deploy ordinary players with ordinary tactics. Sterling, Coutinho and Sturridge pull us above that but they are the only top players we have. Henderson is decent enough, Gerrard needs to be phased out but of course that won’t happen as long as Rodgers is renting Stevie’s house will it? Can and Moreno are good but young. Sakho and Suso who both could make it here can’t even get a look in because Rodgers is persisting with his duds from Southampton.
We’ve now conceded 105 goals in 85 league games under Rodgers, and regardless of attack (185 scored) if you can’t teach a team to defend after nearly 100 league games and signing your own players will you ever do it? 1-0 and 2-0’s are so important to winning leagues but they’re not Rodgers cup of tea. He believes too much in his all-out-attack philosophy and is falling on his own sword. We saw a Rodgers team at their absolute best last season, how can he possibly do better considering his philosophy and tactical ability? We finished on 84 points which is usually good enough for 3rd, sometimes 2nd. Will Rodgers ever do better than that 84 point haul considering his defensive and tactical flaws?
At times I’ve been impressed and at times I’ve been angry with Rodgers but all in all he’s not the right man imo based on everything I’ve seen and all factors thus far considered. If he proves me wrong I’m all for it but looking at the top managers across Europe (all of whom can attack and defend – Mourinho, Guardiola, Ancelotti, Simeone, Pellegrini, Enrique) Rodgers isn’t in their league.
It’s time for Rodgers to move on to Spurs who will welcome his attacking-screw-the-defence-style and will revel in his blagging, overconfident, self hyped abilities. Brendan Rodgers name even sounds like he could be a Liverpool great but the truth is it’s all part of an increasingly unconvincing act.
These are the truths as I see them.
We bust a gut to get Silva without success and for many of the others we didn’t have the cash when it mattered. We only had it this season because Suarez’s fee filled the coffers. I don’t think the Kroos and Fabregas of this world are quite ready to bet the farm on Liverpool, which is why it’s so important we make the CL again this season. Do that and I think the highest quality talent in Europe once again start looking upon Anfield as a place to ply their trade.
I meant we could have spent that 25m on better players than Lallana considering other players in that price bracket are way out of his league, Lallana is a 12 million pound player in my book, at an absolute stretch 14 million. Players with European experience only should have been considered for that kind of mullah.
Would you take 14.5 million and a genuine Rolex thrown in, or would that be pushing it?
Values on players are arbitrary and getting het up about different seven-figure numbers is a bit silly. If Coutinho cost 8.5 million in 2013 and Henderson cost an undisclosed fee between 16 million and 20 million in 2011, how much change will I get from a tenner if I buy two kebabs at 4 quid each? Etc.
Here2win(!) Hope you appreciate the irony of your contribution given the subject of this article?
Yes :D Very extreme but I had to get it out there. I’m not even anti-Rodgers just genuinely don’t think he can cut it. To sound less extreme, if he proves me wrong I’m all for it!
You are welcome to an opinion. But yours sounds more like a frustrated rant than an informed opinion. I feel so, because you are unwilling to give BR ANY credit for the good things a LFC have done since he has come in, but are absolutely sure that he deserves ALL the criticism for things that have gone wrong.
You’ve even gone as far to proclaim that if LFC improve this season, it will definitely be because of other factors and absolutely nothing that BR might do.
With that attitude, the only logical step is to sack the man tomorrow.
The mind boggles!
Nicely balanced piece.
“For some, we’ve got a chance of getting through the Champions’ League group and are sitting in the pack just outside the top four ready to strike. For others, we’ve blown the good work of last year, won’t get anywhere near the Promised Land and will be back where we were in the first place (but definitely not *in* first place).”
The difference between these two extremes of opinion is that glass half-full merchants are objectively correct in their assessment: with wins against Ludogerets and Basel and we’ll likely qualify and we *are* just outside the top 4 with only 3 teams above us who will be there or thereabouts come season end. The doom-mongers, on the other hand, can only offer massively subjective pre-judgement. They may turn out to be more accurate in the long run, but there is currently no basis in fact to their predictions. As such, I personally don’t feel the need to plough a middle furrow; we’ve had very mediocre start, but only Chelsea and City are close to knocking it out of the park right now. There’s plenty of Utd, Spurs and Arsenal fans who are looking at their own teams and thinking it’s all gone to shit, too. I know some LFC fans will say that they don’t give a rat’s ass what’s happening at other clubs, but at the end of the day the league/cups are competitions. It *is* all relative and I’ll settle for a mediocre Liverpool winning a trophy even if it’s just because the rest of the teams are more mediocre than we are.
We need a new keeper. Mignolet isn’t getting any better at the things he needs to improve. We need a presence behind this back four – a big, commanding character like a Kasper Schmeichel or John Ruddy. Either would be an upgrade on Mignolet and both would come to Liverpool given the chance. I genuinely believe you’d see the Lovren-Skrtel/Sakho partnership improve as a result. I think Baresi-Costacurta would look vulnerable in front of a Mignolet and behind a midfield with no top-class defensive qualities. We’re powder-puff through the middle and of all Rodgers’ mistakes to date, his failure to adequately replace Lucas is his most egregious. To be fair, he may have planned for Can to fill this role and injury intervened. We’ll see.
In short, I don’t think the defence – as in the individual elements – are the root cause of our woes. I believe they’d improve individually and collectively with the changes mentioned above. As for defending set-pieces, we tend to leave Sterling up and pull everyone else back, which means there are 9 plus the keeper trying to keep the ball out at corners and wide free-kicks. That’s not just a back four problem.
His first two albums featured other people’s hits. Now he’s on his own, he can’t cut it.