Honeymoon Over For Rodgers
Liverpool lost again on Boxing Day for their 6th league defeat of the season. It has been a very inconsistent season for the Reds, but everyone connected with the Anfield club realise that this is a season of transition, with a new young manager at the helm.
Brendan Rodgers has been given the backing from the supporters and the owners, which is important, and his passing style of play has impressed the supporters along with his introduction of many young players into the first team. Brendan Rodgers is also media friendly, as his post-match interviews have proved, along with his starring role in the behind the scenes documentary “Being Liverpool”. Rodgers’ relationship with the media has been very encouraging after previous manager, Kenny Dalglish’s frosty and awkward relationship with the media.
But for the first time since Rodgers took over in the summer, there has been some grumblings of unrest from the Anfield faithful, probably, triggered by the way Liverpool lost to Stoke the other night and not just by the defeat itself. It looked like a re-run of the Aston Villa defeat, not so long ago, apart from the fact that Liverpool never led in the Villa match. In both matches Liverpool’s defence looked vulnerable and a lack of creation in the final third never caused the opposition defenders too much trouble. But the lack of passion and commitment to get back into these matches caused the biggest concern. Gerrard and Suarez looked like the only two players willing to give their all for the club in the face of defeat and that is what is not good enough for Liverpool supporters.
Liverpool lost many experienced players in the summer who did a good job for the club over the years, and when you look at who Rodgers has brought in to improve the team, well, I’m not sure they are better, Assaidi, Yesil and Sahin can’t get a game, ok Borini has been unfortunate with injury, but in his short spell he has only contributed one goal and struggled with the pace of the Premiership. Even big money signing Joe Allen is struggling to get a game recently since Lucas returned from injury. So his transfer record is not impressing so far, and hopefully he can change that in January.
Brendan Rodgers has tried to implement a “Barcelona” style into his Liverpool side, but although Liverpool have played good football many times throughout the season, he doesn’t have the players “Barcelona” have and in defence especially his style doesn’t work. I don’t know how many times this season Liverpool have lost goals from trying to pass in their defensive third. Against Stoke it was getting embarrassing as Stoke hustled Liverpool into mistake after mistake. Liverpool’s defenders are not comfortable enough in possession to play this way and the sooner Rodgers realises the better for Liverpool. Recent stats have shown that Liverpool pass mostly in their defensive third, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Reina gets the most touches with all the back passes he receives. I’m not saying Liverpool should play long ball tactics but you have to be versatile and be able to play different styles, depending on who you are playing against and if the preferred style is not working then be willing to change.
Patience has been granted to Rodgers throughout this inconsistent first season, but football is a results driven business and he must find that consistency or face being under pressure from the supporters, but more importantly from the trigger happy American owners.
I don’t think there is a need to panic yet and I think Brendan Rodgers should get at least this whole season, hopefully longer to prove himself. But he has to show the supporters and the owners that the club is progressing in the right direction and for the first time many Liverpool supporters are wondering if that is happening.
The Kopite View 
i am troubled by glenn johnson. i just think we’d be better off with a solid defender. he’s never in the right place. i know he is dangerous in final third but we need to solidify our defense. am i wrong?
totally agree to play like Barcelona you need a class that we havn,t got so perhaps we should start playing to our strengths and make it a gradual progress to playing like Barca so every one won,t know what were going to do and set them selves up to close us down in the last quarter leaving us open at the back and exposed
Well written and very truthful, Rodgers isn’t giving any other players a chance only the ones he signed. Very unfortunate for the team as a whole.
Think he has the right idea but the problem is that fans are worried about the drop which can happen to any club. In several games he has changed it round and all looked good but the stoke and villa games he did not make a decisive change. What has happened to Jamie Carriger there must be a place it that team in defensive mid field also we could use jay spearing for his fighting sprite
tika taka works well in Spanish football because they play at a different tempo over there, its hot and you cant run flat out for 90 minutes so they slow it down by passing it around for a while, you cant do that in the premier league, teams are snapping at you the second you get the ball, the stokes and evertons will press you all over the pitch and pick up any loose balls, now if you look at it a different way and ask how many teams have won the prem playing barca style the answer is O, swansea finished about 10th and thats it, how many teams have won the prem playing the old Liverpool pass n move 442 style? Fergies Man U teams play the old Liverpool way, 442 with one striker leading the line and one dropping back in midfield when not in possesion (Rush/Dalglish = RVP/Rooney), Giggs was his Steve Heighway/John Barnes and Scholes is his Souness, Man u have carried on the style played by Liverpool in the 70s/80s while Liverpool have tinkered with foreign managers and systems, the only way we can win the title again is by going back to basics and playing the way we used to, start by bringing back the old boys to run things, Steve Nicol manager, John Barnes assistant, Roy Evans DOF, Aldo in charge of reserves and Stevie Heighway at the academy, we are short of a Ronnie Moran to keep the players feet on the ground maybe Carra can do the seargant major style shouting
We are playing too many players out of position to try and suit his ideas it should be the other way round. You look at the players and set your team up to get results.
Another things that worry’s me is he is never going to get the best players and whilst you are trying to do that Suarez will go and Gerrard gets older. The reason Barca play the way they do is they have the best players in the world and an academy that has had the same mentality for 30 odd years.
I’m underwhelmed and hope things get better but I have my doubts and we are poorer than last year and I feel the style is just an excuse to buy time.