After a lethargic showing against arch-rival Manchester United last weekend, Brendan Rodgers’s Liverpool squad rebounded on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over mighty Bournemouth in the quarterfinals of the Capital One Cup. Though Bournemouth currently are in first place in the Championship, the victory has done nothing to quiet the growing chorus of Scousers that want Rodgers sacked. Is this really fair given how close Liverpool came to winning the league last year? As Liverpool gears up for a Sunday showdown with Arsenal (whose manager is also under fire), we at The18 channeled our inner-Clash to evaluate whether Rodgers should stay or go.
Let’s evaluate this Serial-style with a prosecution (sack him) and a defense (keep him):
The Case For Brendan Rodgers
There is no sense pretending that Liverpool’s season so far has been anything less than a major disappointment. Liverpool currently sits in 11th place in the Barclays Premier League table and failed to advance out of the group stage in the Champions League, dropping down to the Europa League. They also just lost 3-0 to much-hated Manchester United. So, things aren’t great.
But let’s look at the hand that Brendan has been dealt this season. He lost the Premier League Player of the Year in Luis Suarez and the second-leading scorer in the league, Daniel Sturridge, has been unavailable to him for most of the season due to a variety of injuries. Between the two, that’s 52 goals that Liverpool has had to replace from last season, which does not even count the goals that the pair assisted on. Liverpool rode the “S&S boys” almost all the way to the title last season, but they’re not here now.
Not hard to figure out what’s been missing for Liverpool this year. (Photo: @NgurahErawan2 | Twitter)
Rodgers also has had to deal with what to do with captain and local legend Steven Gerrard. Gerrard has clearly lost a step and with the exception of his set pieces, which are still world class, he is not close to the player that he once was. He should probably be a part-time player at this stage of his career, but given his legendary status…that’s easier said than done.
Rodgers did bring in a number of solid players this summer to add depth to the squad - but, so far, the players have not lived up to the expectations that everyone has had for them.
The Case Against Brendan Rodgers
The above may be true. Suarez and Sturridge haven’t been in the lineup this season and their replacements have not been able to replicate what S&S could do. But who picked those replacements? Liverpool got £65 million for Suarez, which gave them plenty of extra money to work with in finding someone to take his place. After seeing Tottenham make the same mistake with its Gareth Bale-money, Liverpool followed suit and purchased a bunch of good players to replace Suarez rather than one or two superstar players. Liverpool signed Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, and Mario Balotelli (among others) during the summer transfer window. All good players, but with the exception of Balotelli on occasion…none are great.
Meanwhile Chelsea added Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal signed Alexis Sanchez, and Manchester United brought in Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria. Of those players…which combination would you rather have? The players Liverpool’s rivals signed are difference makers, which Liverpool currently lacks on its active roster. And at least part of that has to fall on Rodgers, depending on how much input he really had in the summer signings.
Rodgers thought this was a good idea. (Photo: @GameYetu | Twitter)
And yes, while Liverpool came second last year in the table and arguably should have won the league, Suarez and Sturridge’s performances overshadowed a dreadful defensive squad. Ultimately, Liverpool’s defensive ineptitude caught up to them in late-season matches against Chelsea & Crystal Palace and it cost them the title. That’s another black mark against Rodgers.
Oh, and Liverpool just crashed out of the Champions League competition that it so desperately craved and has shown no signs so far this season of being able to get back into the top 4 to rejoin the competition next year.
The Case FOR:
OK, so the replacements for Suarez haven’t been great, but Rodgers didn’t expect Sturridge to be out for almost the entire season either, which has to be considered in the evaluation of the signings. That being said, Liverpool came in 2nd place last year in the league and it finally looked like it was emerging from the wilderness after several years outside the Champions League. Without the pressure of the knockout stage of the Champions League, Rodgers will be able to turn his entire focus to the league, while his rivals (save for Manchester United) continue to play Champions League football. Are you really saying that they should dump the man that took them there before the calendar turns to 2015? Do you want to be Chelsea? (OK, bad example this year, but you get the idea).
And who could you get to replace him in the middle of the season?
The Case AGAINST:
It could be an arms race for Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp, who has indicated that he would be interested in a move to the Premier League. The earlier you do the inevitable and get rid of Rodgers, the more of a head start you get on your rivals for Klopp’s services. This season is evidence that Rodgers was riding Suarez’s coattails and without him, the club is stuck in the middle of the table. Liverpool’s goal has to be winning silverware; it is becoming clear that it is not going to happen under Brendan Rodgers, so why wait? And come on, Klopp for the Kop? It’s too perfect!
The Case FOR:
Two words: Roy Hodgson. Not all managerial appointments work out.
The Case AGAINST:
….yeah, but still.
The Verdict:
This is a tough one. It’s been a rough start to the campaign and, at times, Rodgers has looked completely lost as to how to halt Liverpool’s slide in form. His summer signings have been a disappointment and the club needs a major reversal in fortune to get back into the Champions League for next year.
That being said, Liverpool is currently only 7 points out of 4th place and it has plenty of time to make up the ground, starting this Sunday against one of its rivals for the 4th place trophy, Arsenal. After coming so close to winning the league last year, we can’t in good conscience say it’s time for the Brendan Rodgers era to be over. He deserves more time, including the January transfer window, to get the Reds back on track. Perhaps the decision will be different later in the campaign or in the summer, but for now….he stays.
VERDICT: HE STAYS
(Photo: @LFC | Twitter)
Follow Mike Smith on Twitter @thefootiegent
Disagree? Let him know.
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