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Si Steers assesses the structure of Liverpool FC, why managing the Reds demands sustained success, and adds to the calls for a Sporting Director.
Let’s face it, when judging any manager at Liverpool it is always against the achievements of the past. ‘First is first and second is nowhere’ is a fine philosophy and ambition – but it is also sometimes a noose around a managers neck at the club – as anything other than that is deemed as embracing mediocrity.
We have been fortunate to have had some transformational and world class managers throughout our history; but, it would be interesting to see how the likes of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley operated (and survived) in today’s game. The difficulty managers have at Liverpool in today’s game is that there is a gap between expectation and reality – we walk like a big club, we talk like a big club, but the truth is we are trying to regain, not retain our status as a big club.
This makes the manager’s job almost an impossible task – it doesn’t matter if you reach 2 European Cup finals in five years (winning one of them), or come agonisingly close to winning a first league title in twenty years – there will always be a demand for more.
Of course, a pre-requisite for any manager at the club should be ambition. They should recognise that winning is at the heart of the club’s DNA – and align everything they do to making the club the very best it can. But the simple fact is that the constraints to winning will not be found inside the manager’s office at Melwood – it is far more complex than that.
Every single manager in the games has his strengths and weaknesses, nobody is perfect, and nobody ticks every box. In today’s game, the traditional ‘manager’ has far less authority and importance in the overall structure of a club. At the biggest clubs, ‘managers’ are in fact first team coaches, who retain a voice in decision making, but are rarely the authority.
The structure at Liverpool FC
When FSG created the ‘transfer committee’ at Liverpool it was an attempt to provide the club with a competitive edge in the transfer market, and a compromise to accommodate the man they wanted to take the club forward.
The transfer committee get a huge amount of stick at Liverpool for failures in the market, but the track record isn’t by any means a long list of failures. It is easier to pick on the failures, but the committee has also delivered a number of successes as well – and with some of the younger players, we may not see the rewards immediately.
The biggest issue with the structure at the club is the lack of accountability on transfers. There is no real transparency in who makes the final decision on players, this leads to a perception that there is a tension in decision making.
The overarching transfer strategy at Liverpool is a sound one; recruiting young players and developing them into stars. But that isn’t the entire picture – when the club has looked to more established names, in the higher end of the market, it has so far struggled to source value or recruit the level of player we aspire to sign.
The strategy at that end of the market seems far less clear, the recruitment of players from England seems a strange methodology for a club that is intent on sourcing value. It is near impossible to find value in the English market.
There seems to be a gaping hole in the structure at the club; somebody that has overall accountability for recruitment, and can ensure that there is a holistic and aligned approach to how we recruit players. Somebody that sets a direction of travel (e.g. we do not recruit players from England at the higher end of the market unless there is an exceptional case).
I do not buy into the idea that the transfer committee is a failure at Liverpool; but what it has given us is a bit of a halfway house that creates far too many distractions for the manager and the club. It creates a noise and a culture of politicking; there is a great deal of sense in sourcing collective knowledge, but decision by committee looks to be proving an idea that is hindering, not helping us.
A Sporting Director immediately brings overall accountability to our recruitment, and gives the club one decision maker. The concept of feeding information in and discussing targets by committee is still sound – and the manager is still a key part of that process – but is relieved of the burden of accountability for recruitment.
The first team coach
The days of a manager building a power base at football clubs are in huge decline. Most clubs now devolve power to different specialist disciplines across a range of areas. The first team coach is still one of the most important roles at the club; and can provide a competitive edge between success and failure.
But, if the structure is right, then in some ways clubs can be coach agnostic – e.g. a coach with the right credentials can slot in and the overall philosophy at the club doesn’t change.
If you look at the credentials that a first team coach needs to succeed at Liverpool, the ability to develop young players is absolutely critical. A coach that can guide players on that development journey from the academy into the first team is at the heart of the model the club is committed to.
Of course, you need more than being a good coach. You also need to be tactically strong and not averse to taking risks. In a game where money dictates what you achieve; the only way to bridge that gap is by looking at the game in a different way – not being afraid to take risks.
A coach that looks to the status quo is never going to succeed at a club like Liverpool, especially in the short term.
Is Rodgers the man to take us forward?
Brendan Rodgers biggest difficulty is his lack of a track record prior to Liverpool. He was 39 when he got the job, so joined us still very much in his development phase. At 42, he is still on that journey.
The lack of a track record has meant that Rodgers has been distracted by trying to build a persona; he has had to try and build a profile of a man that belongs at Liverpool, but this sometimes comes across as arrogance or over confidence when he talks.
Rodgers’ refusal to work with a Sporting Director has also created an issue for him. It has exposed his weakness and left him wide open to attacks on his ability in recruitment.
The difficulty Rodgers has goes back to the question is managing Liverpool an impossible job?
One thing that you cannot say about Rodgers is that he lacks ambition or purpose. He has also proven that he can innovate – the move to 3-4-3 in December took us on another incredible run of form, our second in two seasons under Rodgers.
People like to shift the narrative when it comes to Rodgers, but I don’t think that is exclusive to him. The frustration of a promising season fading into nothing means that questions have to be asked – but it doesn’t mean that the manager has got everything wrong. It is easy to say that Luis Suarez took us to a whisker of the title last year, and Rodgers had nothing to do with it. But the flip side of that is if Rodgers has the right tools, then he is capable of competing at the top of the league.
This season has been underwhelming because we made the wrong decisions on recruitment in the summer. It has meant that we have had to find a way to function as a team, but it has key parts missing. That is the key area we need to fix.
Most of the things we did well last season we haven’t done well this, we’ve lacked pace and intensity, we haven’t pressed the ball. Luis Suarez may have set the tone, but we’ve tried to redress the balance between attack and defence this season which in some ways has diluted our identity in a negative way.
I think Rodgers can succeed at Liverpool in the right structure, it may mean he has to change his ideas on his role at the club, but he has the attributes to help build the club to where they want to be. The difficulty he has is that so do others, the likes of Jurgen Klopp are also a great fit for Liverpool.
The bottom line is that managing Liverpool is an impossible job, as anything other than sustained success is deemed as failure, which is why the structure at the club should devolve so that each area of accountability has clear boundaries, and that the success or failure of the club is not the responsibility of any one man.
One thing is clear, to overachieve we need everybody at the club aligned – and it is only by overachieving that we will see any kind of short term success.
Rodgers can still be the man to guide us there, but he may need to change his ideas first.
Comments are retrospectively moderated. Some could be subject to delays before publication. They must obey the
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Si Steers assesses the structure of Liverpool FC, why managing the Reds demands sustained success, and adds to the calls for a Sporting Director.
Let’s face it, when judging any manager at Liverpool it is always against the achievements of the past. ‘First is first and second is nowhere’ is a fine philosophy and ambition – but it is also sometimes a noose around a managers neck at the club – as anything other than that is deemed as embracing mediocrity.
We have been fortunate to have had some transformational and world class managers throughout our history; but, it would be interesting to see how the likes of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley operated (and survived) in today’s game. The difficulty managers have at Liverpool in today’s game is that there is a gap between expectation and reality – we walk like a big club, we talk like a big club, but the truth is we are trying to regain, not retain our status as a big club.
This makes the manager’s job almost an impossible task – it doesn’t matter if you reach 2 European Cup finals in five years (winning one of them), or come agonisingly close to winning a first league title in twenty years – there will always be a demand for more.
Of course, a pre-requisite for any manager at the club should be ambition. They should recognise that winning is at the heart of the club’s DNA – and align everything they do to making the club the very best it can. But the simple fact is that the constraints to winning will not be found inside the manager’s office at Melwood – it is far more complex than that.
Every single manager in the games has his strengths and weaknesses, nobody is perfect, and nobody ticks every box. In today’s game, the traditional ‘manager’ has far less authority and importance in the overall structure of a club. At the biggest clubs, ‘managers’ are in fact first team coaches, who retain a voice in decision making, but are rarely the authority.
The structure at Liverpool FC
When FSG created the ‘transfer committee’ at Liverpool it was an attempt to provide the club with a competitive edge in the transfer market, and a compromise to accommodate the man they wanted to take the club forward.
The transfer committee get a huge amount of stick at Liverpool for failures in the market, but the track record isn’t by any means a long list of failures. It is easier to pick on the failures, but the committee has also delivered a number of successes as well – and with some of the younger players, we may not see the rewards immediately.
The biggest issue with the structure at the club is the lack of accountability on transfers. There is no real transparency in who makes the final decision on players, this leads to a perception that there is a tension in decision making.
The overarching transfer strategy at Liverpool is a sound one; recruiting young players and developing them into stars. But that isn’t the entire picture – when the club has looked to more established names, in the higher end of the market, it has so far struggled to source value or recruit the level of player we aspire to sign.
The strategy at that end of the market seems far less clear, the recruitment of players from England seems a strange methodology for a club that is intent on sourcing value. It is near impossible to find value in the English market.
There seems to be a gaping hole in the structure at the club; somebody that has overall accountability for recruitment, and can ensure that there is a holistic and aligned approach to how we recruit players. Somebody that sets a direction of travel (e.g. we do not recruit players from England at the higher end of the market unless there is an exceptional case).
I do not buy into the idea that the transfer committee is a failure at Liverpool; but what it has given us is a bit of a halfway house that creates far too many distractions for the manager and the club. It creates a noise and a culture of politicking; there is a great deal of sense in sourcing collective knowledge, but decision by committee looks to be proving an idea that is hindering, not helping us.
A Sporting Director immediately brings overall accountability to our recruitment, and gives the club one decision maker. The concept of feeding information in and discussing targets by committee is still sound – and the manager is still a key part of that process – but is relieved of the burden of accountability for recruitment.
The first team coach
The days of a manager building a power base at football clubs are in huge decline. Most clubs now devolve power to different specialist disciplines across a range of areas. The first team coach is still one of the most important roles at the club; and can provide a competitive edge between success and failure.
But, if the structure is right, then in some ways clubs can be coach agnostic – e.g. a coach with the right credentials can slot in and the overall philosophy at the club doesn’t change.
If you look at the credentials that a first team coach needs to succeed at Liverpool, the ability to develop young players is absolutely critical. A coach that can guide players on that development journey from the academy into the first team is at the heart of the model the club is committed to.
Of course, you need more than being a good coach. You also need to be tactically strong and not averse to taking risks. In a game where money dictates what you achieve; the only way to bridge that gap is by looking at the game in a different way – not being afraid to take risks.
A coach that looks to the status quo is never going to succeed at a club like Liverpool, especially in the short term.
Is Rodgers the man to take us forward?
Brendan Rodgers biggest difficulty is his lack of a track record prior to Liverpool. He was 39 when he got the job, so joined us still very much in his development phase. At 42, he is still on that journey.
The lack of a track record has meant that Rodgers has been distracted by trying to build a persona; he has had to try and build a profile of a man that belongs at Liverpool, but this sometimes comes across as arrogance or over confidence when he talks.
Rodgers’ refusal to work with a Sporting Director has also created an issue for him. It has exposed his weakness and left him wide open to attacks on his ability in recruitment.
The difficulty Rodgers has goes back to the question is managing Liverpool an impossible job?
One thing that you cannot say about Rodgers is that he lacks ambition or purpose. He has also proven that he can innovate – the move to 3-4-3 in December took us on another incredible run of form, our second in two seasons under Rodgers.
People like to shift the narrative when it comes to Rodgers, but I don’t think that is exclusive to him. The frustration of a promising season fading into nothing means that questions have to be asked – but it doesn’t mean that the manager has got everything wrong. It is easy to say that Luis Suarez took us to a whisker of the title last year, and Rodgers had nothing to do with it. But the flip side of that is if Rodgers has the right tools, then he is capable of competing at the top of the league.
This season has been underwhelming because we made the wrong decisions on recruitment in the summer. It has meant that we have had to find a way to function as a team, but it has key parts missing. That is the key area we need to fix.
Most of the things we did well last season we haven’t done well this, we’ve lacked pace and intensity, we haven’t pressed the ball. Luis Suarez may have set the tone, but we’ve tried to redress the balance between attack and defence this season which in some ways has diluted our identity in a negative way.
I think Rodgers can succeed at Liverpool in the right structure, it may mean he has to change his ideas on his role at the club, but he has the attributes to help build the club to where they want to be. The difficulty he has is that so do others, the likes of Jurgen Klopp are also a great fit for Liverpool.
The bottom line is that managing Liverpool is an impossible job, as anything other than sustained success is deemed as failure, which is why the structure at the club should devolve so that each area of accountability has clear boundaries, and that the success or failure of the club is not the responsibility of any one man.
One thing is clear, to overachieve we need everybody at the club aligned – and it is only by overachieving that we will see any kind of short term success.
Rodgers can still be the man to guide us there, but he may need to change his ideas first.
Comments are retrospectively moderated. Some could be subject to delays before publication. They must obey the
. Comments load below.
Hull boss Steve Bruce could see his injury problems eased for their Premier League clash with Liverpool at the KC Stadium on Tuesday.
Mohamed Diame and Andy Robertson are both pushing to return after missing out on the Tigers' potentially priceless win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
David Meyler is once again absent due to suspension while Steve Harper is set to continue in goal in place of the out-of-form Allan McGregor.
Liverpool are again without striker Daniel Sturridge and are unsure when he will be fit to return.
Sturridge, who has had an injury-hit campaign, has missed three games with a hip problem and manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted he does not know if he will play again this term.
Midfielder Adam Lallana (groin) returned after a groin injury as a substitute at West Brom on Saturday while defender Mamadou Sakho (thigh) and midfielder Lucas Leiva (thigh) are getting closer to fitness.
Hull boss Steve Bruce could see his injury problems eased for their Premier League clash with Liverpool at the KC Stadium on Tuesday.
Mohamed Diame and Andy Robertson are both pushing to return after missing out on the Tigers' potentially priceless win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
David Meyler is once again absent due to suspension while Steve Harper is set to continue in goal in place of the out-of-form Allan McGregor.
Liverpool are again without striker Daniel Sturridge and are unsure when he will be fit to return.
Sturridge, who has had an injury-hit campaign, has missed three games with a hip problem and manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted he does not know if he will play again this term.
Midfielder Adam Lallana (groin) returned after a groin injury as a substitute at West Brom on Saturday while defender Mamadou Sakho (thigh) and midfielder Lucas Leiva (thigh) are getting closer to fitness.
Brendan Rodgers is hoping the memory of last season's agonising failure to land the Premier League title will inspire his Liverpool side for one final push this term.
With two weeks to go in 2014, Liverpool were closing in on their first championship for 24 years before a home defeat to Chelsea and a draw at Crystal Palace saw their dreams effectively dashed.
Liverpool are currently fifth in the table but a victory at Hull City on Tuesday night would take them back within four points of fourth-placed Manchester United, with both sides then having four more games to play in the race for a Champions League place.
Rodgers said: "It will be a tough game away at Hull, they had a good result at the weekend, but for us the idea is to go in and see if we can get the victory and keep putting as much pressure as we possibly can on the teams above.
"We can only focus on ourselves, but we saw last year lots of changes can take place in the last five games or so. We just have to be prepared to give everything to finish as high as we can."
Some Liverpool supporters are organising a boycott of the game in protest at the cost of tickets. Liverpool fans' groups have been among the more vociferous on this issue and have balked at the £48 cost of seats at Hull.
Rodgers said: "Like everything in modern football, I respect the supporters' right to protest. I don't know so much about it but supporters nowadays have to work very hard to get the money to go to football games."
Brendan Rodgers is hoping the memory of last season's agonising failure to land the Premier League title will inspire his Liverpool side for one final push this term.
With two weeks to go in 2014, Liverpool were closing in on their first championship for 24 years before a home defeat to Chelsea and a draw at Crystal Palace saw their dreams effectively dashed.
Liverpool are currently fifth in the table but a victory at Hull City on Tuesday night would take them back within four points of fourth-placed Manchester United, with both sides then having four more games to play in the race for a Champions League place.
Rodgers said: "It will be a tough game away at Hull, they had a good result at the weekend, but for us the idea is to go in and see if we can get the victory and keep putting as much pressure as we possibly can on the teams above.
"We can only focus on ourselves, but we saw last year lots of changes can take place in the last five games or so. We just have to be prepared to give everything to finish as high as we can."
Some Liverpool supporters are organising a boycott of the game in protest at the cost of tickets. Liverpool fans' groups have been among the more vociferous on this issue and have balked at the £48 cost of seats at Hull.
Rodgers said: "Like everything in modern football, I respect the supporters' right to protest. I don't know so much about it but supporters nowadays have to work very hard to get the money to go to football games."
Hull boss Steve Bruce has called for Barclays Premier League officials to act to curb rising ticket prices ahead of his side’s KC Stadium clash with Liverpool on Tuesday.
Visiting fans’ group Spirit of Shankly is organising a boycott of the game in protest at the £50 admission charge, and Bruce echoed his Liverpool counterpart Brendan Rodgers in backing its right to do so.
Bruce said: “I feel sorry for the supporters of big clubs who have to dig deep every week and I hope when the new TV money comes into play the Premier League can remember football does belong to supporters.
“I know how difficult it is for people here at our club to find the money to bring their two kids to a football match and we have to make sure with all the money washing around we give something back to the fans.
“We have to remember the average man in the street because they are the lifeblood of football and I think if the Premier League set certain rules we would all have to abide by them.”
- Last season Liverpool fans were charged £35 for tickets at Hull City.
- This season Stoke City fans were charged £16 for tickets at Hull City.
- This season Everton fans were charged £35 for tickets at Hull City.
- This season Liverpool fans were charged £50 for tickets at Hull City.
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Hull boss Steve Bruce has called for Barclays Premier League officials to act to curb rising ticket prices ahead of his side’s KC Stadium clash with Liverpool on Tuesday.
Visiting fans’ group Spirit of Shankly is organising a boycott of the game in protest at the £50 admission charge, and Bruce echoed his Liverpool counterpart Brendan Rodgers in backing its right to do so.
Bruce said: “I feel sorry for the supporters of big clubs who have to dig deep every week and I hope when the new TV money comes into play the Premier League can remember football does belong to supporters.
“I know how difficult it is for people here at our club to find the money to bring their two kids to a football match and we have to make sure with all the money washing around we give something back to the fans.
“We have to remember the average man in the street because they are the lifeblood of football and I think if the Premier League set certain rules we would all have to abide by them.”
- Last season Liverpool fans were charged £35 for tickets at Hull City.
- This season Stoke City fans were charged £16 for tickets at Hull City.
- This season Everton fans were charged £35 for tickets at Hull City.
- This season Liverpool fans were charged £50 for tickets at Hull City.
Comments are retrospectively moderated. Some could be subject to delays before publication. They must obey the
. Comments load below.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is unsure if striker Daniel Sturridge will be fit enough to play again this season.
Sturridge, who has endured an injury-plagued campaign, has missed the last three games with a hip problem and will again be absent for Tuesday’s Barclays Premier League trip to Hull.
Rodgers said: “It has been difficult for Daniel. Daniel is a good lad who obviously wants to play and be working and helping the team.
“But it has just been one of those seasons where he has been very unfortunate and he has missed out. We are going to have to monitor that day by day and see where he is at.
“When he has been fit he has been brilliant for the team. It is just the key now to see if we can get him back fit and consistently playing. We will see if that is going to be this season or the pre-season.”
Sturridge, 25, spent five months on the sidelines earlier this season with thigh and calf injuries. The former Chelsea forward scored 24 times for the Reds last term and his absences has been keenly felt, compounding the loss of the prolific Luis Suarez to Barcelona.
The alternative strikers Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini have all failed to impress and strengthening the attack is likely to be a transfer market priority this summer.
Rodgers said: “We have already got a top-class striker in young Daniel, who is an outstanding player if we have him fit. But he also needs help as well.
“If you look at the numbers in terms of where we are at, after 33 (Premier League) games we have 47 goals. At the same point last year, after 33, we had 90. You are nearly talking about a 100 per cent deficit in terms of goals.
“So that is something that is clear. Defensively we have been strong, despite what people want to write or say. Those areas have been addressed but obviously the critical area, which was the case when I came here, is about goalscoring. That is something we need to improve.”
Liverpool, fifth in the table, were held to a frustrating goalless draw at West Brom on Saturday but Manchester United’s loss to Everton has kept their Champions League hopes alive.
Victory at the KC Stadium would take the Reds back within four points of fourth-placed United with both sides then having four more games to play. Rodgers said: “It will be a tough game away at Hull, they had a good result at the weekend.
“But for us the idea is to go in and see if we can get the victory and keep putting as much pressure as we possibly can on the teams above.
“We can only focus on ourselves but we saw last year lots of changes can take place in the last five games or so. We just have to be prepared to give everything to finish as high as we can.”
Some Liverpool supporters are organising a boycott of the game in protest at the cost of tickets. Liverpool fans’ groups have been among the more vociferous on this issue and have balked at the £48 cost of seats at Hull.
Rodgers said: “Like everything in modern football, I respect the supporters’ right to protest. I don’t know so much about it but supporters nowadays have to work very hard to get the money to go to football games.”
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is unsure if striker Daniel Sturridge will be fit enough to play again this season.
Sturridge, who has endured an injury-plagued campaign, has missed the last three games with a hip problem and will again be absent for Tuesday’s Barclays Premier League trip to Hull.
Rodgers said: “It has been difficult for Daniel. Daniel is a good lad who obviously wants to play and be working and helping the team.
“But it has just been one of those seasons where he has been very unfortunate and he has missed out. We are going to have to monitor that day by day and see where he is at.
“When he has been fit he has been brilliant for the team. It is just the key now to see if we can get him back fit and consistently playing. We will see if that is going to be this season or the pre-season.”
Sturridge, 25, spent five months on the sidelines earlier this season with thigh and calf injuries. The former Chelsea forward scored 24 times for the Reds last term and his absences has been keenly felt, compounding the loss of the prolific Luis Suarez to Barcelona.
The alternative strikers Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini have all failed to impress and strengthening the attack is likely to be a transfer market priority this summer.
Rodgers said: “We have already got a top-class striker in young Daniel, who is an outstanding player if we have him fit. But he also needs help as well.
“If you look at the numbers in terms of where we are at, after 33 (Premier League) games we have 47 goals. At the same point last year, after 33, we had 90. You are nearly talking about a 100 per cent deficit in terms of goals.
“So that is something that is clear. Defensively we have been strong, despite what people want to write or say. Those areas have been addressed but obviously the critical area, which was the case when I came here, is about goalscoring. That is something we need to improve.”
Liverpool, fifth in the table, were held to a frustrating goalless draw at West Brom on Saturday but Manchester United’s loss to Everton has kept their Champions League hopes alive.
Victory at the KC Stadium would take the Reds back within four points of fourth-placed United with both sides then having four more games to play. Rodgers said: “It will be a tough game away at Hull, they had a good result at the weekend.
“But for us the idea is to go in and see if we can get the victory and keep putting as much pressure as we possibly can on the teams above.
“We can only focus on ourselves but we saw last year lots of changes can take place in the last five games or so. We just have to be prepared to give everything to finish as high as we can.”
Some Liverpool supporters are organising a boycott of the game in protest at the cost of tickets. Liverpool fans’ groups have been among the more vociferous on this issue and have balked at the £48 cost of seats at Hull.
Rodgers said: “Like everything in modern football, I respect the supporters’ right to protest. I don’t know so much about it but supporters nowadays have to work very hard to get the money to go to football games.”
Comments are retrospectively moderated. Some could be subject to delays before publication. They must obey the
. Comments load below.
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Liverpool FC have announced the official shortlist for 2014/15 goal of the season. Recall each of them with in these photos below.
Alberto Moreno v Tottenham Hotspur, August 31, 2014
Jordan Rossiter v Middlesbrough, September 23, 2014
Steven Gerrard v Everton, September 27, 2014
Adam Lallana v West Bromwich Albion, October 4, 2014
Steven Gerrard v FC Basel, December 9, 2014
Raheem Sterling v Chelsea, January 20 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Bolton, February 4, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Southampton, February 22, 2015
Jordan Henderson v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Jordan Henderson v Burnley, March 4, 2015
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Liverpool FC have announced the official shortlist for 2014/15 goal of the season. Recall each of them with in these photos below.
Alberto Moreno v Tottenham Hotspur, August 31, 2014
Jordan Rossiter v Middlesbrough, September 23, 2014
Steven Gerrard v Everton, September 27, 2014
Adam Lallana v West Bromwich Albion, October 4, 2014
Steven Gerrard v FC Basel, December 9, 2014
Raheem Sterling v Chelsea, January 20 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Bolton, February 4, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Southampton, February 22, 2015
Jordan Henderson v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Jordan Henderson v Burnley, March 4, 2015
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Liverpool FC today announced the nominees for the Goal of the Year and Performance of the Year awards.
The accolades will be presented at the 2015 Players’ Awards in Liverpool’s Echo Arena on the 19th May, which for the first time fans will be able to attend. Fans are invited to vote in the two award categories, one of which will be presented by the winner of a global raffle being held to raise funds for Liverpool FC Foundation.
The nominees for the two awards are as follows:
Goal of the season
Alberto Moreno v Tottenham Hotspur, August 31, 2014
Jordan Rossiter v Middlesbrough, September 23, 2014
Steven Gerrard v Everton, September 27, 2014
Adam Lallana v West Bromwich Albion, October 4, 2014
Steven Gerrard v FC Basel, December 9, 2014
Raheem Sterling v Chelsea, January 20 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Bolton, February 4, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Southampton, February 22, 2015
Jordan Henderson v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Jordan Henderson v Burnley, March 4, 2015
PHOTO GALLERY: Goal of the season nominees
Performance of the season
Kolo Toure v Real Madrid, November 4, 2014
Raheem Sterling v AFC Bournemouth, December 17, 2014
Philippe Coutinho v Arsenal, December 21, 2014
Adam Lallana v Swansea City, December 29, 2014
Steven Gerrard v AFC Wimbledon, January 5, 2015
Lazar Markovic v Sunderland, January 10, 2015
Emre Can v Bolton, February 4, 2015
Jordon Ibe v Everton, February 7, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Simon Mignolet v Blackburn Rovers, April 8, 2015
The Performance and Goal of the Year awards will be presented alongside a host of other awards including Player of the Year Awards for the first team, ladies and academy; Young Player of the Year as well as awards for former players, LFC staff and supporters.
A full list of awards along with information on how to vote is available now at http://ift.tt/1GzHYfA
The 2015 Players’ Awards offer fans the chance to attend alongside Brendan Rodgers, the First Team squad and their partners, Liverpool Ladies FC, Academy players, former legends and celebrity fans to celebrate their club.
The evening will also include a special tribute to Captain Steven Gerrard who after a successful 17 year LFC career will retire at the end of the season. The awards will follow Liverpool FC’s final home game of the season and will offer fans the opportunity to give the Liverpool great a fitting farewell on home soil.
The Players Awards will be raising funds for Liverpool FC Foundation through a global raffle that offers fans the chance to win a money-can’t-buy bundle of prizes. The unique prize includes presenting the award for Performance of the Year at the 2015 Players’ Awards to one of the club’s first-team players as well as travel from anywhere in the world, five nights’ accommodation at a luxury Liverpool city centre hotel, two general admission tickets to the last home game of the season against Crystal Palace, two VIP tickets to the 2015 Players’ Awards and access to the exclusive after-show party.
All proceeds generated from the global raffle will be donated to the Liverpool FC Foundation. The funds will be added to the money raised from the Liverpool All-Star charity match held at Anfield last month, which will help support charitable projects across the city delivered by the foundation, and partner charities including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Raffle tickets are priced from £5; for full details visit http://ift.tt/1b6gjER
General Admission tickets which start at £28 (plus booking and handling fee) are available to purchase now through the Echo Arena at http://ift.tt/1GzHYvS
VIP Table Packages are available to purchase at: http://ift.tt/1b6ghg5
For all details on the 2015 Players’ Awards visit: http://ift.tt/1GzHYfA
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Liverpool FC today announced the nominees for the Goal of the Year and Performance of the Year awards.
The accolades will be presented at the 2015 Players’ Awards in Liverpool’s Echo Arena on the 19th May, which for the first time fans will be able to attend. Fans are invited to vote in the two award categories, one of which will be presented by the winner of a global raffle being held to raise funds for Liverpool FC Foundation.
The nominees for the two awards are as follows:
Goal of the season
Alberto Moreno v Tottenham Hotspur, August 31, 2014
Jordan Rossiter v Middlesbrough, September 23, 2014
Steven Gerrard v Everton, September 27, 2014
Adam Lallana v West Bromwich Albion, October 4, 2014
Steven Gerrard v FC Basel, December 9, 2014
Raheem Sterling v Chelsea, January 20 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Bolton, February 4, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Southampton, February 22, 2015
Jordan Henderson v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Jordan Henderson v Burnley, March 4, 2015
PHOTO GALLERY: Goal of the season nominees
Performance of the season
Kolo Toure v Real Madrid, November 4, 2014
Raheem Sterling v AFC Bournemouth, December 17, 2014
Philippe Coutinho v Arsenal, December 21, 2014
Adam Lallana v Swansea City, December 29, 2014
Steven Gerrard v AFC Wimbledon, January 5, 2015
Lazar Markovic v Sunderland, January 10, 2015
Emre Can v Bolton, February 4, 2015
Jordon Ibe v Everton, February 7, 2015
Philippe Coutinho v Manchester City, March 1, 2015
Simon Mignolet v Blackburn Rovers, April 8, 2015
The Performance and Goal of the Year awards will be presented alongside a host of other awards including Player of the Year Awards for the first team, ladies and academy; Young Player of the Year as well as awards for former players, LFC staff and supporters.
A full list of awards along with information on how to vote is available now at http://ift.tt/1GzHYfA
The 2015 Players’ Awards offer fans the chance to attend alongside Brendan Rodgers, the First Team squad and their partners, Liverpool Ladies FC, Academy players, former legends and celebrity fans to celebrate their club.
The evening will also include a special tribute to Captain Steven Gerrard who after a successful 17 year LFC career will retire at the end of the season. The awards will follow Liverpool FC’s final home game of the season and will offer fans the opportunity to give the Liverpool great a fitting farewell on home soil.
The Players Awards will be raising funds for Liverpool FC Foundation through a global raffle that offers fans the chance to win a money-can’t-buy bundle of prizes. The unique prize includes presenting the award for Performance of the Year at the 2015 Players’ Awards to one of the club’s first-team players as well as travel from anywhere in the world, five nights’ accommodation at a luxury Liverpool city centre hotel, two general admission tickets to the last home game of the season against Crystal Palace, two VIP tickets to the 2015 Players’ Awards and access to the exclusive after-show party.
All proceeds generated from the global raffle will be donated to the Liverpool FC Foundation. The funds will be added to the money raised from the Liverpool All-Star charity match held at Anfield last month, which will help support charitable projects across the city delivered by the foundation, and partner charities including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Raffle tickets are priced from £5; for full details visit http://ift.tt/1b6gjER
General Admission tickets which start at £28 (plus booking and handling fee) are available to purchase now through the Echo Arena at http://ift.tt/1GzHYvS
VIP Table Packages are available to purchase at: http://ift.tt/1b6ghg5
For all details on the 2015 Players’ Awards visit: http://ift.tt/1GzHYfA
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LFC Ladies manager Matt Beard spoke to This Is Anfield after a solid 2-1 win against Manchester City Ladies on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Asisat Oshoala and Line Smordsgard gave Bear’s side a vital three points and moved them into the third spot in the league table.
REPORT: Asisat Oshoala shines again as LFC Ladies record important win over Man City
“Do we have a poor start again and are we preparing our supporters for another thriller with a happy ending? You never know, do you?” laughs Beard.
“We needed to win this game as both Chelsea and Arsenal won their matches. We could not let the gap be deeper. Currently we are six points behind the second spot, but our league is a matter of turns and twists and everything can happen until the end of the season.”
Beard praised his new signings Asisat Oshoala and Line Smordsgard who showed their qualities and produced a fine performance.
“Line’s performance was fantastic tonight on and off the pitch. She deserved the applause she got from the crowd.
“Oshoala was also amazing despite she was not too comfortable at the beginning when she played in the midfield. We knew who we signed as she was observed by us during the U20s World Cup. She can win the game on her own, she has a pace and she is only going to get better.
“Asisat is very tactically aware and for her as a young player coming to England and playing amazing in a very competitive game like this one (against City) is a massive achievement for her with more to come.”
“Man City were better with the ball in the first half, but we changed it in the second half and we were the better team and deserved the win.
“You can only improve game by game and we don’t have many games in our league which I think is an issue. We need more games to make it more competitive. Retaining the title for us might be a bit difficult this season as we signed many young players who have to settle in.”
“But you can see from our performance tonight that we won’t give up easily and we cannot make any more errors to defend the title. It was a solid display from the team showing the character and commitment of the players.
“Natasha Dowie was a real threat, causing lots of problems to Man City’s back four and putting a lot of pressure of their keeper.
“A huge credit to Gemma Bonner. She showed a real captaincy performance. She led the defensive line, she made lots of fine tackles, blocked the shots. She was thinking to make a pass rather than give the possession to Manchester City.”
Beard admitted that the important win gave him lots of positives and with just one game before the break for Women’s World Cup in Canada he looks forward for keeping the momentum.
“We need to go to Notts County and play our best. As I mentioned we cannot afford any more errors in our journey to defend the title and make it three in a row.
“As for the World Cup I am only hoping that everyone will come back fit as we do have some selection problems due to injuries.
“Nicole Rolser, Lucy Staniford and Katrin Omarsdottir just came back from the injuries and they are not fully match fit yet.
“I said to the players that FA Cup is so important, especially for the new players to get them settled in the team to get some more experience.
“We are all learning week in week out from our performances, the young players are learning from their mistakes and I don’t mind them to do it. If they don’t do that, they won’t be a better players and they will not be able to help the team.”
REPORT: Asisat Oshoala shines again as LFC Ladies record important win over Man City
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LFC Ladies manager Matt Beard spoke to This Is Anfield after a solid 2-1 win against Manchester City Ladies on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Asisat Oshoala and Line Smordsgard gave Bear’s side a vital three points and moved them into the third spot in the league table.
REPORT: Asisat Oshoala shines again as LFC Ladies record important win over Man City
“Do we have a poor start again and are we preparing our supporters for another thriller with a happy ending? You never know, do you?” laughs Beard.
“We needed to win this game as both Chelsea and Arsenal won their matches. We could not let the gap be deeper. Currently we are six points behind the second spot, but our league is a matter of turns and twists and everything can happen until the end of the season.”
Beard praised his new signings Asisat Oshoala and Line Smordsgard who showed their qualities and produced a fine performance.
“Line’s performance was fantastic tonight on and off the pitch. She deserved the applause she got from the crowd.
“Oshoala was also amazing despite she was not too comfortable at the beginning when she played in the midfield. We knew who we signed as she was observed by us during the U20s World Cup. She can win the game on her own, she has a pace and she is only going to get better.
“Asisat is very tactically aware and for her as a young player coming to England and playing amazing in a very competitive game like this one (against City) is a massive achievement for her with more to come.”
“Man City were better with the ball in the first half, but we changed it in the second half and we were the better team and deserved the win.
“You can only improve game by game and we don’t have many games in our league which I think is an issue. We need more games to make it more competitive. Retaining the title for us might be a bit difficult this season as we signed many young players who have to settle in.”
“But you can see from our performance tonight that we won’t give up easily and we cannot make any more errors to defend the title. It was a solid display from the team showing the character and commitment of the players.
“Natasha Dowie was a real threat, causing lots of problems to Man City’s back four and putting a lot of pressure of their keeper.
“A huge credit to Gemma Bonner. She showed a real captaincy performance. She led the defensive line, she made lots of fine tackles, blocked the shots. She was thinking to make a pass rather than give the possession to Manchester City.”
Beard admitted that the important win gave him lots of positives and with just one game before the break for Women’s World Cup in Canada he looks forward for keeping the momentum.
“We need to go to Notts County and play our best. As I mentioned we cannot afford any more errors in our journey to defend the title and make it three in a row.
“As for the World Cup I am only hoping that everyone will come back fit as we do have some selection problems due to injuries.
“Nicole Rolser, Lucy Staniford and Katrin Omarsdottir just came back from the injuries and they are not fully match fit yet.
“I said to the players that FA Cup is so important, especially for the new players to get them settled in the team to get some more experience.
“We are all learning week in week out from our performances, the young players are learning from their mistakes and I don’t mind them to do it. If they don’t do that, they won’t be a better players and they will not be able to help the team.”
REPORT: Asisat Oshoala shines again as LFC Ladies record important win over Man City
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Liverpool are again without striker Daniel Sturridge for Tuesday’s Barclays Premier League trip to Hull and are unsure when he will be fit to return.
Sturridge, who has had an injury-hit campaign, has missed three games with a hip problem and manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted he does not know if he will play again this term.
Midfielder Adam Lallana (groin) returned after a groin injury as a substitute at West Brom on Saturday while defender Mamadou Sakho (thigh) and midfielder Lucas Leiva (thigh) are getting closer to fitness.
Provisional squad: Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Lovren, Ibe, Henderson, Allen, Moreno, Coutinho, Sterling, Balotelli, Jones, Johnson, Manquillo, Toure, Markovic, Gerrard, Brannagan, Lambert, Borini, Lallana.
Hull City vs. Liverpool is on Tuesday night, 7.45pm kick off. The match isn’t live on TV in the UK and Liverpool supporters are boycotting the game in protest at ticket prices.
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Liverpool are again without striker Daniel Sturridge for Tuesday’s Barclays Premier League trip to Hull and are unsure when he will be fit to return.
Sturridge, who has had an injury-hit campaign, has missed three games with a hip problem and manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted he does not know if he will play again this term.
Midfielder Adam Lallana (groin) returned after a groin injury as a substitute at West Brom on Saturday while defender Mamadou Sakho (thigh) and midfielder Lucas Leiva (thigh) are getting closer to fitness.
Provisional squad: Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Lovren, Ibe, Henderson, Allen, Moreno, Coutinho, Sterling, Balotelli, Jones, Johnson, Manquillo, Toure, Markovic, Gerrard, Brannagan, Lambert, Borini, Lallana.
Hull City vs. Liverpool is on Tuesday night, 7.45pm kick off. The match isn’t live on TV in the UK and Liverpool supporters are boycotting the game in protest at ticket prices.
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Brendan Rodgers‘ tactical indecision has become increasingly evident in these last few weeks and the Liverpool manager must have a definite first-choice formation before signing new players this summer.
Another Monday, and another rather depressing look back at a frustrating Liverpool performance. That 2-1 victory over Man City less than two months ago seems like a distant memory now.
Saturday’s bland 0-0 draw against West Brom was the Reds’ latest damaging display in a faltering season, in addition to the FA Cup loss to Aston Villa and Premier League defeats to Man United and Arsenal.
Barring a fairly monumental capitulation from United, and a strong end to the campaign by the Merseysiders, we will likely have to put up with the curse of the Europa League in 2015/16.
Brendan Rodgers is coming increasingly under-fire- more than at any point in his Reds tenure to date- and he is seemingly at a loss as to what his best formation is.
Tactical indecision
It’s worth stressing that the Northern Irishman deserves great credit for switching to a 3-4-2-1 formation earlier in the season, helping turn Liverpool’s season around greatly in the process.
There was always a feeling that it wouldn’t be the long-term solution though, and ever since it was nullified by the likes of Swansea and United, Rodgers has shown little faith in any of his systems.
Having opted for a 4-3-3 formation in the wins over Blackburn and Newcastle, he then decided to go back to the 3-4-2-1 against Villa; something that backfired.
Panic then seemingly set in against Tim Sherwood’s side at Wembley, with Rodgers changing his system several times and playing players out of position because of it. It looked a mess.
The trip to the Hawthorns at the weekend saw another switch, this time back to his favoured 4-3-3, but again the make-up of the side looked disjointed.
Emre Can never looked happy at right-back, Glen Johnson is never particularly effective at left-back – he’s not great anywhere these days, in truth – while Jordan Henderson‘s influence was negated because of keeping an eye on an ageing Steven Gerrard alongside him.
Mario Balotelli dropped deep, leaving Liverpool without a presence up front – Rodgers using him in that role made you wonder why he was signed in the first place. Balotelli is not alone in that respect.
2014 signings
Much has been made of Liverpool’s recruitment last summer, with many feeling the club performed badly in the transfer market at a time when they had the chance to kick on and compete.
The most damning part of it all is that Rodgers appears to have signed players who are not remotely suited to his style of play, as stated with Balotelli above.
The 24-year-old was probably the most controversial of all the summer purchases, but if used in the right way, he is a real talent. He does not remotely thrive as a lone striker though; something both the 3-4-2-1 and 4-3-3 caters towards.
The same applies to Rickie Lambert, who despite doing fine in the role at Southampton last season, is still at his best with players in and around him to link up with.
Dejan Lovren was brought in as the man to eradicate Liverpool’s 2013/14 defensive woes, but there was a large reason for his success at Southampton. He had two defensive midfielders in front of him in Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin, which helped him perform in the way he did.
Rodgers’ style is more gung-ho than Mauricio Pochettino’s, and because of it, Lovren’s lack of pace and ability on the ball have been ruthlessly exposed.
Lazar Markovic was signed with a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting attacking players, but he has barely been used in an offensive role.
The 21-year-old is at his most dangerous in a wide attacking position or as an inside forward, not as a wing-back. Rodgers’ decision to continually play him there remains one of his most bemusing decisions this season.
The majority of those 2014 purchases don’t appear to have been made with a huge amount of thought from Rodgers, regardless of whether 4-3-3 was his first-choice system at the start of the season.
Liverpool pinned too much hope on Daniel Sturridge leading the line and as soon as the Englishman got injured, it appeared to become very much a case of fitting square pegs into round holes.
Although Rodgers deserves praise for making Raheem Sterling do a job as a striker, and for bringing the best out of Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho in a back-three, but the decisions felt desperate at the time because of the transfer errors.
This summer is of enormous importance for both the club and Rodgers, and the manager’s Liverpool future may well rest on whether he makes the same mistakes or not.
Make or break summer
As is the norm at this stage of any season, the Reds are being linked with players left, right and centre. Until Rodgers knows a definite first-choice formation though, it’s pointless signing anyone.
As Karl Matchett perfectly outlined following the West Brom game on Saturday, “Rodgers’ constant switching of tactics also leaves the summer transfer window in limbo, as it’s nearly impossible to predict what type of players Liverpool need without knowing the shape they’ll take.”
Similarly, ESPN‘s Dave Usher highlighted Rodgers’ previous failings perfectly, and you can’t help but feel concerned that the same rather desperate method will be used summer.
“Two summers ago Liverpool missed out on Henrikh Mkhitaryan, an attacking midfield player. Instead of moving for a similar player to fill whatever role they had in mind for the Armenian, they switched their attention to Diego Costa, a centre-forward,” he states.
“They missed out on him too and then made an unsuccessful play for Willian, a winger/wide midfielder. It appeared to be a completely scattergun approach and last summer was exactly the same. Honestly, how can you go from Alexis Sanchez to Mario Balotelli?”
Rodgers has to decide on a system, perhaps spending the remainder of this season looking at which of his players will thrive in it in 2015/16, before bringing in several top-class players to add undoubted quality and balance to the team.
The Liverpool manager will know how vital the next few months are going to be in his managerial career, and for him to stand a good chance of being a long-term success story at Anfield, he must nail down a system and sign players accordingly.
What do you think Liverpool’s best system is? Has Rodgers failed in the transfer market? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments are retrospectively moderated. Some could be subject to delays before publication. They must obey the
. Comments load below.
Brendan Rodgers‘ tactical indecision has become increasingly evident in these last few weeks and the Liverpool manager must have a definite first-choice formation before signing new players this summer.
Another Monday, and another rather depressing look back at a frustrating Liverpool performance. That 2-1 victory over Man City less than two months ago seems like a distant memory now.
Saturday’s bland 0-0 draw against West Brom was the Reds’ latest damaging display in a faltering season, in addition to the FA Cup loss to Aston Villa and Premier League defeats to Man United and Arsenal.
Barring a fairly monumental capitulation from United, and a strong end to the campaign by the Merseysiders, we will likely have to put up with the curse of the Europa League in 2015/16.
Brendan Rodgers is coming increasingly under-fire- more than at any point in his Reds tenure to date- and he is seemingly at a loss as to what his best formation is.
Tactical indecision
It’s worth stressing that the Northern Irishman deserves great credit for switching to a 3-4-2-1 formation earlier in the season, helping turn Liverpool’s season around greatly in the process.
There was always a feeling that it wouldn’t be the long-term solution though, and ever since it was nullified by the likes of Swansea and United, Rodgers has shown little faith in any of his systems.
Having opted for a 4-3-3 formation in the wins over Blackburn and Newcastle, he then decided to go back to the 3-4-2-1 against Villa; something that backfired.
Panic then seemingly set in against Tim Sherwood’s side at Wembley, with Rodgers changing his system several times and playing players out of position because of it. It looked a mess.
The trip to the Hawthorns at the weekend saw another switch, this time back to his favoured 4-3-3, but again the make-up of the side looked disjointed.
Emre Can never looked happy at right-back, Glen Johnson is never particularly effective at left-back – he’s not great anywhere these days, in truth – while Jordan Henderson‘s influence was negated because of keeping an eye on an ageing Steven Gerrard alongside him.
Mario Balotelli dropped deep, leaving Liverpool without a presence up front – Rodgers using him in that role made you wonder why he was signed in the first place. Balotelli is not alone in that respect.
2014 signings
Much has been made of Liverpool’s recruitment last summer, with many feeling the club performed badly in the transfer market at a time when they had the chance to kick on and compete.
The most damning part of it all is that Rodgers appears to have signed players who are not remotely suited to his style of play, as stated with Balotelli above.
The 24-year-old was probably the most controversial of all the summer purchases, but if used in the right way, he is a real talent. He does not remotely thrive as a lone striker though; something both the 3-4-2-1 and 4-3-3 caters towards.
The same applies to Rickie Lambert, who despite doing fine in the role at Southampton last season, is still at his best with players in and around him to link up with.
Dejan Lovren was brought in as the man to eradicate Liverpool’s 2013/14 defensive woes, but there was a large reason for his success at Southampton. He had two defensive midfielders in front of him in Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin, which helped him perform in the way he did.
Rodgers’ style is more gung-ho than Mauricio Pochettino’s, and because of it, Lovren’s lack of pace and ability on the ball have been ruthlessly exposed.
Lazar Markovic was signed with a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting attacking players, but he has barely been used in an offensive role.
The 21-year-old is at his most dangerous in a wide attacking position or as an inside forward, not as a wing-back. Rodgers’ decision to continually play him there remains one of his most bemusing decisions this season.
The majority of those 2014 purchases don’t appear to have been made with a huge amount of thought from Rodgers, regardless of whether 4-3-3 was his first-choice system at the start of the season.
Liverpool pinned too much hope on Daniel Sturridge leading the line and as soon as the Englishman got injured, it appeared to become very much a case of fitting square pegs into round holes.
Although Rodgers deserves praise for making Raheem Sterling do a job as a striker, and for bringing the best out of Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho in a back-three, but the decisions felt desperate at the time because of the transfer errors.
This summer is of enormous importance for both the club and Rodgers, and the manager’s Liverpool future may well rest on whether he makes the same mistakes or not.
Make or break summer
As is the norm at this stage of any season, the Reds are being linked with players left, right and centre. Until Rodgers knows a definite first-choice formation though, it’s pointless signing anyone.
As Karl Matchett perfectly outlined following the West Brom game on Saturday, “Rodgers’ constant switching of tactics also leaves the summer transfer window in limbo, as it’s nearly impossible to predict what type of players Liverpool need without knowing the shape they’ll take.”
Similarly, ESPN‘s Dave Usher highlighted Rodgers’ previous failings perfectly, and you can’t help but feel concerned that the same rather desperate method will be used summer.
“Two summers ago Liverpool missed out on Henrikh Mkhitaryan, an attacking midfield player. Instead of moving for a similar player to fill whatever role they had in mind for the Armenian, they switched their attention to Diego Costa, a centre-forward,” he states.
“They missed out on him too and then made an unsuccessful play for Willian, a winger/wide midfielder. It appeared to be a completely scattergun approach and last summer was exactly the same. Honestly, how can you go from Alexis Sanchez to Mario Balotelli?”
Rodgers has to decide on a system, perhaps spending the remainder of this season looking at which of his players will thrive in it in 2015/16, before bringing in several top-class players to add undoubted quality and balance to the team.
The Liverpool manager will know how vital the next few months are going to be in his managerial career, and for him to stand a good chance of being a long-term success story at Anfield, he must nail down a system and sign players accordingly.
What do you think Liverpool’s best system is? Has Rodgers failed in the transfer market? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments are retrospectively moderated. Some could be subject to delays before publication. They must obey the
. Comments load below.
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