Brendan Rodgers is taking Liverpool back where they belong

Liverpool’s Make Us Dream banner at Old Trafford

“Make Us Dream” was the message from the faithful Liverpool supporters who were at the M16. When the full time whistle was blown, the message was clear we are no longer dreaming, we are ready to believe that we are in with a title shout. As mentioned previously, there was a sense of hope back in early January. Now this hope is closer to a belief. If there was ever a barometer to test Liverpool’s title credentials then the north-west derby was definitely a game to look forward to.

What transpired Sunday night was a convincing performance against a team who are actually looking complete disarray. Manchester United gave a limp performance but take no credit away from Liverpool who were dominant in all departments of their game. To consider that we didn’t even hit 4^th gear is a sign of how the team has progressed this season. We now know we can win matches without hitting dizzying heights of performance, and that was very important to find out. This sends out a loud and clear warning to the other 3 contenders -Liverpool means business and it is going to be a contest till the final game of the season.

It’s been a season where the expectations and ambitions have changed tremendously from being a contender for the Champions league spot to being a Title contender. For a Liverpool supporter it cannot get more exciting than this, being in with a realistic chance at the business end of the season.

What has led to this tremendous resurgence? There have been different opinions to it. However, if the entire season is taken into consideration, then 2 major things stand out-

FENWAY SPORTS GROUP

One of the big differences seen this season as compared to previous years, is how the focus is on the team, Brendan Rodgers and the performances rather than the owners. FSG have ensured that the off field activity remains in the background and doesn’t affect the team in any way. That the onus is now only on the footballing side of things, speaks volumes of FSG’s vision for this club. After the ill fated Hicks and Gillett regime it was paramount that FSG provided stability to the club. By being on the side lines they have allowed the club to prosper both on and off the field.

They have secured some important deals this season like Dunkin Donuts, Garuda Indonesia and Xolo, which have ensured sufficient funds that can be diverted to the club’s summer activity. The news that the redevelopment of Anfield is also moving in full swing, is positive. Their continued belief in Brendan Rodgers and his vision is reaping benefits as can be seen by the enthralling performances on the field.

The biggest achievement though was not letting Suarez leave in the summer and ensuring a new deal was thrashed out mid season to tie him down for a lengthy period of time. The gaffe that occurred with the release clause in the summer would have been one of the priorities to address in the new deal. The swiftness with which it was dealt with was commendable.

BRENDAN RODGERS

When Brendan Rodgers walked into the club not a lot was expected of him. He was coming on the back of a successful run of leading Swansea City to the Premier league and stabilizing their position in the league with a brand of football that had caught everyone’s eye. No disrespect to Swansea City but managing Liverpool was a different ball game together. He came with fresh ideas and the philosophy of playing attacking football which would make the team an attractive force.

One and a half years later, he has transformed the team into one of the best attacking teams in the country. It can be clearly seen that the players have bought into his philosophy and are trying to better it with each game. What has been refreshing to see this season is the adaptability of Brendan Rodgers to different situations.

Last season one criticism of Rodgers was whether he would change his tactics and system and whether he had a Plan B. Fast forward to this season, he has played all kinds of formations that would never have been expected of him. He has continuously changed his tactics, and the results are there for all to see. He has retained the ethos of the system that is possession based football but has added different dimensions to it which is making life difficult for the opponents. The opposition managers are clueless and there is a certain sense of unpredictability about this Liverpool team which had not been the case for a long time.

Injuries and unavailability of players have forced him to change his formations many times. But from the start of this year he has ensured that an almost full strength squad is available to him at most times. This is where he has been decisive in adopting strategies which he would not have a year ago (Read Arsenal and Everton). These games saw Liverpool at their rampaging best playing devastating counter-attacking football. The last 2 games against Southampton and Manchester United saw him use a diamond formation which gave more stability and ensured possession of the ball which is his prime philosophy.

In the pictures below the tactics used can be clearly seen. Against Arsenal he opted for an attacking 4-3-3 formation. The onus was on the front three to provide frightening pace on the break.

Liverpool vs Arsenal 5-1 tactics and formation

Against Southampton, to nullify their possession based football, he opted for a diamond formation in the midfield which gave a good balance to the team and also kept the SAS partnership intact.

Southampton vs Liverpool 0-3 tactics and formation

Yesterday, against United it was the same formation albeit a change in personnel (Sterling for Coutinho) and the midfield of Liverpool completely nullified and demolished the United line.

Manchester United vs Liverpool 0-3 tactics and formation

Most importantly, he has ensured the players have bought into his philosophy and that they are playing with absolute freedom. Apart from adopting favorable tactics for the team, he has helped improve the performances of individuals by being a good man manager. He has been instrumental in changing careers of the players, notably Henderson, Sterling, Skrtel and Sturridge.

The second part of last season could be seen as the turning point in Liverpool’s change of fortunes and it won’t be fair if Rodgers’ work is not given due credit. His astuteness in the winter transfer window and his change in tactics lifted the team’s performances.

This season he has converted the adversities into opportunities. He has created a unity in the team and all the players are fighting for each other on the pitch. He, along with the Dr. Steve Peters (sports psychiatrist), have created a good relation between performances and results. The mental conditioning sessions have worked wonders as Liverpool have been able to achieve results (read Fulham, Stoke City, Swansea City) which they might not have last season.

Brendan Rodgers has really come a long way in the last year and a half as Liverpool’s coach. He has handled pressure well. The very fact that Liverpool are on the title run is all due to him. He has taken the job by the scruff of the neck and turned it around. We should be very happy and proud to have one of the best young coaches in Europe at this point of time. No matter where in the top 4 Liverpool finish, Brendan Rodgers should definitely be named the Manager of the year.

Without him, Liverpool would not be where we are.

In Rodgers we Trust!

Reference – All formations taken from www.eplindex.com