5 areas where Brendan Rodgers has failed this season at Liverpool

Brendan RodgersIt is always a tense job when it comes to managing football clubs, especially one of a high calibre as Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers had a smooth sailing ship with the winds in his favour last season, but this season the ship has come to a standstill.Moving forward after the departure of Luis Suarez, who was a central figure in Liverpool’s campaign the previous season, has been extremely tough for Rodgers. While proper alterations to the side could have been made, he has messed up on a lot of important decisions.We take a look as to why he has failed thus far this season.

#1 No replacement For Luis Suarez

To replace a goal machine and world class player like Suarez is a pretty tough job. Having had a wide variety of options to choose from, he hasn’t chosen the right ones. One might think; is there anyone as good as Suarez?

Currently, Liverpool are operating with three strikers – Rickie Lambert, Fabio Borini and Mario Balotelli (while excluding Daniel Sturridge who is out with an injury). Rodgers must have made up his mind on which striker he was going to replace Luis Suarez with. But making this decision right at the end of the transfer window left him with very little to choose from, eventually having to sign Mario Balotelli.

When the team is entirely dependant on the strikers to do the job for them, bringing in a world class striker is a primary objective. It is understandable that he needs depth in the squad given that Liverpool will be taking part in four competitions, but there has not been one standing figure who could provide the goals.

This is one area which Rodgers hasn’t been able to cope and surely we can see that in the number of goals (4) the strikers have produced for the Merseyside club.

#2 Horrendous transfer strategy

Adam Lallana and rickie Lambert have failed to impress after a stellar 2013/14 season

With so much of cash in hand after the Suarez sale, Rodgers hasn’t placed his bets at the right tables. With over a £100 million at his disposal, he could have certainly gone for better players given the amount of world class talents around the globe. In this case, the new signings haven’t made made any drastic impact on the way Liverpool have manoeuvred this season, managing a combined tally of just six goals.

Teams found it almost impossible to break down Liverpool because of the speed at which they moved the ball around last season. The pace is nowhere close to that this season. While they scored more than 100 goals last season, they are a certainly hard to come by at the moment. Liverpool brought in three players from the south coast – Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren. Southampton have been classier in the way they have gone about picking up players.

The English Premier League is all about pace. That is what Liverpool are lacking at the moment and Rodgers certainly hasn’t added to the lost pace of Suarez and Sturrdige. He hasn’t had any player to keep up to the tempo they had last season. He has not only wasted the money but has also lost another important member of the team apart from Suarez, in Daniel Agger – a wall in front of goal helping out Pepe Reina on numerous occasions.

#3 Failure to strengthen the ever shaky defence

Liverpool’s major setback last season was their incapability to handle attacks. They looked shaky in more or less every match last season. But the combination of Suarez and Sturridge helped them outscore the opposition – one of the main reason for their success. Rodgers has failed to bring in players who can withstand the pace of the Premier League teams.

The inefficiency of Liverpool to deal with set pieces has been nothing but a nightmare. Conceding half a century goals isn’t going to help your team’s cause. When your team is supposed to compete for the title, a strong defence is a necessity, irrespective of your attack. The defence has continued in the same vein.

Teams have found it increasingly easy to break their defence which has reflected in the number of goals they have conceded this season – 19 goals in 14 matches. Rodgers has brought in three new faces to the Liverpool defence with one Centre Back (Lovren) and two Full Backs (Manquillo and Moreno) hoping to have found some stability. But neither of them have had a decent season so far.

It is also high time that Rodgers warns Martin Skrtel to show some discipline given the number of times he has brought down opponents in or outside the penalty area which has resulted in unwanted situations.

#4 Absence of pressing and a high line

Rodgers’ men looked ruthless last season winning the ball high up the field, which made it easier for Suarez and Sturridge in front of goal. The pressure up front by Suarez, Sturridge, Henderson and Sterling was truly spectacular. The work rate these men produced was a threat to defences across England. 58% of the Red’s goals came in the first half due to the high line they employed last season.

It is not surprising to know that Liverpool have only scored 36% of thier goals in the first half in the Premier League this season. They have just sat back instead of pressing high up. Glimpses of last season were seen only during the game at White Hart Lane where they surpassed the defence with ease and won the match comfortably 3-0.

The energy levels have been pretty low by far given the quality they possess. With the pace they feature even without the presence of Luis Suarez is quite credible. It is high time Rodgers asks his troop to generate more energy while hunting for the ball rather than sitting back and watch the opponents play passes.

#5 Players used in formations not suited to them

Liverpool’s formation 4-4-2 previous season (left) Liverpool’s formation 4-2-3-1 current season (right)

The failure to select the right personnel for specific fixtures has been evident this season. When Rodgers can play Balotelli day in and day out, why not try out Lambert or Borini and see if either one of them click up front? It is understandable that Balotelli is still finding his way, but that shouldn’t be done at the price of Liverpool losing matches. While he has often operated with a lone striker, he has left Balotelli isolated. The Italian is certainly not a great dribbler of the ball. Why not play him up with another striker to partner him in attack?

And he simply hasn’t given Lallana enough time on the pitch. We all know what an artist he can be when he gets going, but just a few spells in a game isn’t going to help Lallana’s or Liverpool’s cause. In the matches that he has started, he has impressed. For example; in the Crystal Palace game, he provided an exquisite ball to Lambert who rightfully provided the justice that particular pass required.

When things haven’t gone in the right direction you are bound to make a few important decisions which hasn’t been the way in Rodgers’s case.