We've moved on from Rodgers's once-favoured tika-taka "death by football" bollocks, and Thank God.
I'm sure that circumstance has probably gone some way towards dictating this change, in that he recognises that players like Sterling, Henderson, Sturridge and co are better suited to a more explosive, counter-attacking style of play, but hopefully he also realises that Barca's "tika-taka" style is all when and good. As long as you're Barcelona. With the largest wage bill in world football and years of academy-trained players. And in any case, he probably saw them get crushed 9-0 by Bayern Munich, in a marvellous display of explosive, direct football.
How Brendan Rodgers has turned Liverpoolâs league fortunes around by Tony Barrett
Depending on your point of view, Liverpool may or may not be title contenders. What isnât in doubt though is that they are one of the Barclays Premier Leagueâs most improved teams as evidenced by them being 14 points better off this season than they were at the same stage of the previous one. Another eye-catching statistic is that they have scored more goals at this stage of the season than they have in any other in their illustrious history.
Here, Tony Barrett examines the methods that have allowed Brendan Rodgers to turn Liverpool into a team that could yet challenge for the Barclays Premier League title even if the manager himself continues to play down their chances.
Relaxing his commitment to âdeath by footballâ
That may seem strange after Liverpoolâs recent demolition jobs on Arsenal and Everton, but when Rodgers talked of inflicting âdeath by footballâ his vision was for it to be caused by ârelentless possession.â Everton and Arsenal were both on the receiving end of heavy defeats but they also had more of the ball. They were not passed into submission, they were brutally ripped apart by counter attacking football built on the pace, movement and ruthlessness of Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge, an attacking trident that Rodgers believes is at least the equal of any other in the Premier League.
Three of the nine goals Liverpool have scored in their last two home fixtures have come from the ball being won and released early. Defence is being turned into attack in the blink of an eye; there is no passing for the sake of it. Rodgers has recognised the strengths of the players and has developed a strategy to make them as effective as they possibly can be. His development as a manager is mirrored by the progress that has been made by his team. Liverpool can play possession football but they are better suited to allowing opponents to have the ball, pressing them remorselessly and then blitzing them.
The change in emphasis from âdeath by footballâ to conquest by counter was reflected in the aftermath of the Merseyside derby when Rodgers evoked memories of a vintage piece of John Motson commentary about Liverpool being âat their most dangerous when they donât have the ball.â
Rodgers said: âI remember watching Bayern Munich against Barcelona last year and it was 9-0 on aggregate over the two legs. Barcelona dominated possession as youâd expect but everyone could see over the course of the two games the team with the most dangerous possession was Bayern.âWhen you look at the stats of the modern game Iâm big on controlling domination of the ball, but against Everton we were able to dominate without the ball. Tactically, where we are compared to when I arrived 18months ago, it is very, very pleasing.â
Acknowledging and learning from his own mistakes
Increasingly, one of Rodgersâ greatest strengths is the ability to hold his hands up and admit that he has got it wrong. âI was too aggressive in my tactics,â he admitted after an over-ambitious approach against Aston Villa led to one of Liverpoolâs poorest performances of the season and a home draw that cost them two points. Taking responsibility has improved his already solid standing within the dressing room with Liverpoolâs players appreciative of their managersâ willingness to take the pressure off them and his refusal to try and shift the blame.
It isnât just about dressing room mechanics, though. Even more significant is Rodgersâ growing knack of finding solutions to problems he has caused. The formation that let him down against Villa allowed Liverpool to be over-run in midfield with Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson out-numbered and out-manoeuvred. There were no shortage of critics who warned that their partnership would not work, that there was no balance or blend and that there was too much emphasis on attack and not enough on defence.
So what did Rodgers do? He added another attacker to the mix in the form of Philippe Coutinho. It was defiant and it was also a risk. Had the lightweight Brazilian got lost in the midfield maelstrom, as many had expected, and the teamâs form suffered as a result the Liverpool manager would have been lambasted. The opposite has happened, though, with Coutinhoâs transformation from brilliant but inconsistent wide attacker to becoming the creative heartbeat of Liverpoolâs midfield is one of the great tactical innovations of this season.
The wondrous through balls that created goals for Sturridge against Arsenal and Everton have been the most eye-catching evidence of Coutinhoâs metamorphosis but equally crucial to the way Rodgers sets his team up has been the 21-year-oldâs ceaseless pressing of opponents. The ball player is now also a ball winner, often high up the pitch, and that alone has allowed Rodgers to restore equilibrium to his midfield but it wouldnât have been possible without his own willingness to admit mistakes and determination to correct them.
Turning into Tony Pulis
This is in no way a criticism. It is anything but. For decades, Liverpool have ranged from being at worst useless and at best functional when it comes to making the most of set pieces. In their 1980s heyday they made so little use of them that it became a standing joke that even led to a fanzine being named Another Wasted Corner. Under Rodgers, those days have become a thing of the past and Liverpool are now the most ruthless set piece team in the Premier League.
So far this season, they have scored 23 goals from corners and free kicks (although it should be stressed that Luis Suarezâs shooting ability from dead ball situations has contributed to this remarkable figure). Prior to the Merseyside derby, Roberto Martinez had warned his players that there is no better team in the country at taking advantage of set pieces but to be forewarned was not to be forearmed in this case as Liverpoolâs opening goal came when Gerrard headed home Suarezâs near post corner.
Similar happened at the weekend when Arsenal were twice struck by the same lightning bolt in the opening eight minutes of the game with Martin Skrtel taking maximum advantage of Gerrardâs expert set-piece delivery. Liverpoolâs opponents are becoming increasingly aware that if they donât beat them on the ground, they could very well beat them in the air. Itâs a volatile mix and one that has given Liverpool an added attacking dimension. It isnât rocket science either; it just comes down to work on the training ground and an increased urgency to attack the ball.
Helping Sterling reach his peak
On December 2, Raheem Sterling made his second league start of the season â it could not have gone much worse. Bereft of confidence, lacking in match practice and burdened by expectation, the then 18-year-old was hauled off after 66 minutes following a listless display as Liverpool slumped to a 4-1 defeat away to Hull City. Sterlingâs performance prompted his career to be prematurely and unfairly written off in some quarters and there was even a suggestion (albeit a wholly inaccurate one) that the winger would be sent out on loan because Rodgers believed he was not ready to make a positive impact on his team.
Only two months on from that chastening experience at the KC Stadium, Sterlingâs form is such that public opinion has now swung in favour of the teenager being included in Englandâs World Cup squad. The potential that always existed â which was recognised initially by Rafael Benitez and then developed by Kenny Dalglish â is now being unlocked by Rodgers and Sterling is suddenly seen as an indispensible part of Liverpoolâs attack. Tactically flexible, surprisingly strong, direct, skilful and always willing, the Jamaican-born teenager is terrorising opposition defences on an increasingly regular basis as Arsenal discovered to their cost on Saturday.
The talent was always there. Sterling was and is a special player, one who is capable of becoming a genuine star for club and country, but there was a spell when he appeared to be losing his way. Fault for that lay at his own feet but also at his clubsâ. Sterling was responsible for his own loss of focus but working under four managers at Liverpool in only three years was hardly conducive to the development of a precociously talented young player who needed direction and consistent coaching. Rodgers has given Sterling the stability that he needed and he also given him the tough love that could be the making of him.
âWe are very focused on nurturing the young player,â Rodgers said in November. âSomeone like Raheem had a great first six months, a mixed six months after that, which was natural, and now is coming back to showing a level. It was going to be very difficult to maintain the level that he set himself. For him now, football has to be very much at the forefront of his mind and if it is he is a talent. He showed over the first six months of last season that he has a future in the Premier League and at Liverpool.
âI always say to players and in particular to young players that at Liverpool we work on what we call the âcoreâ. We get the âcommitmentâ. Once we have do that we will âorganiseâ a plan for them to get into the first team. When that happens it is their âresponsibilityâ and hopefully after that we can deliver âexcellenceâ in their performance level that keeps them there. If they donât they will fall by the wayside.â
Having been on the receiving end of that warning, Sterling has responded to it to such an extent that on Saturday Rodgers described him as âthe best English winger in the league.â On current form, such praise is not misplaced.
An absence of stubbornness
Liverpoolâs starting line-up against Arsenal was part accident, part design. There were players that Rodgers wants, ones that he could have done without and others that he had almost written off previously. At an earlier stage in his tenure, the Liverpool manager would have not have been averse to allowing Jordan Henderson, Martin Skrtel and Jonathan Flanagan to move on. When the idea of signing Daniel Sturridge was first raised he was unconvinced. Guilherme Siqueira of Granada was Rodgersâ favoured left back option when Liverpool signed Aly Cissokho on loan from Valencia last summer.
In the case of each individual, though, Rodgers has been prepared to back down in the face of either their own form, the advice of others at the club or just his own instinct. The effect has been the creation of a meritocracy in which players at Liverpool know that if they train and play well the chances are that they will be in the side. The manager has demonstrated that he will not cut off his nose to spite his face and also that he is willing to change his mind.
The recent emergence of Flanagan is the most obvious example with the full back now holding down a regular starting place having previously been deemed surplus to requirements earlier in the season. At that stage, Rodgers had been ready to allow Flanagan to go out on loan but a move failed to materialise. The Academy graduate buckled down in training, to such an extent that before the Goodison derby he stopped a session and told his players to give Flanagan an ovation, and he is now seen as one of the major success stories of Liverpoolâs season. Credit for that goes to the player himself but it must also be shared with his manager who has created an environment in which improvement is possible as a result of his own lack of stubbornness.
Credit to Debs and Rawk for this article
