There has always been a big discussion over what is the right time to sack a football manager. In that light, sacking of Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers in the middle of a struggling season for the once invincible Reds comes in as a big surprise, more so when a man with a much better CV - Jose Mourinho - is also going through one of the worst phases in his professional career.
In a week, where last year’s champions, Chelsea, sunk further in the Premier League table after their 3-1 loss against Southampton, the biggest shock came in as the sacking of Rodgers, after their 1-1 draw against Everton in the Merseyside derby.
At the time of his sacking, Rodgers was one of England’s longest serving managers – lasting more than three years. It was also the day Arsene Wenger celebrated his 19th year in charge of Arsenal by thrashing Manchester United 3-0 at the Emirates.
If you go into the reasons for his sacking, there are many but the question remains is this the right time to sack him? If yes, then what is Juergen Klopp - the favourite to replace Rodgers - is going to do to mend their otherwise disappointing season so far?
The owners decided to put an end to Rodgers’ reign after the club slipped to 10th place in the league table with just 12 points. Liverpool have managed just three wins from their first eight matches of the 2015-16 season.
In April 2014, Rodgers was on the brink of becoming first Liverpool manager in 24 years to win the league title but their infamous 2-0 loss against Chelsea ended his hopes. It was the defining moment of his career. Had Steven Gerrard not slipped and let Demba Ba score, things would have been different.
In their next match they threw away a three-goal lead at Crystal Palace in the last 15 minutes of the game and the result showed how unpredictable the club has become.
Still Rodgers was voted Manager of the Year by the LMA (League Managers Association) following his brilliant work at Anfield during the 2013-14 season.
One of the major reasons for his sacking was the flawed transfer policy at the club in last 2-3 years. They have been unable to get world class players to join the club in last two transfer windows. The club has spent around 300 million pounds since Rodgers joined the club in 2012 but their top players have not stayed, neither have they been able to bring in the right replacements.
Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge were some of Rodgers’ best signings but it wasn’t enough to compete with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea who made some major buys in the last two years. Luis Suarez left the club to join Barcelona in July 2014 after Liverpool accepted Barcelona’s £75 million offer for their most prolific striker and the team is yet to overcome Suarez's departure.
After Suarez left, with Sturridge struggling with injury, Raheem Sterling was their biggest star but the club let him go as well to Manchester City for £49 million. One of Liverpool's all-time greats and captain, Steven Gerrard, also decided to quit Anfield to move to LA Galaxy at the end of 2014-15 season after spending 17 glorious years at the club.
Most of Rodgers' signings last year were youngsters and this year also his intent was to buy players who will be helpful in building a team for the long haul.
Christian Benteke became the Reds’ seventh summer signing this year after they had already roped in James Milner, Danny Ings, Joe Gomez, Adam Bogdan, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne.
Their 6-1 loss against Stoke City in May was the lowest point of Rodger’s stint at Anfield and the 3-0 loss in the opening match of the season against West Ham and 3-1 defeat against United further deteriorated his position. But what might have triggered the owners to sack him was the club’s 1-1 draws against Bordeaux and FC Sion and their third-round League Cup match against Carlisle where Liverpool won on penalties after 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.
Klopp is a good manager and his style of work will go well with Liverpool; and the fans at Anfield, like in Dortmund, are very passionate about their team and will support their club irrespective of the results.
Klopp led Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final during his seven years in charge of the German club. But Klopp also doesn’t believe in spending heavily on buying big players and has always relished his underdog status. He turned the Dortmund side from relegation candidates to serious title winners with a very limited budget, but the football in England is much different than Germany and if the club decides to hire Klopp, then they should to give him some time.
Comments
0 comment