Monday 14 September 2015 14:59, UK
Brendan Rodgers must rediscover his philosophy if he is to turn things around for Liverpool, writes Adam Bate.
When one interviewer put it to Brendan Rodgers that this might be a 'season of transition' for Liverpool, you could sense the frustration of supporters. The Reds boss is into his fourth season in charge. Nine of the starting line-up that lost at Old Trafford are his signings. Many more have been and gone. What has happened to the plan?
"Our notion in the game is always to dominate the ball," said Rodgers last month. "I've been in football a long time and my emphasis has always been possession." But the 3-1 defeat to Manchester United saw Liverpool's possession drop below 50 per cent for the season. That number has decreased steadily over the course of his time as a Premier League manager.
His side allowed United to dominate the ball on Saturday. That would suggest Rodgers is moving away from the principles that have not only defined his coaching career but also helped get him the Liverpool job in the first place. Perhaps more significantly, there are signs that the man himself is concerned about the evolution of his own team.
"It's something that, over the first five games, I need to look at," Rodgers told Sky Sports. "Is it how we play? Because it's too easy for us at times to play direct in to Christian Benteke, who I thought was excellent. You have to want the ball, you have to get on the football to create opportunities."
Three goals in five games tells its own tale, but it's merely a continuation of the lack of attacking cohesion that has been a problem for Liverpool ever since Luis Suarez's departure. The Premier League goal tally slumped from 101 goals in 2013/14 to just 52 last season. Mario Balotelli has gone but the issues remain.
But the personnel is only part of the problem. Rodgers' selections confuse. A midfield trio of Emre Can, Lucas and James Milner appeared overly cautious against West Ham. Philippe Coutinho was forced to play wide, just as Danny Ings was asked to do at Old Trafford. For a coach who prides himself on tactical flexibility, Rodgers now seems wedded to 4-3-3.
"I don't understand this obsession with playing 4-3-3," Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports. "Brendan Rodgers came to the club wanting to play 4-3-3 and it didn't work. The great season they had was with two strikers and how they got them into the team is down to the manager. They've got a lot of strikers, no wide players, and he continues to play 4-3-3.
I don't understand this obsession with playing 4-3-3.
"I don't understand what the point was in playing Danny Ings in that wide position. He didn't give the support to Benteke. You think about how many strikers Liverpool have on the books and they have no wide players. They've only got Jordon Ibe. Firmino is not a wide player and Coutinho played there last week and he's not a wide player."
It's not only in attack that this is a problem. Joe Gomez has exceeded expectations but is not a natural left-back. Graeme Souness's "square pegs in round holes" assessment might even stretch to Simon Mignolet as a sweeper-keeper. The Belgian looked as uncomfortable as ever with the ball at his feet at the weekend.
"This is ridiculous," said Gary Neville on co-commentary as Liverpool invited pressure by passing the ball unconvincingly in their own defensive third. "It's everything you want from an away team. The crowd had gone quiet but it lifts them. Madness from Mignolet." But it's become the norm. Only Lukasz Fabianski misplaced more passes in his own half last season.
"The only time we were frightened was by our own mistakes," said Rodgers. But they continue to come. Any suggestion that Dejan Lovren has settled was undermined by his error against West Ham, while Martin Skrtel's apology of a challenge on Anthony Martial was a reminder that Rodgers is short of defenders on whom he can rely.
Most frustrating for fans was surely the poverty of ambition on show against their old rivals. Liverpool's total of 59 successful passes in the final third was their lowest since February and they didn't register a shot on target until Ings' mishit effort just shy of the hour mark. It was all a far cry from the swaggering 3-0 win at the same ground just 18 months ago.
There was a plan that day. For much of his reign, Rodgers has had one. But in the week that Jeremy Corbyn was named Labour leader, the need for a clear message is surely more apparent than ever. Liverpool fans need something - anything - to believe in. In short, even a questionable philosophy is preferable to the absence of one. Rodgers must now rediscover his.
