Not that he seems to take much notice of such things, but surely even Brendan Rodgers will have allowed himself a wry smile after the humiliation of Manchester United. Not only were the David Brent taunts noticeably absent from the opposition fans, but afterwards he was hailed as a tactical genius who had cruelly exposed the limitations of David Moyes. It was Rodgers who was the chilled-out entertainer. How fickle, the fevered passions of football. This is a man who has admitted himself he was far from being wanted by a large section of the Anfield support when he first arrived, and suspects there are some fans who will never truly embrace him. Those David Brent taunts were employed not just by opposition fans either, but by his own supporters at times, who questioned the wisdom of his decisions in those early days, and came close to outrage at the signings of Joe Allen and Fabio Borini. Hes turning us into Swansea was the usual, vicious complaint. And it is a fair criticism too, because thats precisely what Rodgers has done, turn Liverpool into Swansea...but with three (or even four) world class strikers providing a cutting edge, and two world class midfielders (and quite possibly even three) providing the platform. Well leave the debate over Allen and Borini for another day - though this column has been consistent in support of the pair, and it would seem a wasted opportunity for pompous self-indulgence not to point out the formers performance at Old Trafford - but the performance of Rodgers at the weekend deserves discussion. As Steven Gerrard so eloquently pointed out in these pages , his manager possesses a tactical knowledge and belief in his players to interpret it, that allows him to tinker with the formation, and make subtle changes to personnel and tactics that come off every week. That subtlety was the quality which destroyed Moyes on Sunday, and sent him teetering dangerously close to the exit door at Old Trafford. Liverpool surprised their opponents with a change in formation and tactics and the inability of the United manager to adjust exposed him as leaden in his thinking. It is not the tactical thinking of Rodgers though, that marks him out as a manager of rare quality, and as one who is capable of leading Liverpool into a new era for a very long time. It is his courage. Lets get this on the table, even as late as last Christmas, there were many Liverpool fans still skeptical about their manager, and still wondering if he was the right man to lead them forward. I have friends who questioned him, one - whose usually sound opinion on Liverpool I respect immensely - even said to me he should be sacked (and that was on the eve of the thrashing of Spurs!). Many experts seemed to share the same skepticism, because those David Brent taunts followed him long into this season in some surprising quarters. Perhaps even Liverpools American owners entertained those same doubts, because they seemed surprisingly reluctant to reward the obvious progress Rodgers has made with a new contract, even when the transformation he had performed was obvious to the trained eye. Yet what the surprisingly large ranks of the undecided (and of course they have disappeared into the woodwork right now) missed about Rodgers was his courage. There were signs of it when he first took over the job, daring to take on what many assumed was an unmanageable club, with its recent history of infighting of ridiculous political manoeuvring. There have been signs ever since. Rodgers has the courage of his convictions, even if those convictions seem surprising at times. A case in point was the signing of Daniel Sturridge. Immediately before the strikers arrival, Luis Suarez had been on the hottest of streaks, leading the Liverpool line with rare and audacious quality, and so everyone - this critic amongst them - assumed Sturridge would be employed in a wider role along the front line. Not a bit of it. Rodgers, when asked, insisted he would use the pace of Sturridge down the middle, and Suarez would have to get used to playing in different areas. We thought he was mad. Later, in the summer. the manager showed a different type of courage in dealing with Suarezs strike threats and horrendous behaviour as he tried to engineer a move to Arsenal. It seems already forgotten now, but the manager forced his star asset to train with the kids, publicly rounded on him, and made an example of him. For that, he was ferociously criticised by many seasoned Liverpool observers. Again, the courage of that conviction proved the right thing for the football club...and the player too. A third example is perhaps the most prescient. In January, with Liverpool playing well after maintaining a top four challenge all season, Rodgers carried out a tactical switch he had been planning for some time. With Lucas playing well, perhaps as well as hes done in his Liverpool career and well enough to become part of the Brazil team, Rodgers decided he could add an extra dimension to the team by employing Gerrard in the holding role. Again, people thought he was mad...especially during the first half against Villa, when the team looked lost with their captain in that position. Yet now, two months later, Gerrard looks perhaps the most important player in the Premier League, and HAS brought an extra dimension to Liverpools game. In fact, he may just have provided the magic ingredient required to win the title - the subtlety of passing from a pivotal position that Liverpool lacked. Anyone who saw the skippers performance against United on Sunday could see how influential he was, and how bloody good he is in that position. Such courage when the easy thing would have been to stick with the perfectly acceptable status quo marks Rodgers out as a once in a generation manager. Yes, he is tactically adept, yes, he is - according to many of his players - a very good man-manager. Yes, he most certainly is an accomplished coach, as the progress of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Countinho, Sturridge and even Suarez testify (and ask yourself, why has Suarez become the best player in the world right now?). But it is the mans courage that marks him out. The courage to transform a Liverpool side too ready to employ long ball tactics into an image of his Swansea side, the courage to send a British record striker out on loan because of those convictions. Those convictions have paid off, because Liverpool are now a joy to watch. They are the top scorers in Europe, they are incredible entertainers, and they are worth the admission fee. And you know what, whether they win the league or not, their fans should now simply sit back and enjoy the ride...and employ the same courage of conviction in their team as their manager does.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 11:16:26 +0000