Rodgers Out, Klopp In?

Sojo Latinovic

October 5, 2015

The rumors had been circulating for a while, not just in Liverpool but all across England and even Europe. A club of Liverpool’s stature and history is always in the spotlight, and based on current form one can’t argue with the decision that came down yesterday from the Fenway Sports Group. After months of subpar results, the hammer came down on Brendan Rodgers – out as Liverpool manager.

                                                                         Photo courtesy of bloomberg.com

The signs have been pointing to this verdict for a while. Lack of results in the Premier League, even worse results in the Europa League despite facing inferior talent in the group stages and most of all lack of creativity in the last couple months were all leading up to his dismissal. There was no consistency in the lineup as the formation kept changing  from 4-2-3-1 to the 3-5-2, the Brendan Rodgers special – where two full backs are marauding on either side providing “constant” service into the box. Yet even there the consistency was missing all too often.

The club spent a lot of money on players over the past two seasons and it’s hard to say that they’ve hit on even a quarter of the players they brought in. The likes of Lovren, Markovic, Lallana and Balotelli last year are just some of the examples of his failed transfer policy, while this year’s purchases are yet to be fully graded. Christian Benteke looks like a good buy as does the young Joe Gomez, especially in years to come. In the meantime there are still question marks on players like Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi and Danny Ings. Rodgers has said that he needed more time to implement his strategy but the fact of the matter is that he simply ran out of time and delivered little to no results.

                                                                     Photo courtesy of the guardian.com

Now more than ever it appears that Liverpool’s 2nd place finish two years ago was due to brilliance of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, and very little with Rodgers’ tactics and managerial skills. Of course he shouldn’t be blamed for inheriting good players, no manager should, but once players arrived that he purchased the results faded. Europa League finish last year is simply not enough, not for a club like Liverpool with all the history and tradition. The start he has had this year and the lack of progression in the way they play have all been pointing to one outcome and that outcome came down yesterday. Rodgers simply ran out of excuses, these are his players playing under his style and it simply wasn’t going to happen, not for him and definitely not with this group.

Should FSG be criticized for the quick hook they gave to Rodgers? Depends who you ask. Some will say that with the players he’s got he simply can’t get any better results and therefore sacking him is not fair. Others will argue that he is the one that got those players and if you don’t cook a good meal with the ingredients you purchased, well, get out of the kitchen then. I tend to agree with the latter group on this matter. He has had enough time at the club and has not delivered, plain and simple. The club’s performances are getting worse and there is no excuse for that. In an age where EPL is winnable, as there are no great teams in it now (even Man City and Arsenal are far from great), Liverpool is on the outside looking in.

If the FSG saw a chance to bring in someone of Klopp’s quality as a replacement they had to pull the trigger right now. Rodgers is a good manager and will probably succeed elsewhere for sure but the glove simply didn’t fit the hand anymore. Klopp on the other hand did wonders with Dortmund while in charge there. He took a team that was almost bankrupt and turned them into a European powerhouse within a couple years, playing the most attractive style of football in the world. Dortmund’s style earned them praise all over the world and Klopp’s in-your-face approach made him the most beloved manager not just in Germany but probably the world.

                                                                            Image courtesy of Sportzwiki.com

Liverpool is an iconic club, with a great history and a fanatic fanbase, in short all the traits he had with Dortmund and what he craves in the next job he choses. The club appears to match everything Klopp is looking for and he fits the bill for what they are looking for. The ball is in Klopp’s court and if he wants the job it’s his. One has to wonder though if he is still hoping that Bayern eventually want to replace Guardiola, and if that was the case he would be the main candidate for that vacancy.

Another question is also what happens at Chelsea since the Blues are in total turmoil at the moment. Mourinho is losing the grip on his team, the fans and most likely even the ownership’s trust in him as their manager. Could Klopp be interested in that position if it becomes available? Possibly. The quality of players is definitely better than at Liverpool, owner who is willing to spend money on players and they are farther along than Liverpool, although one wouldn’t know that by the current league standings.

Rodgers had to go and the timing was right. It’s up to FSG to lure Klopp to Anfield because the supporters expect someone of his stature and creativity to take them to the next level, a level that Rodgers’s wasn’t able to deliver. This is a crucial moment for Liverpool and the owners know it as well. It’s essential that they hit the home run here because they are currently stuck in the world of mediocrity, something the fans will no longer accept.