Brendan Rodgers is the man for Liverpool should they have a proper off the field structure to support the manager on it.
Ferguson with Manchester United, Jose Mourinho with all his clubs, Pep Guardiola with Barcelona – One cannot ignore that although they themselves were great managers, the off field structure of the football club made it very easy for them to maximize their ability to manage it on the field.
Look at Wenger. Great, great manager. Won it all – Not the same support off the field (for a very valid long term reason) and he isn’t able to deliver what he could.
Brendan isn’t no Ferguson or Mourinho right now, and a club cannot be built with a hope that such men will come and take them to another level, but with the hope that if they come they’ll be able to maximize their managerial ability and show the results in due time.
Liverpool as a club has been a mess for 20+ years. The last six seasons, the club has finished in top 5 only once – last season. And unless they get what has been wrong for over 20 years, the title is not coming to Anfield.
The first problem: Finances
The problem has been very evident since David Moores era. The then owner sold the club to Hicks and Gillett because he knew the stadium had to be built for Liverpool to keep competing financially. The Hicks and Gillett era set the club back years when they not only failed to keep their promise of building a stadium, but, also by leverage-buying the club. The financial problems just kept multiplying and resulted now into Liverpool being the fifth highest revenue generating team in England from first. Finally the slide has been arrested. A stadium is on the way but it will hardly propel Liverpool ahead in the financial game – a lot needs to be done on that front. Although it must be said that FSG have done a very, very commendable job to arrest the slide and bring stability.
The second problem: Recruitment
Over 20+ years now, Liverpool have had a very average, if not poor recruitment. Under FSG, it has been awful. In both, Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers era. Off late, the problem seems to be that Liverpool have identified the right players, but not got them. Missing out on some target is justified since at times Liverpool cannot possibly compete with a UCL qualifying, English team or the two Spanish giants.
Liverpool’s transfer targets have been snared under their noses by teams that should not be doing it. Tottenham (Willian who signed with CFC later, Erikssen, Sigurdsson, Dempsey – bullet dodged but point valid that he couldn’t be convinced), Arsenal (Sanchez because of residential reasons? Surely, he could have been persuaded with more money and luring him with the fact that Arsenal had not won trophies for years and Liverpool were the team who finished 2nd), Atlético Madrid (Costa – when he wasn’t known across Europe and Atleti weren’t really what they’re now), Dortmund (Mkhitaryan – granted Dortmund were a Champions League team, but Liverpool are in the Premier League and are far richer than Dortmund. Couldn’t he be convinced?)
And many more good players like Bony, Konoplyanka have been missed out.
That coupled with Sturridge, Coutinho, Can, Moreno, Manquillo mean that the problem does not lie really in scouting and identifying players. It isn’t as bad as it is portrayed to be. There have been duds, but every club have its fair share of duds. This in itself isn’t alarming. What has made it alarming is that Liverpool haven’t signed the above players and the ratio of duds to good has dramatically gone towards duds – A problem clearly with negotiations and persuasion rather than the manager or scouts identifying talents.
On the pitch, it had compounded the problem this season with the lack of attacking options as Liverpool failed to get their top three attacking options in Sanchez, Remy, and Bony. The last day the manager was given a choice of Eto’o or Balotelli.
Liverpool cannot keep sacking managers when the structure of the club is un-supportive of the job a manager is expected to do. Which is why baring any difference relating to how the club is run, FSG will not sack Rodgers (or rather, should not). They know the recruitment team messed up and Brendan Rodgers has shown enough with the right team to say he will win Liverpool the league title within the next 3-4 years should he be properly backed to do so by not creating a nuisance off the pitch the way Liverpool have. He has his flaws, but he’ll only improve; and I believe he will consistently get Liverpool into top 4, too. Well, it could be said with conviction because we would have got into the top 4 this season too had Sturridge even been fit and in form for a final run in.
Alternative to Brendan Rodgers?
But there is an argument that if Liverpool’s recruitment problem is down to persuasion, rather than scouting, will a bigger name manager have enough influence to close the deals. Should Liverpool go for Klopp, Ancelotti, or Rafa Benitez?
Let us break it down and also find possible solutions to the problems.
1. What is it that the player is influenced by, mainly, to sign for a club?
a. That he will win trophies or have a higher chance to in near future. (Ambition)
b. He will further improve at the club (Regular Football/ Better Players to train with / Coaches / Facilities / Manager / Other staffs).
c. Will be paid well (Finance)
2. Now, if Liverpool were Barcelona or Juventus, it doesn’t even matter if Tata Martino or a Luis Enrique or a Allegri takes over. The club will attract players. Why? Point 1a + 1c + 1b*
(*1b – all points except manager)
3. If Liverpool were Spurs, and install one off the level 2 managers, will he be able to lure a Pedro who is chased by Chelsea if Daniel Levy and not Ancelotti/Rafa/Klopp is doing the deals? I doubt. Maybe if there is a Mourinho, Pep, Ferguson (Level 1 managers). Maybe.
Will I be able to lure Modric? Khedira?
Even lesser chance. They have all the option (1a/1b/1c available to them elsewhere)
4. Might sound harsh, but, Liverpool are not in the league of top four in England in terms of 1a/1c. In terms of 1b, Liverpool are right up there.
5. One argument would be if you know you don’t have that strong a 1a/1c; then get your 1b spot on.
6. However, in that 1b, if you get a Level 2 manager, an Ancelotti or a Benitez or a Klopp, as illustrated above with Spurs case, the club will still struggle to land the players they want to if 1a/1c is weak.
A Level 2 manager would get Liverpool the deal done should they have 1a/1c upped further to match the elites.
7. Now, if that is the case in terms of manager availability in the market, then should Liverpool gamble on and look to persist with the manager currently they have despite 1a/1c being not as competitive?
That depends on who you have in your dugout – A potential Level 1 manager who isn’t famous right now but will soon be and of course he is that good but just isn’t famous yet (think Conte back when he took over Juventus) or is he a potential level 2 or beyond manager.
The way forward
Liverpool would be well advised to further improve on 1a/1c than keep sacking managers. That is the long terms strategy the club has to adopt if they have to consistently compete. They already have a manager with them that has proven in his time with Swansea and Liverpool that he has got what it takes to massively improve the club he is at. FSG were so impressed by him that they went back to him after he had rejected Liverpool, altering their outlook of having a Director of Football role above the manager when Rodgers had refused to work under that model.
So, how will Liverpool go about improving its 1a and 1c to attract better players?
The first solution is using their resources well so that performances on the pitch can result into 1a/1c improvement and ensure you have a manager who can get you into Champions League to maximize 1a/1c further. Hence, also allowing the manager a chance to maximize his ability and give his best.
Now, it comes back to the question, how do you use your resources well?
Well, Juventus (when not in Champions League), and Dortmund are good examples. Don’t go for Benzema’s of the world, have a balance of youth/experience/bargain deals/brilliant scouting – scout well and sign quickly (Diego Costas pre stardom / Griezmann Pre stardom etc). When you find them, don’t dwell too much on it. Don’t look to drag it on to save a few thousand pounds. Show ambition by blocking your best players from leaving and pay them well considering you are still the 9th richest club ahead of Juventus, Dortmund, Atletico etc. Get the players they’d sign by paying them a lot more.
Get the 1c right and 1a right partially since you currently cannot win trophies consistently. Either have a man who oversees the footballing direction the club is to go to (DoF/Technical Director) or let the manager be in charge of it. Do not make a group of non-footballing people sit on a committee and sanction deals. Aggressive, quick transfers when players have been spotted needs to be implemented effectively.
Break the 1c (Finance) when you know that the player has the X-factor. Use your resources wisely. Suarez by Liverpool, Aguero by Atletico, Lamela by Roma, Reus by Dortmund, Joaquin and Villa by Valencia, Riquelme by Villareal are great examples of clubs breaking 1c for the right players and at times, getting them under the noses of much, much likelier teams to get the deal done.
A manager is as good as his team
The signing of Cantona propelled Manchester United to a first league title under Ferguson after seven years in charge. It took Ferguson 6 years to win his first trophy and 7 years to win his first league title because Manchester United under Ferguson needed that 7 year period to get up and running to a competitive position against Liverpool, Everton, and Arsenal. The rest was the magic of a great man.
Liverpool have to invest in long term development by solving the problems that have stifled their talented managers to get the best out of their ability and get trophies to Anfield cabinet, consistently. Shankly or Ferguson are once in a lifetime men – Liverpool should decide if they want to wait for such men or build a structure where even a Frank Rijkaard team can look unplayable.
