BRENDAN RODGERS IS well aware of the fine margins between success and failure at the top level, where one slip on some greasy grass can shatter the hearts of thousands and cost a club an historic title triumph.
So the Liverpool manager will be a nervous wreck as he prepares for Tuesday night’s decisive Champions League clash against Basel at Anfield.
Will it be one of those memorable nights under the lights on Merseyside, or will Rodgers find himself answering pressing questions over his future when the final whistle blows on the Reds’ group stage campaign?
Liverpool know what they have to do. A win will be enough to secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages. It’s Olympiakos revisited and a scenario Rodgers has described as ‘perfect’ for his side.
The Reds are lucky that Real Madrid’s dominance of Group B has even left them in this position, given they have won just once and have only four points from five matches in the competition.
And if Liverpool fail to qualify from a straightforward group, Rodgers will be held accountable – not just for the poor performances and naïve tactics, but for that controversial decision to rest several key players in the 1-0 away defeat to Real Madrid.
Not only was it a public relations embarrassment, but it backfired as they lost to Chelsea in any case four days later – and the nail will be hammered home if they also fall short of reaching the last 16 on Tuesday.
Even victory over Basel would not fully vindicate a team selection that was disrespectful to the club’s fans and the players who fought so hard last year to ensure Liverpool could play in such glamorous fixtures. And responsibility for failure to qualify from the group would rest almost entirely at Rodgers’ door.
Advertisement
With Liverpool a lowly ninth in the Premier League table and 15 points behind leaders Chelsea, he cannot afford a bad start to the season to become a disaster.
Rodgers managed Luis Suarez brilliantly through the Uruguayan’s controversies and performed above expectations last season as Liverpool challenged for the title until the final day of the campaign.
PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
(The Reds have struggled since the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona)
But it has all gone wrong since Suarez’s departure to Barcelona, even if Rodgers is only willing to accept partial responsibility for the poor return so far from the nine players that arrived over the summer at a cost of more than €120 million.
The whispers about Rodgers’ future and owners’ FSG dissatisfaction with the season have grown into mumbles in recent weeks – and an early exit from Europe’s elite competition will only intensify the pressure.
In the fickle world of football, sentiment means nothing and FSG are notoriously ruthless. If they think Rodgers is steering the ship in the wrong direction, they will throw him overboard and get a new leader.
They did not sanction the huge summer spending to see the team mid-table domestically and dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle.
Rodgers is aware of his position and has bizarrely talked up his side’s performances, including Saturday’s dour goalless home draw with Sunderland, while insisting they will improve in the second half of the season.
In addition to turning a blind eye to Liverpool’s displays, the 41-year-old has also looked to distance himself from some of the summer transfer business, particularly the €20m acquisition of Mario Balotelli, who has failed to make any impact whatsoever.
FSG won’t fall for it, though, if they decide that Rodgers is the main culprit who must be held accountable.
Despite Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat in Switzerland, Rodgers is confident of victory over Basel on Tuesday and insists the club’s return to the Champions League after a five-year absence has panned out as he hoped.
“I said at the beginning it would come down to the final two games,” Rodgers said last week.
“It was our first year back in the Champions League and everyone was seeing that Real Madrid would probably go on and win the group.
“For us, we could not have wanted any more than to go to Anfield on Tuesday night needing to win the game to get qualified. It’s perfect.”
In a group that includes Champions League debutants from Bulgaria and a middling Basel side, Liverpool should have cruised through to the second round along with Real Madrid.
Throughout the season, Rodgers has brushed off concerns about Liverpool’s bad performances by talking as if it’s all part of some grand plan that will come together one day in the future.
A win over Basel might prove a turning point and transform the club’s performances for the rest of the season.
Equally, a draw or defeat would walk Rodgers another step or two further down the plank. Rodgers knows that the difference between success and failure can hinge on the smallest of events.
Opinion: Basel shootout could be make or break for Rodgers at Liverpool
BRENDAN RODGERS IS well aware of the fine margins between success and failure at the top level, where one slip on some greasy grass can shatter the hearts of thousands and cost a club an historic title triumph.
So the Liverpool manager will be a nervous wreck as he prepares for Tuesday night’s decisive Champions League clash against Basel at Anfield.
Will it be one of those memorable nights under the lights on Merseyside, or will Rodgers find himself answering pressing questions over his future when the final whistle blows on the Reds’ group stage campaign?
Liverpool know what they have to do. A win will be enough to secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages. It’s Olympiakos revisited and a scenario Rodgers has described as ‘perfect’ for his side.
The Reds are lucky that Real Madrid’s dominance of Group B has even left them in this position, given they have won just once and have only four points from five matches in the competition.
And if Liverpool fail to qualify from a straightforward group, Rodgers will be held accountable – not just for the poor performances and naïve tactics, but for that controversial decision to rest several key players in the 1-0 away defeat to Real Madrid.
Not only was it a public relations embarrassment, but it backfired as they lost to Chelsea in any case four days later – and the nail will be hammered home if they also fall short of reaching the last 16 on Tuesday.
Even victory over Basel would not fully vindicate a team selection that was disrespectful to the club’s fans and the players who fought so hard last year to ensure Liverpool could play in such glamorous fixtures. And responsibility for failure to qualify from the group would rest almost entirely at Rodgers’ door.
With Liverpool a lowly ninth in the Premier League table and 15 points behind leaders Chelsea, he cannot afford a bad start to the season to become a disaster.
Rodgers managed Luis Suarez brilliantly through the Uruguayan’s controversies and performed above expectations last season as Liverpool challenged for the title until the final day of the campaign.
(The Reds have struggled since the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona)
But it has all gone wrong since Suarez’s departure to Barcelona, even if Rodgers is only willing to accept partial responsibility for the poor return so far from the nine players that arrived over the summer at a cost of more than €120 million.
The whispers about Rodgers’ future and owners’ FSG dissatisfaction with the season have grown into mumbles in recent weeks – and an early exit from Europe’s elite competition will only intensify the pressure.
In the fickle world of football, sentiment means nothing and FSG are notoriously ruthless. If they think Rodgers is steering the ship in the wrong direction, they will throw him overboard and get a new leader.
They did not sanction the huge summer spending to see the team mid-table domestically and dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle.
Rodgers is aware of his position and has bizarrely talked up his side’s performances, including Saturday’s dour goalless home draw with Sunderland, while insisting they will improve in the second half of the season.
In addition to turning a blind eye to Liverpool’s displays, the 41-year-old has also looked to distance himself from some of the summer transfer business, particularly the €20m acquisition of Mario Balotelli, who has failed to make any impact whatsoever.
FSG won’t fall for it, though, if they decide that Rodgers is the main culprit who must be held accountable.
Despite Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat in Switzerland, Rodgers is confident of victory over Basel on Tuesday and insists the club’s return to the Champions League after a five-year absence has panned out as he hoped.
“It was our first year back in the Champions League and everyone was seeing that Real Madrid would probably go on and win the group.
In a group that includes Champions League debutants from Bulgaria and a middling Basel side, Liverpool should have cruised through to the second round along with Real Madrid.
Throughout the season, Rodgers has brushed off concerns about Liverpool’s bad performances by talking as if it’s all part of some grand plan that will come together one day in the future.
A win over Basel might prove a turning point and transform the club’s performances for the rest of the season.
Equally, a draw or defeat would walk Rodgers another step or two further down the plank. Rodgers knows that the difference between success and failure can hinge on the smallest of events.
By Greg Stobart, Goal.com
What Liverpool need and all the other CL permuations ahead of this week’s crunch ties>
Southampton boss Koeman: Everything is s*** because we lost>
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Brendan Rodgers All-Ireland Senior HC Barclays Premier League UEFA Champions League must-win Basel Liverpool