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Brendan Rodgers, in his 100th match in charge at Liverpool, merits adulation for restoring Liverpool’s rightful status amongst Europe’s elite. For showing that young English talent can be developed into world-class products, per his nurturing of Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge and the outstanding Raheem Sterling. For inculcating an unerring faith in youth and promoting enterprising and aesthetically-pleasing football full of verve.
For enticing the immensely welcome return of Champions League football to Anfield after an agonising five-year absence. Anfield was made for nights against the supreme quality of Real Madrid.
The Northern Irishman has guided Liverpool from the ignominy evoked by the club’s demise under the doomed stewardship of Roy Hodgson, the England manager in attendance at White Hart Lane as Tottenham succumbed to the vibrancy of their 3-0 conquerors, and Kenny Dalglish to Champions League trips to the Santiago Bernabeu and within the point of their first league title since 1990.
Prior to his first match in charge at Liverpool, an eventual 3-0 humiliation at West Bromwich Albion, Rodgers, with his players forming a tight circle in the visitors’ dressing-room, spoke of the adversities which awaited his side. “Today’s the start of a long, hard journey for us and I’ve never said that it’s going to be easy because if it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth doing,” he said, his speech broadcast on the fly on the wall documentary ‘Being Liverpool’.
99 matches later, the drastic improvement he has overseen is patently clear: Played 100, won 56, drawn 21, lost 23, 211 goals scored, 123 conceded.
Adroit man-manager
His nurturing of Sterling, in particular, should be included in UEFA Pro Licence courses. Promoted from the academy carrying an unfashionable reputation, Rodgers instilled a wonderful work ethic, focus and responsibility in the England international. The man of the match here, the 19 year-old butchered Tottenham’s defence, a bundle of skills, tricks and a goal to commence Liverpool’s sheer dominance. Hodgson is indebted to Rodgers for developing a world-class player, one destined for great heights.
Sturridge, another beneficiary of Rodgers’s adroit man-management, excelled, forming an enviable attacking trio comprised too of Sterling and Mario Balotelli. Having struggled to make the impact he desired at Manchester City and Chelsea, questions were raised regarding the the 24 year-old’s attitude but Rodgers has strived to restore his damaged confidence and his words of encouragement are functioning to fruitful effect. His record of 35 goals in 50 appearances for the club is evidence.
He has also reinvigorated Henderson’s career, one which seemed destined to falter. His performances under Dalglish’s stewardship, not vindicative of the £20 million he was acquired for from Sunderland, were greeted with derision but Rodgers’s unflinching faith has developed the 24 year-old into a promising prospect for England.
Alongside Allen and just ahead of Steven Gerrard in Rodgers’s hugely effective diamond formation, Henderson impressed, frequently changing position, nullifying the insipid threats posed by Tottenham and orchestrating promising Liverpool attacks.
Like Hodgson, Gerrard is too indebted to Rodgers’s competence. The Liverpool skipper, who retired from international football to focus solely on his club career, has been gifted a minimum of two extra years on his football career, courtesy of Rodgers’s successful convertion of the 34 year-old from a central midfielder liable to surge forward to a deep-lying defensive midfielder. For the duration of the victory at White Hart Lane, Gerrard was stationed in-between Liverpool’s central defenders, Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho.
Happy Mario
Balotelli, a promising debutant here, will need to become yet another example of Rodgers’s adept man-management. His £16 million acquisition from AC Milan, sufficiently entertaining to be converted into a blockbuster Hollywood movie, was a substantial gamble, reflective of Rodgers’s audacity. The Northern Irishman emphasised his experience in inculcating an admirable work ethic and focus into players believed to be disruptive but Balotelli is a different case altogether.
Yet he seems genuinely delighted to have seemed a sensational return to the Premier League, sporting a wide smile, handshakes with all the mascots and a warm embrace reserved for Emmanuel Adebayor. The Italian started alongside Sturridge in Rodgers’s diamond 4-1-2-1-2 formation to accomodate the charismatic striker, with Rodgers deploying Sterling to support and compliment the striking duo.
Allen and Henderson were deployed ahead of the deep-lying Gerrard, with Javier Manquillo replacing the injured Glen Johnson.
Gerrard spoke of Balotelli’s investment in Rodgers’s visionary philosophy, insisting his work rate in training had been commendable, and the Italian began brightly, losing both Jan Vertonghen and Younes Kaboul and heading powerfully towards Hugo Lloris, the vaunted Frenchman managing to thwart a dream start to Balotelli’s Liverpool career. His movement was excellent, roaming across the final third, hoding up the ball and creating space for his strike partner Sturridge through a plethora of intelligent runs.
Liverpool’s opening goal encapuslated Rodgers’s philosophy in one breathtaking move. The visitors broke shimmering with devastation. Henderson, dispossessed Etienne Capoue, burst forward and threaded the ball through to Sturridge on the right channel.
The England striker was alert, noticing the clever run made by his compatriot and toe-poking the ball past the clutches of Rose. Sterling had made a clinical run, penetrating the core of Tottenham’s resistance, and Sturridge was quick to locate his colleague, flighting a ball across the six-yard box which Sterling duly converted. Rogders has nurtured the 19 year-old into the epitome of promise.
The 41 year-old has inculcated a clinical mentality into his team, coupling flair with ruthless, merciless effciency. Sturridge was in the mood, firing a drilled shot just wide of the goal. As for Balotelli, his gratification to be back in the Premier League and away from the animosity of Italian football was almost palpable, the striker marvelling with clever movement and heading just wide.
The admirable work ethic preached by Rodgers was embodied by Allen and Henderson, the midfield duo striving to cover the space left exposed by the diamond system deployed by Rodgers and occasionally relenting to the urge to surge forward. Sterling, encourged by Rodgers, was tirelessly tracking back and contributing to Liverpool’s resistance. Rodgers has sought to address Liverpool’s defensive defeciencies through defending in banks of four with Sturridge and Balotelli primed to spearhead lethal breaks. Yet there were occasional lapses of concentration from Lovren and Sakho, most notably when miscommunication between the pair permitted Nacer Chadli to fire directly at the alert and acrobatic Simon Mignolet.
There were signs of a partnership forming between Balotelli and Sturridge, most notably when the Italian stylishly, in nonchalant fashion, back-heeled the ball towards Sturridge whose subsequent shot was comfortably thwarted by Lloris.
Balotelli seemed reinvigorated, aggressively shrugging Kaboul off the ball and orchestrating a Liverpool attack, threading in Daniel Sturridge before the Italy international volleyed wide. Rodgers was an encouraging figure, preaching words of motivation to Balotelli when he ventured towards the dugout for a drink break and subjecting Balotelli to applause when he displayed profligacy.
Alberto Moreno is evidence of Rodgers’s unerring faith in youth.The Spaniard assumed a buccaneering role at left-back, contributing to Liverpool’s attacks and over-lapping Sterling with such delightful frequence. His goal was the epitome of determination, dispossessing Andros Townsend, storming 50 yards and scoring his first goal for the club. At 22, acquired from Europa League champions Sevilla, Moreno looks a good purchase at £12 million.
Sterling thrived on the confidence inculcated into him by Rodgers, concluding a silky, mesmerising dribble with a timid effort. “His run was like Ricky Villa and his finish was like Ricky Gervais,” Rodgers said afterwards, a smile appearing across his face.
And he has every reason to be jubilant. In 100 matches, he has elevated Liverpool to their rightful status amongst Europe’s elite.
