Analyzing the Brendan Rodgers effect

Improving established first team players

It’s easier to help a teenager improve his game, they are thirsty for success and fame and will also be eager to learn, but to get more out of established first team players like Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and last but not least Jordan Henderson who are all capped at the full level for their country and two of them, the captains of their national teams is a big ask. Brendan Rodgers managed to raise the performance level of many players but these players stand out under him.

Luis Suarez – Suarez was already a world class player when he joined Liverpool. The Uruguayan amidst all his controversies became a quick fan favourite at Liverpool. But Brendan Rodgers made Suarez into an even bigger threat with his attacking and aggressive approach on the field. A simple analysis of the Uruguayan’s statistics from his three full seasons at Liverpool alone will give a clear idea.

Season	Matches Played	Goals Scored	Assists
2011-12	39	17	11
2012-13	44	30	10
2013-14	37	31	10

Suarez went from being a controversial striker in his first season to a nominee for the PFA player of the year award in his second season and part of the PFA team of the season to the PFA player of the year in his third year, along with the European Golden Boot.

Steven Gerrard–The Liverpool and England captain had a couple of seasons filled with injuries and were pretty mediocre for his standards. The skipper had played just 18 league matches in 2011-12 and 21 matches in 2010-11. What Brendan Rodgers managed to do first was keep his best midfielder fit. In 2012-13 Gerrard went on to play the full 90 minutes of his first 35 league games at the age of 32. He decided to end his season prematurely to be fit for the next season on time. Gerrard played 32 league games this season, missing just 6 games through injury. Rodgers also shifted one of the best attacking mid fielders to a deeper role in his first season in the hope of prolonging the midfielder’s career and then later deployed Gerrard as the deepest midfielder often playing in between the center backs. This move ceased Gerrard trademark thunderbolts from midfield but gave him more time on the ball to execute his long balls across the field, which has often led to goals from counter attacks. Gerrard finished the 2013-14 season with 15 assists – his highest in a single premier league season. Gerrard’s excellent season in his new position which Rodgers found for him was also rewarded with a place in the PFA team of the year award.

Daniel Agger–The Dane was one of the players who started the UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan in 2007. Although Agger has been known to be a fine defender with good ball playing abilities, his career was plagued with injuries. Martin Skrtel who joined the reds after Agger went on to overtake the Dane in the number of appearances. Agger who has been labeled as highly injury prone went on to play 35 league games for the club in 2012-13, missing one game through suspension and the other two for an early surgery just like Gerrard. Rodgers further rewarded the Dane for his contributions with a new contract and the vice-captain position following the retirement of Jamie Carragher.

Daniel Sturridge– Sturridge was a player with whom Rodgers had worked with during his time at Chelsea. When Sturridge arrived at Liverpool he was considered a Chelsea reject. Sturridge went on to make history after his move. He broke the record of the fastest Liverpool player to score 30 goals for the club, this is quite an achievement, considering the fact that he managed to do something better than players like Ian Rush, Michael Owen, Kenny Dalglish, Fernando Torres, Robbie Fowler and even his team mate Luis Suarez. Sturridge scored 21 league goals in his first full season. He was nominated for the PFA player of the year and the young player of the year and made the PFA team of the year. Sturridge’s goals have also led to more points this season than teammate Luis Suarez who scored 31 league goals.

Philippe Coutinho– Coutinho like Sturridge was surplus at his previous club. The Brazilian like his fellow winter recruit Sturridge made an instant impact ending his first season with 7 assists and 3 goals in just 13 matches while also bagging Liverpool’s young player of the year award after playing just 13 games.

Jordan Henderson – Probably the crown jewel in Rodgers achievements. Jordan Henderson was a highly rated youngster when he arrived at Liverpool under Kenny Dalglish. The former Sunderland man endured a rough debut season. He was rumored to be free to leave the club if he wished to when Rodgers took over, but instead of giving up his dream to play for a top club and leave for a club like Fulham, Henderson decided to fight for his place. Henderson slowly went from being a squad player in his first season to a crucial player for the club this season. The midfielder went on to play every match for the club before his unfortunate suspension against Manchester City. His importance was further emphasized when Liverpool lost to Chelsea, drew against Crystal Palace and could only manage a narrow 3-2 win over Norwich City when he was suspended. Rodgers also made good use of Henderson’s versatility thereby making him a key player when the Irishman wanted to tweak his system and play a different formation. Henderson has played as a central attacking midfielder, a box to box mid fielder, a left winger, a right winger and as a right wing back this season. Adding to his strength is his amazing work rate and energy, which Rodgers made good use of throughout the season. Henderson is also on the plane to Brazil and is expected to start alongside Steven Gerrard in midfield for the three lions.

Transfers

All of Brendan Rodgers signings for Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers signed twelve players for Liverpool and a further three loan signings so far for Liverpool. Of these players some have become crucial players for the club, while some signings have raised a few eyebrows.

Rodgers’ best signings are without any doubt Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho and both of them were made in the same winter window. Their contributions are out there for everyone to see unlike the other signings.

Signings like Fabio Borini, Joe Allen, Simon Mignolet, MamadouSakho and KoloToure have drawn mixed opinions, but spending so much money on players like IagoAspas, Tiago Ilori and Luis Alberto makes very little sense when the team needed strengthening. These players have rarely played for the club (not played in the case of Ilori).

The loan deals Liverpool made also been very poor. Sahin was played out of position and despite some good performances his loan deal was terminated as early as January. Aly Cissokho and Victor Moses on the other hand have been subjected to heavy criticism due to their poor performances.

The transfer committee has also been questioned by the fans for the clubs failure to capture their top targets and often losing them to rival teams. If Rodgers is to prepare his team for the busy schedule when his team plays in the Champions League next season, he will need to re-enforce his team with some quality signings. Transfers is one area where Rodgers will need to be more careful about and need better assistance from the board.