A sleeping giant. A team playing within a shadow of their once glorious selves. Are Brendan Rodgers’s Liverpool going to be able to find their way back onto the path in an attempt to relive the glory days? Or are they going to be growing accustomed to mid-table obscurity?
Liverpool FC, the most decorated team throughout England and whilst historically have earned the right to carry such a prestigious title, those high achievements seem a far cry when viewed at in contrast with the team of today. Brendan Rodgers is the man that has been bestowed the opportunity to lead Liverpool back to their perch at the top of the English league. This is a task that has been entrusted with several well known managers within the last decade including Liverpool legend Kenny Daglish and current England manager Roy Hodgson. All being deemed failures by the hierarchy.
A young manager, born in the Northen Ireland village of Carnlough. Travelling around Spain (Barcelona) and Holland (at Ajax), Rodgers soon learnt the about the styles and philosophies of the two clubs and began to formulate his brand of ‘Ticki-Tacka’.
Barcelona and Ajax have one thing in common. Johan Cruyff. Cruyff has been arguably one of the games greatest and most successful innovators inspiring the much praised styles of Barcelona and Ajax with hugely successful spells at both clubs. The Architect of ‘La Masia’ (Barcelona’s famed academy which has seen unheralded success with essentially all of Barcelona’s current golden generation bread through, including Lionel Messi with an abundance of young talent being cultivated, waiting in the wings) and the beautiful passing philosophy which has seen them dubbed by many as the best football teams we will ever have the honor to see, is what Brendan Rodgers is trying to incorporate into Liverpool. By no means an easy task.
‘La Masia’ took years to build but the club was patient, trusting in Cruyff’s vision, a vision which has sculpted one of the greatest teams in global football, a vision which inspires fans all over the globe as they watch on in awe.
Brendan Rodgers may not be able to lead Liverpool to such feats but with his astute knowledge of the game, his insight into these great clubs, working with some of the best coaches, including the special one himself Mourinho, can he stop Liverpool’s decline and resurrect the great club’s fortunes? Only time will tell. With Champions league football seemingly out of reach it has been another season of transition for The Reds, and going on a fourth consecutive season without Champions League, there is a lot of work to be done.
With Cruyff’s influence, Barcelona became a train, steamrolling their way across Europe with no one able to pull the brakes and stop them reaching their inevitable destination as one of the greatest football teams we will ever witness. A Locomotive, an unstoppable machine. Rodgers must breed a similar killer instinct into his players in the hunt for Champions League football. A hunt in which the odds are stacked against them, but with the guile and vision of this young manager, he may be the spark and the savior able to trigger their resurgence in the quest for Champions League football and ultimately, the eluding Premier League title.