Liverpool cannot afford the wheels to fall off again - Brendan Rodgers needs to get his players firing again fast after Europa exit

  • Liverpool have been on an excellent run, but Thursday's defeat was a blow
  • Last season, after great form, Liverpool collapsed to lose the title
  • Brendan Rodgers has shown his ability, but must now keep spirits up
  • Starting against Manchester City on Sunday, they must bounce back

By Martin Keown - Boot Room for the Daily Mail

Published: 17:35 EST, 27 February 2015 | Updated: 21:02 EST, 27 February 2015

No team has more Premier League points in 2015 than Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers’ team have been on a roll.

They’ve lost just once since the end of November, have Daniel Sturridge back and go into tomorrow’s game at home to Manchester City just two points off the top four.

But Thursday night’s penalty shootout defeat in Istanbul by Besiktas was a huge blow. It’s a knock to their confidence at a crucial time while, for the first time, the Europa League winners qualify for the Champions League, a competition Liverpool need to be in.

Brendan Rodgers has done an excellent job in recent weeks, but now he needs to keep his team positive

Brendan Rodgers has done an excellent job in recent weeks, but now he needs to keep his team positive

Rodgers talks to his team before the penalty exit against Besiktas on Thursday night in Istanbul

Rodgers talks to his team before the penalty exit against Besiktas on Thursday night in Istanbul

So as his weary players returned from the 4,400-mile round trip to Turkey just 48 hours before facing City, this is arguably Rodgers’ biggest task of the season. Liverpool are great when they are on a roll but when they hit a road block we’ve seen that the wheels can come off.

Rodgers’ team have shown a mental weakness in adversity before, their season starts to unravel and they can’t let that happen again.

It would not be a disaster if they lose to City, who will be desperate to close the gap on Chelsea to three points. But if they do, Rodgers needs to teach his team to move on quickly. 

Last season they crumbled after their 16-game unbeaten run ended, throwing away a two-goal lead at Crystal Palace a few days later to surrender the title. That sort of collapse must not happen again and it is up to Rodgers to ensure that.

Last season, after Demba Ba capitalised on Steven Gerrard's slip, Liverpool fell off the pace in the title race

Last season, after Demba Ba capitalised on Steven Gerrard's slip, Liverpool fell off the pace in the title race

Throwing away a lead at Crystal Palace ended Liverpool's title ambitions as they crumbled under pressure

Throwing away a lead at Crystal Palace ended Liverpool's title ambitions as they crumbled under pressure

Liverpool were knocked out of Europe in midweek, but have had a busier schedule this season 

Defeat to Besiktas will leave the squad shaken, but Rodgers must ensure they do not suffer the same fate

He is such an impressive, innovative, tactical manager. He’s made 3-5-2 look like a good system while Louis van Gaal has struggled with it. He switched to it to get more of the ball in midfield after teams started pressing Steven Gerrard and stopping them play. 

Now his team are bossing possession again. He now has two sitting midfield players and two attacking ones in front, usually Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho. It’s very difficult to play against those two tiers of midfield.

But management is as much about knowing how to control what’s going on between your players’ ears, helping them bounce back from adversity. 

One of his big strengths seems to be creating a feelgood factor. You see pictures from Melwood of the players laughing and joking at training and that positive atmosphere carries onto the pitch. 

He has done trememdously well to turn Liverpool’s season around following a slow start and the seismic blow of losing Luis Suarez.

Simon Mignolet has returned to form, but by publicly dropping him Rodgers did the wrong thing

Simon Mignolet has returned to form, but by publicly dropping him Rodgers did the wrong thing

Liverpool take on champions City on Sunday hoping to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester United 

After teams started closing down Steven Gerrard, Rodgers has shown his ability by changing systems

He has got more out of Coutinho in his new role and drafted in the exciting Jordon Ibe, although it is frustrating that he is cup-tied from his time at Derby because no-one at Anfield put a clause in his loan contract.

The manager’s tactical nous and work on the training ground are his big strengths but you also have to say the right things to make your players walk on air. 

I was unsure that saying Simon Mignolet would be out of the team ‘indefinitely’ earlier in the season was the right move. It might have taken weeks for Mignolet to recover from that and he admitted that it was his wife, not the manager, who helped him get over it. 

Maybe Rodgers needs to work on his managerial skills a bit, to make his players feel great when things aren’t going so well.

Rodgers has done brilliantly to bring the best out of Brazilian playmaker Countinho in the new system

Rodgers has done brilliantly to bring the best out of Brazilian playmaker Countinho in the new system

Some of the Liverpool summer signings, including Mario Balotelli, have been disappointing all season

Some of the Liverpool summer signings, including Mario Balotelli, have been disappointing all season

If they want another season in the Champions League, now is the time Liverpool have to show their class

If they want another season in the Champions League, now is the time Liverpool have to show their class

But not everything has been perfect. Why were Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert brought in when they don’t fit the Rodgers mould of closing down the opposition and working hard? 

And what has happened to Adam Lallana, who has gone from England starter to in and out the Liverpool team and is a shadow of his former self? 

The same can be said of Dejan Lovren, a £20m signing from Southampton who has started just one Premier League game since the 3-0 defeat by Manchester United in December. 

He was lauded as one of the best defenders in the League last season but he is now also far from his best. He can’t have become bad overnight.

Liverpool are the form team but nothing less than Champions League qualification will do. It would be an astonishing achievement.

Every Thursday I’ll answer your questions live on Mail Online. Email me at tacklekeown@dailymail.co.uk

 

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