Brendan Rodgers

A coach with a clear idea

Rodgers arrived after coaching roles at Chelsea and a successful spell at Swansea City, bringing a possession-based approach. Rodgers had developed at Reading, Chelsea and Swansea, where his team’s possession play earned wide admiration. Liverpool appointed him in 2012 to build a younger, proactive side after the instability of the preceding seasons. ^[1]

Rodgers gave Liverpool a coherent attacking system and built a side around movement, pressing and the exceptional form of Luis Suárez. The near-title season made him central to the club’s modern history.

Rodgers brought a modern coaching identity and, in 2013–14, produced one of the most thrilling Liverpool league campaigns of the Premier League era. The side’s movement, pressing and attacking speed made Anfield feel central to a title race again. Finishing second was painful, but it changed expectations around what Liverpool could pursue.

The 2013–14 title challenge

Liverpool finished second in 2013–14 with 101 league goals, their closest title challenge of the Premier League era before 2019–20. The 2013–14 campaign produced 84 points and 101 league goals, with Luis Suárez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling leading one of the division’s most exhilarating attacks. Though the title was not won, a return to the Champions League was a significant competitive step. ^[2]

The title challenge ended painfully and the following season was complicated by the sale of Luis Suárez, recruitment scrutiny and uneven form. The following year exposed how finely balanced the challenge had been: Suárez’s departure, Daniel Sturridge’s injuries and uneven recruitment altered the attacking equation. A defeat at Chelsea and the draw at Crystal Palace remain painful landmarks, but they should not eclipse the coherence of the title-race football.

The subsequent decline should not be reduced to one transfer or one result. The loss of Suárez, uneven recruitment and rising expectations produced a different environment, and the 2015 dismissal was Liverpool’s decision to change direction quickly.

That height made the following decline more conspicuous. The sale of Suárez, the need to rebuild a forward line and recruitment that did not immediately work all changed the balance of the team. Liverpool’s decision to dismiss Rodgers in October 2015 reflected a board seeking a more forceful reset before the season had disappeared.

From momentum to dismissal

Liverpool dismissed Rodgers in October 2015 after a poor start to 2015–16, immediately appointing Jürgen Klopp. By October 2015 the team had lost momentum and the board acted after a derby draw at Everton. Klopp’s immediate appointment made the break feel decisive, but Rodgers left with a clear achievement: he had shown Liverpool could again assemble a genuine league challenge.