The Anfield revolution
Brendan Rodgers has made it clear to the board at Liverpool FC that he’s going to run his team his own way, and he's doing it the right way.
Rodgers stressed to supporters and the board that he needs time, and that the Liverpool project is not one of quick fixes.
His focus is the acquisition of talented young footballers and the reintroduction of Liverpool's 'pass and move' style, which the club modelled throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
As the second youngest manager to have ever managed the club, Rodgers has shown a preference and a great deal of trust in the younger players and the results in recent weeks especially have been astounding.
With an average age of 23.38 years, Liverpool now has the youngest team in the Premier League.
This season Rodgers (pictured) has introduced Raheem Sterling into the first team and the 17-year-old England youth international has excelled against the bigger clubs and has certainly shown his class.
After four games of the new season, Sterling earned an England call-up, where he was an unused sub against Ukraine.
Untested reserves
Rodgers made a bold move in the opening UEFA Europa League game against Young Boys, electing to play his fringe players with many untested reserves in the starting line-up and on the bench.
Spanish player Suso, a talent only known by the most hardcore supporters, particularly impressed in the 5-3 thriller.
The side seemed to be struggling at the hour mark trailing 3-2, but the introduction of 20-year-old Jonjo Shelvey and Sterling gave the Reds a boost which saw them score three more goals and win the game.
At the start of the season, captain Steven Gerrard struggled to adjust to Rodgers’ methods, but has shown in recent weeks that he’s beginning to adapt.
Since taking the captaincy in 2003, Gerrard has been the heartbeat of the Liverpool midfield.
In simple terms, if he doesn't play well, more often than not the team don't perform.
The introduction of the new tactical form has taken the load off the 32-year-old, and has allowed other players to come into the limelight.
In conclusion, there will undoubtedly be a lot of fans who scoff at ‘another Anfield revolution,’ but this is the first time the club has been revolutionised throughout and that's not just the starting line-up.
Including younger talent instead of a reliance on underperforming big names introduced prior to Rodgers’ tenure, Stewart Downing being a prime example, has given the team an extra dimension and vibrancy to their footballing philosophy.
It is a tactic that is paying off as Liverpool move through the season. The youngsters will get another chance when dangerous Russian side Anzhi visit Anfield in the Europa League on Thursday night.
By Kuvan Sidhu
