Liverpool’s first seven away games are horrendous, probably the worst run of fixtures anyone could ever face. With pressure mounting on Brendan Rodgers towards the end of last season, a poor run at the start of this season could be the end of his tenure at Anfield.

That’s not sensationalism, that’s the state of modern football. Rodgers still deserves a chance, sure, but can the owners afford to give it to him if Liverpool are midtable after ten games?

It would be a repeat of last season in many ways. If Liverpool start slowly, they can blame the fixtures - last season they could point to the Suarez sale - and then put a run together from Christmas onwards. But that might not be enough to get them Champions League football. With United and Arsenal spending money, City will surely strengthen too and Chelsea will also feel they have enough firepower by the end of the summer to fend off the chasing pack. Liverpool will have to move forward quickly, not stand still.

And to his credit, Rodgers has recognised this. He’s made some very good signings indeed and all before the window has really even opened in earnest. There’s only a month left before the season opener - a second consecutive game away to Stoke, the scene of the crime as far as Liverpool are concerned - and Liverpool have a better squad than they did going into the last game of last season.

But the problem for Rodgers this summer was always going to be the lack of Champions League football, and whether the club could attract the calibre of players needed in order to bring his team on. The Europa League just isn’t catnip enough to Europe’s biggest stars.

So given that Rodgers has done alright so far, he’ll have some goodwill before the start of the season. But that could disappear suddenly if they start to lose games. It doesn’t matter how excusable those defeats might be, football is fickle. Logically, defeats away to Stoke, Arsenal, Man United, Everton, Tottenham, Chelsea and Man City shouldn’t really have a bearing on a manager’s position. But with Rodgers already under pressure Liverpool need to win some of those games.

He knows that Jurgen Klopp is just a phone call away from taking his job and that a poor run could really seal his fate.

And in fact, Klopp is in a wonderful position if indeed he does want to manage Liverpool. The German can take a few months off and watch from afar as Rodgers toils under the pressure of such a tough start. Then if Rodgers does get the sack, Klopp can come in mid-season, the tough fixtures already out of the way, and bring the team to a decent finish. Rodgers could do all the dirty work and Klopp can come in and finish the job, looking like the saviour all the while.

But that will only happen if Liverpool stutter in their tough few games and are unable to rectify the situation. If Rodgers is under pressure then the players will need to step up and do it when the chips are down. That’s what’s going to save Rodgers through this tough period, the players. If his young team can handle the pressure, after a poor end to last season and a tough start to the next one, then there’ll be no need for Klopp or another saviour come November time.

The players Rodgers has brought into the club so far this summer must be players that he can rely on. That’s why Milner is perfect, he and Firmino are players who will help out the team defensively too. Milner epitomises the ‘honest, hardworking’ stereotype, which is exactly what you need when the pressure is on.

With Klopp waiting in the wings, the pressure really is on Rodgers and he needs the players to help him out during the opening weeks. But he’s bought well so far and maybe Klopp will have to wait a little longer to take over at Anfield.