Not long after the 0-0 Premier League draw against Reading, the Liverpool sector of the fans against Brendan Rodgers raised their voices in the social media, among other forums, to the point that the hashtag #Rodgersout became trending topic at the Merseyside city.

With the European dreams practically vanished, some of the fans find themselves asking whether the man that took over Kenny Dalglish last summer with the aim of evolving the team and take it one step further, is really doing the opposite, considering that is highly unlikely any Uefa anthem will be listened through Anfield speakers next season. However, it could be interesting to consider whether Rodgers could have done much better with the team he took in the short period of time he has had before the critical voices arose.

At first glance, the denial of continental football could be seen as a symptom of regression as opposed to the expected progress. Yet it feels necessary to point out Liverpool got the European tickets thanks to their League Cup success and not throughout a solid Premier League season, in which the Reds finished in eighth position with 52 points. The current Liverpool is only two points behind that landmark this season with five games left, what invites to think it will be passed.

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Therefore, as bitter as not playing in Europe next season can taste for the higher demanding of the Reds' palates, we could say that Rodgers will have managed to make a more regular Liverpool. Only slightly, but more regular. And consistency is the first goal to achieve in order to aim for bigger ones.

Being more consistent than last year can not be enough to many fans that ask for more, in which case it can be useful to have a look at those who stand above Liverpool on the Premier League table. Who has been better so far this season? The answer, known by everyone, involve six teams: Manchester United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton. Biased by the unconditional loyalty every fan have to profess to their team, many Kops could claim Liverpool have a better squad than one or more of those six. The games played against them, however, comes to prove the opposite.

From all the league games played against those six teams so far, we can only find one favourable result for Liverpool: the 3-2 victory at Anfield against Spurs. The rest of them are draws or defeats, with only two direct clashes to be played, in which Rodgers' side will meet Chelsea and Everton at home.

The maths are simple: eight points out of 30 and only one victory. Eight points out of the 50 that Liverpool have so far in the league are a clear evidence that the team have maintained certain regularity against mid and low table clubs, but failed to keep that regularity against the top-six.

These numbers imply that the extra bit of consistency needed is simply down to having better players, able to compete in those circumstances, and that has been out of Rodgers' hands so far. Having said that, the squad he picked up last summer has experienced several improvements, with the January signings of Coutinho and Sturridge giving a boost to the attacking line.

The Liverpool of the early stages of the season lacked passing in the midfield, resulting in a noticeable abuse of long passes to the always superb Luis Suarez. The arrival of the Brazilian and the former Chelsea forward has broaden the attacking choices, showing the way forward to a more attractive style of playing and, ultimately, a more competitive team.

Changes take time and Brendan Rodgers has been in charge for three quarters of a season. Liverpool is not the same club as six or seven years ago, and is not at the same level as the top Premier League clubs. However, the team is on the right path to achieve bigger goals that mainly need of two ingredients: a step up in the quality of the squad in order to face the bigger clubs, and stability. The first ingredient should be provided by the boots of three or four good signings; the second one lies in letting Rodgers settle his ideas and take the team back to where the fans want to see it. Perhaps other manager can achieve it in less time, but he would have to start over again, and that might turn out not to be the quickest way to success.

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