It is no secret that Brendan Rodgers is under a heap of pressure as manager of Liverpool at the moment; his side are failing to rediscover the form that made them so impressive last season and their Champions League campaign has come to a premature end already this campaign.

Despite there being a lot of pressure surrounding the Northern Irishman, it would be wrong to sack Rodgers; he is clearly struggling to emulate last season’s success but the Liverpool side of last year were high on confidence and played without fear. Fast forward to the current Liverpool side and they are a shadow of their former selves, as they continue to struggle without key players and Steven Gerrard isn’t getting any younger.

For Rodgers, the biggest loss has to be Luis Suarez and although this has been mentioned a lot this season, the absence of one of the best strikers in the world is always going to come at a cost to any team. Suarez would often win games on his own last season and it wasn’t just his individual brilliance that carried Liverpool towards a surprise title challenge.

Suarez linked up excellently with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling, he also gave Steven Gerrard an abundance of options in midfield due to the Uruguayan’s superb movement. Rodgers has now lost Suarez for good and Daniel Sturridge has been unable to fill the void left by the Uruguayan due to various injury problems. Therefore, it was always going to difficult for Rodgers to develop a team as successful as last season’s with noticeable absentees and a more congested fixture list.

Liverpool should stick with their current manager as there is no reason as to why the same man cannot replicate the success that was there for all to see in 2013/14. He has struggled with signings made so far this season, players such as Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli, Dejan Lovren, Emre Can and Lazar Markovic have been nowhere near the standard needed to push for the title and this lack of success in the transfer market is the manager’s fault.

However, Rodgers should be given time at Liverpool to turn the season around. January will be massive month for the former Swansea City manager as he desperately needs to sign a goalscorer and a solid centre back as Mario Balotelli and Dejan Lovren have been poor to say the least. Whether his new signings will adapt later in their Liverpool careers remains to be seen but Rodgers cannot avoid to wait for his signings to settle in and perform, especially when it doesn’t look like it could happen any time soon.

Rodgers will continue to play in a similar manner that has seen him earn plaudits from all angles in the game; his attractive, possession-based football will thrive when he eventually gets together a group of players who gel and perform well together. He also needs to inject confidence back into his team as they look a dejected side at the moment.

Understandably, the contrast of form will effect the players but it is the manager’s job to change the negative mindset. Although there is a lot of work to be done, Rodgers is more than capable of leading Liverpool back to where they want to be in the future. Let’s not forget that he won the Manager of the Year award last season, so his managerial talent cannot be doubted.

So far this campaign, the trend of sticking by managers has paid dividends for a number of clubs and Liverpool should be no different. Hiring a new manager could almost be a step backwards as Rodgers clearly has a project to pursue at Anfield. Based on what he produced last year, there should be enough faith from both the fans and the board to stand by their man and if this happens, Liverpool are sure to see the benefits in the near future.

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