When Brendan Rodgers was given the duty of managing Liverpool FC after five years in the wilderness, many thought little of him.
His only previous success was promoting Swansea to the Premier League, and his previous managerial stints at Watford and Reading were unremarkable.
His first season was frustrating and disappointing, with the only positives being the arrivals of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho and the form of Luis Suarez.
It was a disappointing season in the end as Liverpool finished in seventh position and failed to qualify for Europe.
Without any major transfer purchases and a lack of European football, the 2013-14 season didn’t bring much optimism.
But the objective had been set for the new season- qualifying for the Champions League.
This would be a difficult task because most clubs had experienced wholesale changes, notably Manchester United. The Premier League was without Sir Alex Ferguson in the dugout for the first time in 27 years. Jose Mourinho was returning to Chelsea and Manchester City had departed with Roberto Mancini and appointed Manuel Pellegrini as his successor. Tottenham were without Gareth Bale and had purchased 11 new players.
Winning August’s manager of the month award proved to be a catalyst for the success of the season. Rodger’s main attributes are his ability to read the game and change it tactically. He uses different formations based on his opponents, but the overall aim is to attack.
With the attacking threat of the Liverpool, it was always certain that there would be a Liverpool goal in every game. The front three of Suarez, Sturridge and Raheem Sterling provide the width and pace to counter effectively. Being the second-highest scoring team is also a huge testament to the attack mindedness instilled in the team by Rodgers.
Another reason why he has endeared himself to the Anfield faithful is the return of Anfield being a fortress. Dropping just seven points at home in the Premier League made them the second-best home side in the league, and was a huge leap from where Liverpool were in previous seasons.
Steven Gerrard has become a new player in less than a year, profiting from his new role as deep-lying playmaker. This was done to prolong his career.
Having missed out on the Premier League on the final day to Manchester City, Liverpool have Champions League football to look forward to. They have taken a huge step towards achieving continuous success.
To ensure this season was not just a one-off, Brendan Rodgers must bolster his squad to be able to cope with the rigours of competing in four competitions. Having missed out on clear targets like Willian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Liverpool now have the power of the Champions League to attract the best players in the world.
Brendan still has a lot to learn – as seen during the Chelsea game. His all-out attack strategy can work perfectly, but when he faces a well-built defensive team like Mourinho’s, he can lose perspective. Rodgers has to get the right balance between his team’s defence and attack. You can’t be over-reliant on your attack to win every game because sometimes your defence is necessary to grind out results.
With a bedrock of English talent in the squad, Liverpool aren’t the only benefactors from this group of players. The England squad is also profiting, as seen by the introduction of five Liverpool players in the 23-man England squad.
With Rodger’s vision of utilising the academy and youth – seen in the development of young players like Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Coutinho, Jon Flanagan and Jordan Ibe – Liverpool can clearly ‘dare to dream again’.
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