Rodgers finds way to level pitch

It was one of the few occasions this season when Liverpool didn’t do enough to win, but they were still good enough to claim three points.

The Manchester City squad certainly thought so. Liverpool had just been beaten 2-1 at the Etihad on St Stephen’s Day, but the home side were as relieved as they were satisfied. Virtually everyone in the City set-up had been struck by the ferocity of Liverpool’s play, the assertiveness.

It was felt they were the “real deal”, that Liverpool would prove proper competition for the title.

At the time, of course, there was still an element of trepidation about saying that in public; a sense that Brendan Rodgers’ team still had too many big games to come; that the attrition of a full season would see their form even out.

Rodgers himself, for all his perceived arrogance, would only say they were “in the conversation”.

Now, that trepidation has gone, trampled over by Liverpool’s awesome attack. Steven Gerrard confirmed as much after Saturday’s statement 3-0 win at Manchester United: “We believe that we can win the league.”

The very fact that Liverpool are even in that position, and undeniably competing for this title, beggars belief itself. Quite simply, it was the sort of thing the economics of the modern game were supposed to disallow.

As Arsene Wenger said in his Friday press conference last week, when reflecting on the more disappointing last nine years of his time at Arsenal, competing with the riches of Chelsea and Manchester City is like a “race with Usain Bolt”.

Rodgers has simply refused to accept that. Instead, he has sought to quicken the pace on the pitch himself, and there are now very few teams who can keep up with Liverpool there.

In that, the refusal to accept Wenger’s rationale adds another layer of depth, because Rodgers’ side play the freshest football the Premier League has seen since Arsenal 1997-98. There is certainly a similar sense of momentum about them.

It would also be somewhat ironic if, after a decade in which Wenger attempted to admirably keep up with the petrodollar sides through purer football principles, Rodgers suddenly came along and displayed a different and more modern way to do so.

Many might fairly point to the fact the last accounts showed Liverpool losing £50m, but the difference is that loss was not used in the development of this side.

By contrast, Rodgers had to work around the wasted expenditure of Kenny Dalglish’s time in charge, and even went so far as to illustrate the bravery to banish a record signing in Andy Carroll.

It was actually Rodgers’ counterpart across the city, Roberto Martinez, who said that, in order to offset economic differences between clubs, the challenge is to be more “creative”; to tackle flaws in a different way.

That is exactly what Rodgers has done. It is also the reason why Liverpool can win this league title.

In cutting his cloth to measure, he has come up with a design that has dazzled almost every opposition side. Previously struggling players have been drastically improved, proper talents like Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge are absolutely maximising their potential, and all have played in a range of different positions.

The result is a side constantly moving on the pitch and always offering a different problem, with all of that whipped into a whirlwind that has simply blown so many teams away.

So far, only Jose Mourinho has figured out a way to stifle Liverpool when at full force. The Portuguese may also pose another problem, because his team possess the mentality and experience that Rodgers and his side lack. It is exceedingly rare that a group just goes and wins a title in their first tilt at it, but Liverpool have generated remarkable momentum.

That means that, just as they’ve done all season, they can defy football’s modern trends and win this league.

Even if they don’t, their progress represents a victory for pure coaching.