Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has responded harshly to manager Brendan Rodgers’ comments following last weekend’s Aston Villa victory.
Rodgers went on the offensive and criticised the media agenda against him, but it’s not stopped Souness going to town on him in his preview of Sunday’s Merseyside derby for Sky Sports.
Souness knows exactly what it’s like to be criticised as Liverpool boss, but he’s certainly not held back ahead of the huge clash with Everton.
Here’s some extracts from the piece:
“Brendan Rodgers is still scratching around for his best formation and a settled XI. Injuries are an obvious problem for him, but the other issue is the type of players he has bought – and that’s something the manager has to take responsibility for.”
“Is Rodgers under pressure? I’d say pressure is automatic for him.
“When you spend big money – as he did both a year ago and again this summer – then he has to accept he is under pressure. That’s the price of being the manager at a big football club. If you start spending big money, what you’re ultimately judged on is how your buys perform.
“He has been whingeing about some of the comments made by ex-players – and maybe I am included in that – but that is what you have to accept in the world of football today. That’s what you get paid the big bucks for.
“I think I speak for all the pundits when I say we are just giving an opinion. I am asked to give an opinion based on my experiences in football and based on what I see out on the pitch. Right now he has to be feeling the heat because the buys he has brought in during the last two years have not proved themselves.”
Naturally, many Liverpool fans will agree wholeheartedly with Souness’s comments. Rodgers has changed formations on many an occasion so far this season, while he’s undoubtedly invested heavily in his squad too, while pressure is a prerequisite of any Reds manager.
While Souness thinks he was ‘whingeing’ last weekend, Rodgers could have been trying to create a siege mentality amongst his squad, and it’s at least good to see that it means everything to him and he’s not going to stop trying to fix it.
Essentially – comments, predictions and analysis will prove obsolete if Rodgers picks up a run of wins – starting tonight at Anfield versus FC Sion. A win will be quickly forgotten if we don’t back it against the Bitters, mind.
Where do you stand on Souness’s comments, Reds? Has he hit the nail on the head, or is he being unnecessarily antagonistic before the game?