Questions, Answers & More Questions

If knowledge is power, then those that ask questions are forever trying to arm themselves for the future. To seek out solutions that may never be found for problems which could never be encountered; the quest for understanding is a never-ending one. Answers can be as simple or complex, depending on the  question that preceded it.  Sometimes they only ever seem to lead to more problems.  In order to learn and to grow however, we must continue to ask.

In spite of all that Brendan Rodgers has brought with him to Liverpool, the one thing he could use the most is unavailable to him; experience. Though ambition and talent will get you so far, the journey that both club and manager are taking together would be a lot smoother had Rodgers experienced anything like this before. It's not a criticism of the man but more of an illustration. Often in daily life we encounter difficulties and they become much easier after a certain time and we're able to plan around them. These aren't minor inconveniences we're talking about here, either.

Every thought process begins with a desire or need. To eat, to sleep, to accomplish. It's only when something gets in the way that our ability to solve puzzles and go through obstacles determines how ultimately successful we will be. In the world of sport nothing is ever that straightforward however. Battles aren't won and lost in a single ninety minutes and something that works in one instance could be your downfall the next. Persistence is the key. If your overall design is correct eventually the details will fall into place. Even if it means trial by error.

There are still some major issues within the squad that need confronting, first and foremost being the inability to make something count when they're on top.  Likewise the reaction to setbacks and the mental fragility of the squad as a whole needs addressing, particularly against the so called weaker sides. Any decision goes their way in a game Liverpool are favourites to win and there's more of a sense of resignation than there is injustice. These are all things that subtle changes will not affect. What will eventually turn the tide in these matters is that which isn't seen on television or at the games. It's every day when Brendan Rodgers has them on the training ground.

Every decision has a knock on effect within the team and the manager won't know quite the positive or negative connotations until he tries. If there's one thing that Brendan Rodgers has shown in his brief tenure as Liverpool manager it's that he's not afraid to try. Some may call it papering over the cracks or stretching the squad too far. He would probably call it doing the very best with what he's got.

To have a plan is one thing. Wile E Coyote never caught the Roadrunner not because of his lack of a strategy, but rather that he was too quick to change tack and move on to the next one rather than iron out the mistakes from his previous scheme. When things go wrong, it's not enough to suggest that because it's not infallible it is therefore worthless. No one tactic is perfect and there is nothing wrong with altering a vision or adding tweaks to a master-plan along the way.

It's unlikely Rodgers took the job at Anfield to fulfil a lifelong ambition to turn Stewart Downing into Roberto Carlos or Dani Alves and as far as Jose Enrique the marauding midfielder? Right now it appears to be working at least half right. In theory, Downing in the defence seemed fine with the idea that the team would be so in control of the game he wouldn't even need to defend. In practice what we've seen is something come off that shouldn't have and another idea hasn't quite worked out.  This by the way is Rodgers asking questions for the sake of it. What does he do with actual problems?

Steven Gerrard has had so much written about him over the years, there's probably a forest somewhere that's been cut down with his name all over it. At the start of the season it was said that he wouldn't be able to fit into a Brendan Rodgers team and right now it appears as though he can barely play for anyone, such is his lack of energy. Despite every criticism that has come his way of late, he remains Liverpool's joint second top scorer and leading assist maker. That's as equally encouraging in that if he were able to spark back into life as it is discouraging as it is indicative of a wider problem.  As Gerrard enters the final stages of his career, adaptation to a new way of playing becomes a necessity both for him and for Liverpool. But the headache for Rodgers is not easily remedied as those that would have him removed from the squad may believe.

If the problem is that Steven Gerrard is not living up to his standards, then there is no replacement that can do that either. His lethargy in the middle of the park isn't so much a worry as it is a full scale terror alert. A move into the front three does seem justifiable, not least of all because it puts someone who is still arguably the clubs best finisher closer to the danger area while making sure our back four don't have to worry about facing a veritable charge of the light brigade. Still, even doing that has it's consequences. Boxing Gerrard out of the midfield leaves it incredibly low on any kind of fire-power  At the moment that looks like a sacrifice worth making.  On another day it may not.

People learn by doing and as such, often mistakes are made. In trying to get Liverpool back into the upper
echelons of English football once more, Brendan Rodgers may still find a lot to puzzle him but every day he - and everybody else at the club - will continue to work on putting the pieces together.  All the things that he's tried that has worked and even that which hasn't, all of it comes together to form a greater understanding. When you fully understand something, then you can truly do something about it.