It was a very Brendan Rodgers thing to say, the sort of statement that, in the Liverpool manager’s mind, offers proof of the depth of his thinking and is widely mocked by outsiders. Last December’s 3-0 loss to Manchester United was, he said on Friday, “my best defeat”.
Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford was not quite his worst defeat — how could it be when Liverpool lost 6-1 at Stoke City in May. But it certainly ranked among the most dispiriting. Some setbacks are sufficiently damaging that even optimists such as Rodgers are humbled. This was one.
Beyond quibbling with the award of the free kick that led to United’s first goal, the normally loquacious Rodgers had little to say. The more notable reactions came from the more disgruntled members of Liverpool’s fan base, calling for the Northern Irishman to go.
The knee-jerk reactions on social media, message boards and phone-ins tend to be delivered by extremists with scant regard to practicality. Having granted Rodgers £88 million (Dh497.5m) to spend in the summer and revamp his coaching team, it makes little sense to dismiss him now, especially considering the circumstances.
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Rodgers did not plead excuses at Old Trafford, but while Liverpool were insipid in attack and left Christian Benteke isolated, they travelled without Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge. They have had precious few indications of why Roberto Firmino commanded a £29m fee, but the Brazilian has started only three games for his new club.
There is the potential for Liverpool to prove more potent, more creative and more entertaining again. They have the quality to gel.
Yet the concern is that Liverpool looked significantly worse than a United team that finished fourth last season. The outcry illustrated the fears they will miss out on Uefa Champions League football yet again. It highlighted that, for many, Rodgers has emptied the credit he once had in the bank. Memories of the painful end to last season persist. August wins over Stoke and Bournemouth were sticking plasters placed over gaping wounds.
Into the fourth season of his tenure, Liverpool still do not resemble the finished article. Quirks no longer appear endearing. Rodgers has a habit of deploying players out of positions. Liverpool’s left flank on Saturday consisted of Joe Gomez and Danny Ings, a centre-back and a striker, respectively. “Square pegs in round holes,” their former manager Graeme Souness said, accusingly.
Whereas heavy investment offers the chance to address imbalances and correct flaws, this is another strangely compiled squad. Perhaps every Liverpool group has been since 2009, if not earlier, but when a manager has had seven transfer windows at the helm, this is his unbalanced, flawed squad.
This is his fragile defence, too. When Liverpool began the season with three consecutive clean sheets and, unlike last season, with full-backs who rarely crossed the halfway line, it prompted thoughts there had been an overdue improvement.
Conceding three goals in successive games to very different Uniteds, West Ham and Manchester, proves otherwise. The reality is that any side with Martin Skrtel as its senior centre-back has a soft underbelly. That Liverpool bought neither an experienced centre-back nor a first-choice goalkeeper in the summer seems a dereliction of duty.
It leaves them with a very Rodgers-esque squad, overloaded with gifted, forward-thinking players who covet central roles. They have neither natural width nor sufficient solidity.
Yet there has been something illogical and unpredictable about Liverpool for much of his reign. He deemed his previous setback at Old Trafford so encouraging because he had unveiled his 3-4-2-1 system that day. A loss was followed by a 13-game unbeaten run, even if that preceded a second slump.
Other than the returns of the sidelined players, there may be few signs a comparable renaissance is beginning. That should not mean Rodgers is on borrowed time, just yet. Rather, a manager who can be inventive on the field and eloquent off it needs to be at his most persuasive.
For now, Liverpool are losing games and arguments alike.
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