How Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers left Manchester United’s David Moyes trailing

Rodgers volunteers those stats from memory – “I knew you were coming,” he   jokes – and while he quickly dismisses the suggestion that United are the    “yardstick for us” he knows the importance of what he is saying for both   clubs.

The comparison is at the forefront of his mind even if he is careful not to   bite on whether knocking United “off the perch” – to borrow Sir   Alex Ferguson’s memorable phrase – is what he wants to achieve as   Liverpool manager. “Our measurement is not Manchester United,” Rodgers   states. “It’s about trying to recreate the great history of this club in the   modern times. That is obviously difficult but we’re trying to do it in a   different way.”

The phrase “in a different way” peppers Rodgers’s conversation as he prepares   for the visit to Old Trafford today in the knowledge that something   momentous can be achieved. Already Liverpool have gone from finishing 28   points behind United, the champions last season, to 11 points ahead of them.   That is some swing, whatever the circumstances.

Liverpool arrive with a double-digit lead over United for the first time since   1991 – when they drew 1-1 and Kenny Dalglish resigned a few weeks later –    while only once in the intervening 23 years have they travelled for the same   fixture ahead of United. That was in 1996 when they were a point in front   after nine games and the so-called Liverpool “Spice Boys”, all style and   less substance, held sway. United finished as champions.

“This is a very different Liverpool,” Rodgers says. “I don’t think people see   us as that. People talked about us after the Swansea game [the recent 4-3   home win] about the openness of it – I hated that, by the way, because we do   so much work on our pressing and getting the ball back.

“We conceded poor goals that day. This is not a cavalier, go out and win 4-3   team. We started the season with three 1-0s and that was great. I’d always   want to have that charisma and aggression in the team – both with and   without the ball. That comparison is different to where we are at.”

The “mental resilience” he now feels that Liverpool is embodied not just in   Steven Gerrard – “a remarkable man,” Rodgers says – but in Luis Suárez. Once   more, the strength shown by the manager and Liverpool’s owners, the Fenway   Sports Group, in refusing to sell the striker last summer appears to be the   key factor in what is happening at the club.

“Over the years people are called hard men,” Rodgers says. “They’re usually   centre-halves or midfield players. But Suárez is a hard man. Don’t   underestimate him. I know he’s a striker, but he gets battered, he gets   kicked. He’s the toughest player mentally I’ve ever come across in my life   and I’ve worked with some big players. The boy is relentless in his desires.   We’ve seen it in all his time here and he’s maturing as well, which is   great. There’s not much rattles him.”

So where, then, are Liverpool ‘at’ in Rodgers’s mind as they strive to finish   ahead of United for the first time since 2002 – the year Ferguson derailed   his club’s campaign by first announcing he was retiring? Certainly ahead of   schedule, with the manager revealing that ‘Year Three’ of this plan was to   be the one when they competed for the Premier   League title.

“Everyone is talking about us and the objective being to finish fourth but   that has never been the case,” Rodgers says. “A club like this is about   trying to win.”

To do that Liverpool adopted the Rodgers ‘way’ and he is emphatic about the   need to clean up the club’s finances, make them competitive not just with   United, but with Chelsea,   Manchester   City and Arsenal   – who also all have bigger budgets. And to coach, of course.

“What I’ve had to do is coach people,” he says, cheekily claiming Liverpool   are now everyone’s second favourite team: “I think that’s why people enjoy   watching us.

“We took a bit of stick in the beginning because we were still trying to find   our way. Now we are very focused. We have a way of playing and a way of   working that the players now understand.

“We’ve had to move a lot of players out in order to generate the funds to   bring people in. There was always a financial element we had to look at, we   had to take care of.

“We may not have the financial clout of the others, but we are trying to coach   our way, to develop young players and bring them through. Of course the   pressure is always to win, especially at a club like this.

“Hopefully once we have a philosophy embedded at the club that should save us   a bit of time and money.” Liverpool will still spend. “If there is a top   player out there then the club will do everything they can [to get him]. But   we are trying to get away from just throwing money at any player at whatever   age. If we think we can get the right player, the owners will back that.”

Rodgers is full in his praise of the owners and even says they were    “apologising to me” during the first six months of his time as manager   because “they could see it wasn’t quite coming off and obviously the results   weren’t there. I suppose we were suffering a wee bit”.

Now there is undoubted suffering at United with David Moyes dealing with the –    perhaps inevitable – downward curve of some of his players following   Ferguson’s retirement. There is qualified sympathy from Rodgers.

“They have obviously had a difficult season which you can understand – they’ve   lost one of the greatest managers in the history of football,” he says.

“So there is always going to be that transition. But I just don’t think it’s   good to compare because David took over the champions and a club that was   winning titles. I took over a team that was eighth. So it’s incomparable in   terms of where both of us are at.

“If I came into here and we were winning titles then maybe it is a different   comparison. [But] it’s a different job.”

source: telegraph.co.uk