Hull Defeat Leaves Brendan Rodgers Facing Managerial Crisis at Liverpool

Twenty-five years to the day since Liverpool last won the league title, Brendan Rodgers' side put in a performance more befitting a side heading for relegation than a title.

As it happens, Hull City are actually the side threatened by relegation, but they took the three points courtesy of Michael Dawson's first-half header.

For Liverpool, that's two games against Hull without scoring this season. It's also two games this week against relegation-threatened sides without scoring.

Rodgers' side have crumbled ever since the Liverpool boss claimed his side could finish second—they've won one Premier League game in five since then and lost the FA Cup semi-final to another relegation-threatened side.

While Liverpool supporter groups boycotted this match in protest of Premier League ticket prices, Liverpool players appeared to show solidarity by boycotting the match themselves. Rodgers' side were turgid, devoid of inspiration, leadership or tactical nous.

Hull merely defended diligently and stopped Coutinho, nullifying Liverpool's only attacking force.

Rodgers

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Rodgers is a manager who likes to talk up his accomplishments. "Three months ago I was a tactical genius and performing to a good level," he claimed last week, per The Telegraph.

Truth is, the only person proclaiming Rodgers to be a tactical genius was himself, in interviews like the one he gave to talkSPORT in March, when he revealed how he turned the club's season around.

What that fails to mention is that Liverpool's season recovered when the manager stopped setting up the side with Mario Balotelli as a lone centre-forward within a 4-2-3-1 shape against teams like Hull City.

This corresponding fixture at Anfield in October saw just that setup, which Rodgers has somehow returned to in these last two games against relegation-threatened sides. It didn't work in October and doesn't work now.

"

The last two weeks feel like the last days of Kenny, the last days of Rafa, the last days of Gerard. They feel like last days.

— Ian Salmon (@IanRSalmon) April 28, 2015"

Against Hull on Tuesday night, Rodgers had right-back Glen Johnson playing at left-back and centre-midfielder-cum-centre-defender Emre Can at right-back. The final minutes then saw attacking midfielder Lazar Markovic playing as right-back. Meanwhile, actual right-back Javier Manquillo sat on the bench.

An immobile Mario Balotelli was replaced by an immobile Rickie Lambert, while Raheem Sterling—who Rodgers had previously proclaimed as a major reason for his side's change in fortunes since moving him into a centre-forward role—toiled out wide.

It's this use of square pegs in round holes that is becoming a major issue. Versatility is good, but playing people out of position when it clearly isn't working smacks of being too clever for your own good.

"Death by Football"

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Death by football is a quote that was routinely used against Rodgers in his first season in charge at Anfield, when his side would frequently dominate games but fail to actually win them. "We won the passing," fans would mock.

Last season, with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge at the peak of their powers, Rodgers' style completely shifted to explosive counter-attacking and high-press, blowing sides away but not necessarily dominating possession.

"When you’ve got the ball 65-70 percent of the time it’s a football death for the other team," proclaimed Rodgers in a meeting with fan representatives in September 2013, as per The Anfield Wrap.

"I’ve always worked along the statistic, that if you can dominate the game with the ball you have a 79 percent chance of winning a game of football."

Liverpool had 73 percent possession against West Brom and 69 percent against Hull, but no goals in either.

“It’s death by football," said Rodgers. "You just suck the life out of them."

The only thing looking like facing its final days is Brendan Rodgers' reign as Liverpool manager.