Brendan Rodgers Gets Second Chance Rafa Benitez Never Had at Liverpool

The last three times Liverpool have finished second in the Premier League—2002 under Gerard Houllier, 2009 under Rafa Benitez and 2014 under Brendan Rodgers—they've gone on to finish fifth, seventh and sixth the following seasons, respectively.

Houllier's squad went from winning 80 points in 2001/02 to 64 in 2002/03 (a 16-point difference). Benitez's squad went from 86 points in 2008/09 to 63 points the following year (23 points fewer). Rodgers' side of 2013/14 went from 84 points to 62 points (22 points fewer).

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Houllier was afforded another season—and scraped Champions League qualification via fourth place—but Benitez was handed his cards shortly after the season ended by then-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

Seemingly Rodgers will be given a second chance to rectify things, like Houllier was and unlike Benitez was.

History repeated itself in each of the three cases, with each manager suffering terrible disappointments in the transfer market the following season.

Houllier signed the trio of Bruno Cheyrou, Salif Diao and El Hadji Diouf (turning down the chance to make Nicolas Anelka's move permanent in the process) and never recovered from there.

Benitez let Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa go after their second-place finish in 2009, replacing them with Alberto Aquiliani and Glen Johnson.

Rodgers signed nine players and saw Luis Suarez leave.

Liverpool have again failed to learn from the mistakes of their past.

Dave Thompson/Getty Images

But Rodgers, it seems, will be given a second chance after his future was reportedly secured at the clubs's supposed end-of-season meeting last week, per Andy Hunter of the Guardian.

The Northern Irishman now must ensure he doesn't fall to the same fate as Houllier; sacked two years after guiding the team to second place in the Premier League.

The pressure will be on Rodgers from the off: He simply must deliver a top-four finish next season.

He'll still be without injured striker Daniel Sturridge, and the transfer window will still be open, meaning he may have to get the start he needs while the club still try to offload players such as Mario Balotelli.

Clint Hughes/Getty Images

With Jurgen Klopp seemingly paving the way for a move to the Premier League with his agent's comments this week, the German's availability will be like the grim reaper to Rodgers every time his side fail to pick up three points.

Liverpool under Rodgers, though, have always struggled in the first half of the season, usually excelling in the second half of the campaign.

"The exciting thing is we have always been better in the second half of the season and that is the business end," he said back in January. 

Of course, eight points from the final nine games, nine goals conceded in the final two games and being dumped out of the FA Cup in miserable fashion by Aston Villa proved Rodgers' prophecy wrong in his third season in charge.

Given that Benitez was sacked after amassing one point more than Rodgers did last season, and finishing seven points off fourth place compared to Rodgers' eight, the current boss can consider himself fortunate to be given a second chance.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Rafa will forever feel that he has unfinished business at Anfield, especially due to the influence of Gillett and Hicks in his final two seasons at the club. The newly appointed Real Madrid boss is still held with an affinity among Liverpool supporters for that reason.

Things had gone wrong for the Spaniard, but there were bigger issues at the club at the time.

Again, though, Liverpool are under American ownership now, and while Fenway Sports Group have undoubtedly steadied the ship after the turbulent Gillett/Hicks era, questions of them are beginning to be asked.

Despite signing two new players in the last week—James Milner and Danny Ings—there have been no quotes from Rodgers or chief executive Ian Ayre. Liverpool, as a football club, have gone extremely quiet.

Rodgers needs to add quality to those out-of-contract signings, as 2015/16 represents the last chance to keep his job by getting Liverpool back in the Champions League again—before the gap from the increased money for teams involved creates an even bigger divide among the Premier League's top clubs.