Brendan Rodgers Reportedly Fighting for Liverpool Job Amid Carlo Ancelotti Talk

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is reportedly in a precarious position as he seeks to cling on to his job at Anfield in the wake of speculation that the Reds have sounded out Carlo Ancelotti.

According to Neil Ashton of the Daily Mail, the Northern Irishman is now “fighting to save his job” following Wednesday's struggle to beat Carlisle in the Capital One Cup.

Ashton says the club’s American owners have made contact with Ancelotti about the position, although Mike Whalley of ESPN FC claimed on Wednesday “no approach” has been made for the former Real Madrid and Milan manager.

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A dreary encounter against fourth-tier side, Carlisle, which Liverpool eventually won via a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw, has put Rodgers’ position under increased scrutiny. 

As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, not only was the Reds’ performance against Carlisle abysmal, but they’ve been poor for quite a while now:

Indeed, the Reds go into this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa—which is followed in the Premier League by tough away trips to local rivals Everton and then Tottenham—in a lowly 13th position.

It's still early in the term, but after a summer which saw the Merseysiders make significant purchases in the transfer window for the second season running, it’s simply not been good enough.

The manager must ultimately take the blame for these displays. After all, this is Rodgers’ fourth season at the club and aside from when a Luis Suarez-inspired side came close to winning the 2013-14 title, his teams have rarely convinced for long spells.

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As football journalist Rafael Hernandez discusses here, it seems as though the 2013-14 season, which so nearly ended in glory, was a one-off for Rodgers:

The tide seems to be turning against the manager in the fanbase too. Anfield is a ground renowned for hosting understanding, patient supporters, but the atmosphere has been antsy throughout the season, and during the Carlisle clash, boos rang out from the Kop as the Liverpool team struggled to conjure clear openings against their humble opponents.

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It’s not a pretty picture at the moment, and Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC thinks Rodgers' departure is quickly becoming inevitable:

Ancelotti would certainly be a wonderful replacement. The Italian has huge pedigree having managed some of the biggest clubs in Europe, has steered teams to the most-illustrious trophies in the game and has the pulling power to attract some of the world’s best players.

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Bleacher Report’s Liverpool correspondent Matt Ladson thinks that if Ancelotti wants the position, then Rodgers should be ushered out the Anfield exit door:

"

Ancelotti is *possibly* interested and there's some LFC 'fans' who would give Rodgers to the end of the season. Mind blowing stupidity.

— Matt Ladson (@mattladson) September 23, 2015"

If the owners are making moves to find the right man behind closed doors, it’s imperative they make it a swift process. Any disruption would serve to further derail the Reds’ season and when you consider the money spent in the summer window, the club can’t really afford to write off another campaign.

The fact the owners gave Rodgers money to spend and allowed him to bring in some new support staff suggests he’ll be given a little longer yet.

But with some vital games to come and quality managers out of a job, it’s imperative the Reds boss turns things around very quickly for the sake of the team and himself.