Liverpool Chairman Discusses Why Club Moved On from Brendan Rodgers

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has opened up on the decision to sack former manager Brendan Rodgers and bring in Jurgen Klopp, calling the latter a world-class manager and pointing at the club's inconsistent showings under Rodgers and the lack of success of a number of signings.

As reported by the Guardian's Andy Hunter, Werner called Rodgers an “outstanding manager” and refused to divulge too much information:

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When we appointed Brendan we thought he was going to be the right manager for Liverpool. Obviously we now feel that we have got the world-class manager and beyond that there is not much more I would like to say.

We gave Brendan, as you know, an opportunity to see if we could improve this season. There was some very good football last season and some not so good football. There were some challenges that dealt with injuries, we brought in some new players that Brendan recommended that we thought would take us forward. We are where we are. I don’t want to say too much. Brendan is an outstanding manager and we decided to move in a different direction and I am very optimistic.

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Rodgers was let go after Liverpool's 1-1 draw against Everton on Sunday, per BBC Sports' Phil McNulty, the conclusion of a rocky ride that started with plenty of promise but ended in mediocrity.

The Northern Irishman took the job in 2012 and arrived amid much fanfare after a great spell with Swansea City. He had the squad playing some exciting football in his first season at the helm and nearly led the Reds to the Premier League title in 2013-14, which would have been their first since the 1989-90 season.

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But following the sale of star striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona, the Reds regressed tremendously. Liverpool failed to make it out of the Champions League group stage in the 2014-15 campaign and couldn't crack the Premier League's top four, and the side's start to the 2015-16 campaign has been pedestrian, with the Reds currently in 10th place, per WhoScored.com.

The fans needed a boost of energy, and Klopp, who worked wonders with a Borussia Dortmund squad that was closer to relegation than a Bundesliga title when he took over in 2008, will provide that. Sky Sports shared some key statistics, which look promising for the Reds:

The appointment of Klopp has been met with widespread optimism, with the likes of Michael Owen praising the German's work in impressing the fans early, but not everyone is happy with how Liverpool handled things with Rodgers or their decision to sack their former boss at all. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is among them, as he told beIN Sports (h/t John Cross of the Daily Mirror):

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Let’s not forget Liverpool has not won the championship since 1990. They won 18 championships and since 90 they have not won the championship. They came the closest to winning it two years ago and now I don’t know why really, the rational reasons why they have made that decision so quickly. It’s difficult for me to understand. I’m surprised because first of all for me it’s very sad.

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Rodgers' sacking seemed almost inevitable after the bad start to the 2015-16 campaign, however, particularly with Klopp available. There's no denying a number of Rodgers' signings haven't worked out―think of Mario Balotelli and Lazar Markovic, for example―and the squad seemed to be regressing rather than progressing over the last couple of months.

A fresh start was needed, and it's easy to see why Fenway Sports Group, which own Liverpool, made the decision to go with Klopp. The American investors are anxious for silverware, something Rodgers hasn't been able to consistently deliver, and given Klopp's excellent track record with Dortmund, the change made sense.

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