Brendan Rodgers is having a rough few weeks, and it could only get worse. As his Liverpool side prepare to host Mark Hughes' Stoke City at Anfield on Saturday, all eyes will be firmly on the Northern Irishman as he battles to stop the relentless negative press.
"I was manager of the year, now I'm favourite to be sacked"
- Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers, ahead of the game against Stoke, commented on the fickle nature of the football world and how public opinion towards a manager can change in the blink of an eye: "A few months ago I was manager of the year, now I’m favourite to be sacked! It’s part and parcel of football’s short-termism. We need the mental characteristics of the team to come out now, concentrate on the football and our performance level for results," he said. Continuing, the Liverpool boss spoke about the difficulty of playing Stoke and a need for his side to return to form: "Every game at this level is very difficult. Stoke have gone away and had two good results against Man City and Tottenham. Stoke will be coming here to get a result. We just want to return to the home form we improved after I came here."
Liverpool let a 2-1 lead slip in the Champions League on Wednesday night, conceding a last minute goal against Ludogorets. The fate of Rodgers' side is still in their own hands - as they must beat Basel in the final group fixture - but to not hang on was another blow for fans who have seen their side fall to 12th place - collecting just 14 points from their opening 12 fixtures. No win in four Premier League games for Liverpool - including a 3-1 loss at Crystal Palace last weekend - has seen the pressure pile up on Rodgers, and he knows his side must stop the rot.
"We can go anywhere and get positive results"
- Mark Hughes
For Stoke manager Hughes, Saturday's fixture will feel like an opportunity to pile more misery on a struggling Liverpool side. Stoke have had a successful season thus far, picking up good wins against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur away from home. Hughes suggested that despite the struggles, Liverpool are still a side with plenty of quality, but insisted that his side have already shown their ability to win games away from home: "They're an outstanding team, with great players, and although it's a tough test for us we've proven this year we can go anywhere and get positive results, so that's our intention again," Hughes said.
Stoke have made a solid start to the season and sit 11th in the Premier League table - just a point and one spot above Rodgers' Liverpool. Hughes' side have collected 15 points from their opening 12 games, but will come into Saturday's tie after a hugely disappointing loss to Burnley last weekend. Stoke were far from bad, but they made costly mistakes which allowed Sean Dyche's Burnley to come out 2-1 winners. The Stoke fans will hope that Saturday's game can be the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways.
A virus at the training ground this week has hit Stoke's preparations, but those who were affected - Geoff Cameron, Phil Bardsley and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic - should be available. Ex-Liverpool player Victor Moses is, however, confirmed as sidelined through injury, but Hughes' defensive options could be boosted with the return to training of Marc Wilson and Erik Peters.
Rodgers and Liveprool will be led upfront once again by Rickie Lambert, as Italian striker Mario Balotelli remains out with a hamstring problem. Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has suffered some bad performances of late, and Rodgers must decide whether to drop the Liverpool number one or keep the faith with the Belgian.