Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers: I've gone from Manager of Year to useless in six monthsBRENDAN Rodgers summed up his pressure-cooker life as Liverpool manager in a handful of words.
"Six or seven months ago I was the manager of the year and going to be this and going to be that, tactically this and tactically that.
"And because we lost two world-class players - one out of the club and one injured - I'm useless. But I can accept that. I can take that," he said after facing the TV cameras in a subdued weekly press conference.
Rodgers is not naive enough to believe the territory comes without criticism.
But after losing key players - transferred Luis Suarez and crocked Daniel Sturridge - there are mitigating circumstances.
But it is not only Rodgers who has been through the wringer after finishing runners-up and not champions last season.
Arsene Wenger, who he faces today, is another manager under huge pressure and who Rogers believes has been treated "disgracefully".
The Kop boss cites the case of the Arsenal manager slipping at Lime Street Station following the embarrassing 5-1 defeat at Anfield in February.
His fall went viral on YouTube - as did a video of the vile abuse Wenger, 65, suffered boarding a train home from defeat at Stoke with screams of "F*** off and leave" from a baying mob.
Arsenal dissenters also unfurled a banner at West Brom telling Wenger in no uncertain terms it was time to go.
Rodgers said: "Listen, I think if you look at Arsene Wenger, he's been a real iconic figure for football. He's been amazing. You will be criticised when you don't win games.
"But some of the personal stuff he takes is disgraceful - absolutely disgraceful. He's a guy who fell over at a train station and they were videoing it and taking pictures of him.
"The other week, he was at West Brom and it was absolutely disgraceful. So as a leading figure in football, a real statesmen of the game, it was really, really poor but that's the modern world unfortunately."
Rodgers is tough enough to handle anything thrown his way. But he is at pains to protect his players with current headlines the total opposite from the glowing reports of their last campaign.
“Six or seven months ago I was the manager of the year and going to be this and going to be that”
He is the first, too, to defend Raheem Sterling.
Rodgers said: "The criticism has been unbelievable. Sterling has been getting absolutely slaughtered but the boy has been brilliant, absolutely fantastic.
"He is another kid who is going to get destroyed. He is just turned 20 years of age. He was the extra log on the fire for us last year.
"He was outstanding and this year has been very good - on his own really. Raheem doesn't discuss his future. He is not getting too big for his boots.
"It's not him. You should know that by now. It's not the kid, not the boy. People ask if he is unhappy but you couldn't see a happier guy.
"He is not into discussing deals and money and yet I read about the "greedy Sterling" but I understand the game being played."
Rodgers says he can see signs of encouragement - an upturn in fortune for himself, the team and the suffering fans, with the high-profile clash with the Gunners a 'must-win' game.
Rodgers - asked if Liverpool were close to the team which hammered Arsenal - said: "Yes, if you look at the speed in our game from the other night. The tempo, the intensity, the pressing and work was much closer.
"It's a fair point that people are looking at us and saying that we haven't been as dynamic as the last couple of years.
"But there are simple reasons for that. I think we're just coming to terms with working in a different way. I have had to look at different solutions and different personnel.
"Some players used to come into Liverpool and you wouldn't hear from them for six months, a year, two years. They were given time to come in and develop.
"Modern players, because of the media, social media and everything, don't get that time."
