Henry, like a real American, thought in terms of achieving profit through anything. A transfer committee was created, where at that time the head of the analytical department, Michael Edwards (another American), had the greatest authority.
Fans getting furious
Rodgers was unable to lobby his transfer plans because the players needed by Rodgers did not meet Edwards’ and Henry’s criteria. The primary filter is age. For a club in financial turmoil, the purchase of Ashley Williams and Clint Dempsey, with the impossibility of making a profit from them in the future, was rejected instantly. Fans even asked for Rogers, but John Henry and FSG throughout their reign did not care about any fans there. Henry could have simply posted a delicate message on the website saying that Rogers’ wishes could not be built into his elaborate plan. Henry could spontaneously make season tickets the most expensive in the Premier League when Liverpool did not even participate in European competition, or just as spontaneously join the Super League, and the next day publicly apologize and pretend to regret his actions.
However, Liverpool were sometimes lucky with transfers – they managed to sign quality players like Torres and Suarez, who later became world stars. Season 13/14 was the first bright spot after many years of suffering. Rogers found an approach to key players.
Carte Blanche to Luis Suarez
Throughout most of the season, Liverpool started matches in a 4-3-3 formation, where Raheem Sterling fell to the tenth position. Rogers’ whole plan in the attack phase simply boiled down to the absence of a strict plan. Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were given carte blanche to do anything, and the whole world watched the extravaganza of one of the best striker duos in the history of the Premier League.
But in the summer of 2014, Suarez moved to Catalonia, and eight players were bought to replace him at once. Rogers did not cope with the new responsibility. The Northern Irishman tried to find a balance, constantly changing schemes in the 14/15 season, he did not stop experimenting, but nothing helped. All and sundry joked about the Liverpool attack.
The Rise of Jurgen Klopp
Everyone understood that Jurgen’s first real season would begin in the summer of 2016, and it was simply necessary to try to save him in the 15/16 campaign. Klopp did not start with football, because he always believed that the key to success on the field lies in well-coordinated work off it. Jurgen learned the names of 80 employees, gathered them in the dining room along with all the players, and introduced each one in turn to each.
Relations within the team immediately improved, the players no longer turned to the staff: “Um, sorry, could you help me?” Jurgen made all the players learn the names of each employee in the best possible way.
You must have seen the “This is Anfield” sign. Traditionally, players touched it before each entry on the field, but Klopp made a tough statement, saying that the greatness of the plate and the glory of Liverpool were forged by other people, so he forbade players to touch it until they had won at least one significant trophy.