Liverpool's first Premier League fixture under Brendan Rodgers saw the side well-beaten by West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at the Hawthorns, and the reverse fixture on Monday night offered about as much joy for Reds fans as the Baggies left Anfield having netted two goals without reply.
Looking at the scoreline's of the respective games, six months apart, some may question just how far Liverpool have come under Rodgers' leadership, and whether the Northern Irishman is really the right manager to ensure Champions League football returns to Anfield in the foreseeable future.
The negatives are there for all to see: Liverpool have yet to beat a top half team in the Premier League this season despite convincingly brushing aside a number of teams in the lower-half, the result of which, as would be expected, is that the Merseyside outfit find themselves smack bang in the middle of the table.
The inexperienced manager makes mistakes, such as reverting back to a 4-3-3 formation against West Bromwich Albion after having some success playing 4-4-2 in recent weeks due to the strong partnership forged between Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez,
The squad, too, is young and prone to mistakes. Rodgers attempts to bed youth into the first-team is admirable, but at times there is a need for more experience as the youngsters struggle in tough games, as evidenced by the Reds lack of points against top half opposition.
There is still a reliance on captain Steven Gerrard, whilst Jamie Carragher, who is set to retire at the end of the season, has found himself starting all of Liverpool's last three Premier League matches as Martin Skrtel has been dropped to the bench following a string of poor performances.
Daniel Sturridge, too, has also become a key figure that Liverpool rely on. The former Chelsea man has made an impressive start to his time at Anfield and his absence due to a thigh injury against West Brom was evident as the Reds squandered all of the twenty something attempts they had through the game.
It's far from all negative, though, Rodgers has overseen the reinvigoration of Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, two players who in the early stages of the season looked destined for an Anfield exit before seeing a resurgence in form and establishing themselves as first-team regulars.
The development of academy graduates such as Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre Wisdom is also extremely encouraging, with the revamp of the youth system overseen by former manager Rafael Benitez paying dividends as Rodgers has used youth to fill the gaps in a paper thin squad.
Liverpool's style of play has been encouraging, with the passing style pleasing on the eye and seeing the Reds score a glut of goals against bottom half opposition, whilst solid performances against both Arsenal and Manchester City saw Rodgers team look the better side despite only walking away with a draw.
Despite poor performances in both the FA Cup and Capital One Cup Liverpool still have a chance of success in the Europa League, facing off against Zenit St. Petersburg on Thursday night, and though a cup win wasn't enough to save Kenny Dalglish's job Rodgers finds himself in different circumstances.
It's too early to tell if Brendan Rodgers is the right man to take Liverpool forward, but one certainty is it won't benefit the club to send another manager towards the exit door.
Liverpool have gone back to square one too many times in recent years, and if they want to take the huge leap forward into the Champions League it has to be understood there will be a few steps backwards along the way.
Looking at the scoreline's of the respective games, six months apart, some may question just how far Liverpool have come under Rodgers' leadership, and whether the Northern Irishman is really the right manager to ensure Champions League football returns to Anfield in the foreseeable future.
The negatives are there for all to see: Liverpool have yet to beat a top half team in the Premier League this season despite convincingly brushing aside a number of teams in the lower-half, the result of which, as would be expected, is that the Merseyside outfit find themselves smack bang in the middle of the table.
The inexperienced manager makes mistakes, such as reverting back to a 4-3-3 formation against West Bromwich Albion after having some success playing 4-4-2 in recent weeks due to the strong partnership forged between Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez,
The squad, too, is young and prone to mistakes. Rodgers attempts to bed youth into the first-team is admirable, but at times there is a need for more experience as the youngsters struggle in tough games, as evidenced by the Reds lack of points against top half opposition.
There is still a reliance on captain Steven Gerrard, whilst Jamie Carragher, who is set to retire at the end of the season, has found himself starting all of Liverpool's last three Premier League matches as Martin Skrtel has been dropped to the bench following a string of poor performances.
Daniel Sturridge, too, has also become a key figure that Liverpool rely on. The former Chelsea man has made an impressive start to his time at Anfield and his absence due to a thigh injury against West Brom was evident as the Reds squandered all of the twenty something attempts they had through the game.
It's far from all negative, though, Rodgers has overseen the reinvigoration of Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, two players who in the early stages of the season looked destined for an Anfield exit before seeing a resurgence in form and establishing themselves as first-team regulars.
The development of academy graduates such as Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre Wisdom is also extremely encouraging, with the revamp of the youth system overseen by former manager Rafael Benitez paying dividends as Rodgers has used youth to fill the gaps in a paper thin squad.
Liverpool's style of play has been encouraging, with the passing style pleasing on the eye and seeing the Reds score a glut of goals against bottom half opposition, whilst solid performances against both Arsenal and Manchester City saw Rodgers team look the better side despite only walking away with a draw.
Despite poor performances in both the FA Cup and Capital One Cup Liverpool still have a chance of success in the Europa League, facing off against Zenit St. Petersburg on Thursday night, and though a cup win wasn't enough to save Kenny Dalglish's job Rodgers finds himself in different circumstances.
It's too early to tell if Brendan Rodgers is the right man to take Liverpool forward, but one certainty is it won't benefit the club to send another manager towards the exit door.
Liverpool have gone back to square one too many times in recent years, and if they want to take the huge leap forward into the Champions League it has to be understood there will be a few steps backwards along the way.
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