LIVERPOOL: Liverpool have begun their search for a new manager, but whoever comes in must grapple with many of the issues that caused problems for the sacked Brendan Rodgers.
After a moribund conclusion to the previous campaign, the writing was on the wall for Rodgers and Liverpool's fortunes were not deemed to have improved sufficiently for owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to stand by their man.
Liverpool's poor start to the season raised the question of whether FSG's blueprint for success was flawed, or if the man chosen to implement it had simply failed.
Owner John W Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president Mike Gordon answered that question unequivocally with the dismissal of Rodgers after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Everton in the Merseyside derby, which left the club 10th in the Premier League.
"They have got to get the feel-good factor within the club, which we haven't had for a while now, and maybe that might have tipped the balance with the owners," said former Reds striker John Aldridge.
On recent evidence, the case for Rodgers to have been given more time was not without holes.
Liverpool's second-half display at Goodison Park summed up much of what has gone wrong for his side, who were disjointed and lacking direction.
Rodgers maintained that his players were "giving him everything", but the staleness of recent displays -- which had yielded one win in nine games -- suggests they will benefit from a managerial reboot.
However, it is significant that FSG will expect Liverpool's new boss to reinvigorate and rejuvenate an underperforming squad, rather than rip things up and start again.
In other words, it will be a repetition of what those in Boston wanted when they gave Rodgers the keys to Anfield three years ago.
Loyal to their strategy, FSG will seek a far-sighted coach, prepared to get his hands dirty in the moulding and developing of players, rather than a manager who provides a quick fix.
That would appear to make charismatic former Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp the stand-out candidate.
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