Shortly afterward, Staveley and her group made their way onto the training pitch for introductions. She greeted the players with warmth, offering a few encouraging words about the season ahead and expressing confidence in the squad's potential.
Her manner was professional but personable, striking the balance between authority and approachability.
When she turned to Rodgers, that same warmth remained fully intact. Her smile never flickered, giving no indication at all of any plans or discussions happening in private board meetings. The manager's future might be under review, but Staveley's public face revealed absolutely nothing.
For his part, Rodgers appeared completely unaffected by the scrutiny. His demeanor remained steady and focused, giving no sign that he felt the walls closing in around him.
After another training session concluded, Rodgers gathered the defensive unit for a sharp debrief. His gaze swept across Skrtel first, the Slovak center-back who'd been sent off the previous week and had been training with frustration, determined to atone for his error.
Rodgers then looked at Agger and Glen Johnson before finally settling on Henderson and Gerrard, the two midfield pivots whose performance would be crucial in the upcoming fixture.
"That defensive sequence we just ran—you tell me, where did it break down?" Rodgers pointed toward the edge of the penalty area, his tone was sharp but not quite accusatory.
"Glen, you rushed back too aggressively. Their winger was clearly decelerating, but you lunged in trying to win the ball. Who's covering the space you left behind?
And Agger, your positioning relative to Martin was two yards too deep. If the opposition plays a through ball into that channel, it's a highway straight to goal. Newcastle's winner came from exactly that kind of gap, didn't it?"
Skrtel's jaw tightened, his lips pressed into a thin line as he absorbed the criticism.
Rodgers glanced at him, and his tone softened slightly.
"Martin, I understand you want to make up for last weekend's mistake. The red card frustrated all of us, myself included. But defending isn't about throwing yourself recklessly into challenges.
Just now when you pressed forward, you forgot to check where your teammates were positioned behind you. That kind of individual aggression without collective awareness just creates opportunities for the opposition.
We're going to work lengthily on defensive positioning. You and Agger need to communicate constantly, keep calling out distances and adjusting together. No more gaps appearing between center-backs where attackers can exploit. Is that clear?"
Agger nodded his understanding. Johnson muttered a quiet "Yes, boss" in acknowledgment.
Rodgers pivoted to address the midfielders, his finger was tracing lines on the tactical board to illustrate passing lanes through the half-spaces.
"Steven, Jordan—your transition between attack and defense needs to be sharper. During that counter-attack drill, our midfield was half a beat too slow getting back into defensive shape. Against Arsenal's mobile forwards, that half-beat is the difference between a blocked passing lane and a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. We cannot afford those lapses against top opposition."
The players listened intently, absorbing the feedback as Rodgers thoroughly broke down each phase of play that had disappointed him.
His coaching remained detailed and specific, focused on correctable technical issues rather than vague exhortations to "work harder" or "show more desire."
Watching this scene, Julien found himself thinking about a recent news item that had circulated amid the endless managerial speculation. There'd been a story about Rodgers nearly becoming assistant coach to the England national team—a position that had ultimately gone elsewhere, but one that highlighted his reputation within coaching circles.
The story connected to Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson in an interesting way.
When England had been searching for their manager, Redknapp then in charge at Tottenham Hotspur had been the overwhelming favorite for the position. His track record and tactical philosophy seemed perfectly suited to the role, and Redknapp himself had been confident he'd get the call.
So confident, apparently, that he'd approached Rodgers at Swansea City about becoming his assistant with England. According to Redknapp's version of events, Rodgers had agreed to take the role.
Rodgers, naturally, told the story differently. He acknowledged that Redknapp had made the approach, but insisted he'd never given a definitive answer, neither accepting nor declining the offer.
Ultimately, the FA had chosen Hodgson instead of Redknapp, rendering the entire conversation moot.
Perhaps someone in the media was deliberately resurrecting that old story to support Rodgers, to remind people that he'd been considered qualified for national team coaching duties. A subtle campaign to reinforce his credentials during a period when his competence was being questioned.
Julien had no way of knowing for certain. The media worked in mysterious weird ways, and motivations weren't always transparent.
As training concluded and players began going toward the changing rooms, Gerrard deliberately bumped shoulders with Julien in passing. His words came out casual, almost throwaway, but carried unmistakable weight beneath the surface.
"Next match is at Anfield. We can't lose again."
He didn't wait for a response, just continued walking toward the dressing room.
Julien exhaled slowly, the burden of that simple statement was now settling over him. The Newcastle defeat still stung, particularly because it had been so avoidable.
The opposition hadn't been especially formidable. Skrtel's red card had been a moment of poor judgment that could have been prevented with better discipline.
But dwelling on past mistakes accomplished nothing.
The only path forward was through the next match, and the one after that, accumulating points and performances until the season's narrative could be reshaped into something more positive.
While Melwood continued its arranged routines, the external football world was shaking with speculation and rumor that tried to completely engulf Liverpool.
German media outlets reported that Borussia Dortmund faced potential upheaval, with manager Jürgen Klopp possibly departing to take charge of a Premier League club.
The story hadn't named specific destinations, but football fans were quick to connect obvious dots.
Manchester United and Liverpool—the two traditional giants currently experiencing turbulence immediately became the pivotal points of speculation.
The rumor ignited fierce debate among supporters of both clubs, dividing opinion sharply between those who welcomed potential change and those who counseled patience.
Among Manchester United fans, the comments were predictably polarized:
"Get Moyes out now! What is this football we're playing? Endless sideways passing with no penetration, Rooney and Van Persie standing around like statues waiting for service that never arrives!"
"Klopp would at least get the front players moving, create some dynamism. He won titles at Dortmund with that gegenpressing system. He's a hundred times better than Moyes could ever hope to be!"
"Don't be naive. Klopp's system works with young, energetic squads like Dortmund had. Look at our team—half the squad is near or past thirty. They can't sustain high-intensity pressing for ninety minutes week after week. We'd be exposed defensively while achieving nothing going forward. Better to stick with Moyes as a transitional figure rather than start another chaotic rebuild that disrupts everything."
Liverpool supporters were equally divided:
"Klopp at Anfield? Can you imagine Julien De Rocca in that rapid attacking system? With the right midfield runners supporting him, he'd absolutely destroy Premier League defenses. This could be transformational."
"Have people forgotten the Hodgson disaster already? The media hype around that appointment was massive, and he was gone within six months after taking us backward. New ownership coming in and immediately changing managers while players are still adapting to their system—that's a recipe for chaos. Can we please show some stability for once?"
"Henderson and Lucas in our current midfield couldn't handle the physical demands of Klopp's pressing. They'd be gasping for air after forty-five minutes. And Rodgers has at least got us challenging for Champions League qualification. Sacking him now when we're still in touching distance of top four would be insane, repeating the same cycle of constant managerial turnover that's plagued us for years."
Despite the varied opinions and fierce arguments, one statistical reality was undeniable across English football.
Besides Paolo Di Canio who'd already been dismissed from Sunderland—David Moyes and Brendan Rodgers occupied the top two positions in the betting odds for next manager to be sacked.
The bookmakers rarely got those calculations fundamentally wrong.
Amid the domestic turbulence, Julien maintained awareness of international developments that would affect France's World Cup campaign. The draw was approaching, and the seeding pots had created a nightmare scenario for several European powerhouses.
FIFA's latest rankings had placed France tenth, which meant they'd failed to secure a place among the top-seeded teams. The hole dug by previous poor results under former management had proven too deep to climb out of despite recent improvements under Deschamps.
The seven seeded positions for the 2014 Brazil World Cup were essentially confirmed: hosts Brazil got automatic seeding, while Spain, Germany, Argentina, Switzerland, Belgium, and Colombia occupied the top six spots in the rankings. The final seeded position would be contested between Uruguay and the Netherlands.
That left Italy, England, France, and Portugal—all traditional football powers with World Cup pedigrees definitively outside the seeding group. The potential for brutally difficult group compositions was enormous.
The draw ceremony was scheduled for December 5th, but the tournament was already generating discussion about potential "Groups of Death" where three genuine contenders could be placed together.
The Netherlands faced particular misfortune. They sat eighth in the FIFA rankings, but Brazil's automatic seeding as hosts pushed everyone down one spot. That meant the Dutch would almost certainly drop into the second pot despite their excellent qualifying campaign.
After the seeding situation became clear, Deschamps had called Julien for a lengthy conversation. They'd discussed France's prospects and the mental preparation required for potentially facing elite opposition from the tournament's opening match. Better to anticipate difficulty and be pleasantly surprised than expect easy progress and be caught unprepared.
October 26th.
Anfield Stadium. 2:00 PM.
The stadium was already alive with energy hours before kickoff, tens of thousands of voices were creating that distinctive Anfield atmosphere that had intimidated visiting teams for generations. The noise rolled across the pitch in waves, building and receding but never truly diminishing.
Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion players stood in the center circle as the clock approached two o'clock precisely. The referee checked his watch, waited for the exact moment, then raised the whistle to his lips.
The sharp blast cut through the crowd noise, and the match was underway.
Whatever happened next would be scrutinized endlessly, analyzed from every angle, used as evidence for or against Rodgers' continued employment.
The pressure was immense, but that was simply the reality of managing Liverpool Football Club.
Some thrived under that pressure. Others were crushed by it.
Which category Brendan Rodgers belonged to would be determined over the next ninety minutes.
________________________________________________________
Check out my patreon where you can read more chapters:
patreon.com/LorianFiction
Thanks for your support!