Alan Pardew believes Brendan Rodgers has not been provided with the players required to revive Liverpool's fortunes and is effectively working with one hand tied behind his back.
"What Brendan has is this vision about how he would like to play," said the Newcastle United manager whose side visit Anfield on Sunday. "You need to have all the right tools for that and, I have to be honest, I don't think he has them. For whatever reason, I don't think Liverpool, in the last window, gave him all the tools he needs at that level. It was always going to be difficult for Brendan.
"Everyone can see that, they need a couple of extra players in that team. The last window did not end well for Liverpool with Andy Carroll going out on loan to West Ham and no one coming in."
Pardew is well qualified to speak about Rodgers as, during his time in charge of Reading, he employed him as a youth coach and the pair remain close. It gives him no pleasure to see his friend struggling to steer what he regards as a "vulnerable" Liverpool towards the top six after a difficult start to the season.
"There's a little bit more pressure at Liverpool because of the stature and the trophies that they've won," he said. "They still have some fantastic players, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suárez are two of the best players in the Premier League, but it's a period for Brendan and the team when they're evolving and, when they're evolving, they're vulnerable."
While essential in the long term, Rodgers's emphasis on aesthetics can be seen as exaggerating such susceptibility. "You have to remember that Brendan is someone who was brought in to play a style of football and a vision they believe in," Pardew said. "They have to give him time and the right tools.
"I know Brendan very well and I was thinking about us both the other day. I don't think we would have believed that one of us would be Newcastle manager and the other Liverpool manager – two very big clubs."
Not that he underestimated Rodgers. "I always thought Brendan would do very well, always thought he would make a great coach. He has all the right attributes to be a teacher-type coach/manager which is what he is. I admire his vision."
Where Pardew, whose key striker, Demba Ba, faces a fitness test on a shin injury, differs from Rodgers is that, were he in charge at Anfield, he would not have countenanced involvement in the recent Channel 5 fly on the wall documentary, Being Liverpool. "No, I wouldn't allow it," he said.
With hindsight José Enrique – the Liverpool left-back who had cameo moments in the expose – may regret his decision to swap St James' Park for Anfield in the summer of 2011. A huge success on Tyneside Enrique has struggled on Merseyside this season while his replacement at Newcastle, Davide Santon, is going from strength to strength after recovering from the lingering side effects of the knee injury which spelt the end of his career as a teenager wonder at Internazionale under José Mourinho.
"Along with Hatem Ben Arfa, Davide has been our best player this year," said Pardew who hopes Newcastle will secure their first league win at Anfield for 18 years. "He's getting better and I think he has a chance of getting back into the Italy national side if he continues the form he's been showing. Santon had amazing success as a boy footballer at Inter but he's a man now and he's a better player."
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