Manchester United legend Gary Neville has jumped to the defence of underfire Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.
Neville wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: "But let's be fair and sensible about Brendan Rodgers. No manager should have to go from being the most exciting young coach in the league six months ago to being told he does not know what he's doing today. Rodgers has shown a talent for calculation, and has been bold enough to take a gamble by leaving senior players out of the side to play Real Madrid.
"This is a manager who has been placed in these high-pressure situations for the first time, and has taken a gamble, based on sound reasoning, only to be accused of violating the club's traditions. We should be lauding him in this early stage of his top-level career for raising the bar for Liverpool in the first place with their second-place Premier League finish in May.
"We crave British managers being given a chance in Champions League football. We pray they will grow to be as shrewd as Ferguson, Mourinho, Ancelotti and Guardiola. And as soon as they reach the cusp, and start making big decisions, the headlines veer into extremes. Brendan Rodgers should be cut some slack."
