Brendan Rodgers would 'totally respect' Liverpool if they change managers

It could have been so different.

Had Liverpool won the Premier League two seasons ago, there would likely be no conversation over manager Brendan Rodgers' future at Anfield, regardless of the Merseyside club's poor start to this campaign.

Instead, Steven Gerrard slipped, the Reds missed out on a first-ever title in the league's modern era, and Rodgers finds himself as a scapegoat for his side's current woes.

Ahead of Liverpool's fixture versus Aston Villa, Rodgers sounded more pessimistic than ever amid speculation that his time at Anfield is approaching its conclusion.

"What I'll always do is give my best to the club and if they decide they need to change, I'll totally respect that," Rodgers said Friday, according to the Guardian. "Because this is an incredible football club and all I want to do is see it succeed. If it isn't with me, that'll be for other people to decide. I know I've given everything.

"I'll walk away and hopefully I'll get another job where I'll get the chance to create something special. But my focus is still very much on the now and making us the best we possibly can be. Hopefully that will see me here for a longer period."

Related: Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers admits he's under pressure

Villa manager Tim Sherwood, also speaking before Saturday's match, thinks Liverpool would have struggled to keep Rodgers had the club won the league, saying: "After that season they finished second. If they'd won the league, could they have kept hold of Brendan Rodgers? They would have tried everything - and they did. He signed a new contract after that.

"All of a sudden, he doesn't turn into a bad manager, it's fine margins. We might have seen him at Real Madrid. Why wouldn't we have seen him there? He'd have won the English Premier League with a team who hasn't won it for God knows how many years."

Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti have been linked to Liverpool, both of whom have reportedly yet to be contacted by the club.