Jan Molby: Brendan Rodgers is Facing Toughest Challenge of his Reds Career

Former Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby says Brendan Rodgers is facing his toughest challenge as the Reds' manager.

The Northern Irishman left Swansea City and joined the Merseyside club in 2012. In his second season, he helped Liverpool qualify for the Champions League by finishing second in the table, just two points behind title winners Manchester City.

However, the Anfield outfit have struggled this campaign and have already lost four of the nine matches played in all competitions. Last season, Liverpool had the services of Luis Suarez to lead them from front and the Uruguayan international completed his switch to Barcelona earlier in the summer.

Molby has urged Rodgers and Liverpool to replicate the form which they displayed during their 3-0 away victory to Tottenham Hotspur. The 51-year-old former midfielder believes the Reds will struggle this season if they do not improve as a unit.

"This is the biggest challenge Brendan Rodgers will probably ever face during his time as Liverpool FC manager," Molby said in his Liverpool Echo column.

"After what he achieved last season, expectations are high at Anfield and what this team has produced so far this term hasn't satisfied anyone. The only time I've seen that this season was away to Spurs. Until we get that back it's going to be very difficult."

"Teams can read us and are able to cope. We don't run away from teams anymore and each game becomes a battle. Luis Suarez has gone but we seem to insist on playing as if he's still there."

"Maybe we need to take a step back and not be as attack minded. We look uncertain defensively, there's no control in midfield and our forward play hasn't clicked at all."

"Everything that went for us last year is going against us now. Rodgers has rightly taken a lot of praise for all the work he's done improving players on the training field and he needs to get out there and put things right."

"It's not easy with the fixture schedule but that's the life of a Champions League manager. We wanted to play in the Champions League – it was our ultimate aim so you have to deal with that," the former Reds midfielder added.