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Liverpool's draw against Ludogorets showed again that confidence is fragile among Brendan Rodgers' players

Liverpool's 2-2 draw away to Ludogorets kept their Champions League hopes alive but a late equaliser by the Bulgarian side will have done little for their fragile confidence. Belief is proving just as problematic as any missing striker, writes Daniel Storey...

Brendan Rodgers

It was not a night on which Liverpool could resolve any of their troubles, but Brendan Rodgers must have hoped, pleaded, and prayed for better.

For the second match in four days, it felt like one step forward and another step back. Progress is difficult to spot, unless you count avoiding becoming the first Liverpool side in 61 years to lose five matches on the spin. Scant consolation.

Everything currently feels like a struggle for Liverpool, every small gain a battle against their own frailties. Recent defensive woes were epitomised in the first two minutes of the match against Ludogorets: An inability to close down the opposition player on the ball, defensive uncertainty and an error from Simon Mignolet. The Belgian is nursing an empty glass in Liverpool's last chance saloon.

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Rodgers praises team character

Rodgers' side did show character to respond, but were assisted by some comical Bulgarian defending. A reminder that Ludogorets are playing their home games 220 miles from their own stadium, and their record transfer fee paid is just £1.5m. These were the rank outsiders of this Champions League group.

"If we get the first goal that can give us the confidence," Rodgers said before the match, but one suspects the comeback would have given him greater satisfaction, had his side held on. That chance was thrown away with another example of poor defending. This time it was Glen Johnson who lost his man. The time has come for frank conclusions.

Confidence

Rodgers' pre-match mention of "confidence" was notable, for it is exactly that characteristic the manager conceded was missing in the defeat to Crystal Palace. "Overall, there's that intensity and togetherness that's not quite there in our game," Rodgers admitted. "When you don't get the results, that is affected. We started the game as you would want but I think you saw a team low on confidence."

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Lambert and Henderson pleased

It shows, particularly in a side managed by Rodgers, for whom self-belief is the most important weapon in his armoury. The proportion of football management dependent on motivation differs according to the individual style, but it's never negligible. Andre Villas-Boas' tenure at Tottenham indicates the risk of a tactic-heavy approach. At the opposite end of the spectrum from Villas-Boas sits Rodgers.

More from Ludogorets V Liverpool

Confidence. It is an abstract notion, entirely unquantifiable, but also formed the foundation for Liverpool's rise last season. Rodgers' side played an attractive blend of attacking football largely because Rodgers made them believe that they could. The Premier League title proved a step too far, but Liverpool gained 23 more points in 2013/14 than they did in the previous campaign. Self-belief won them as many of those as Luis Suarez.

Frustration for Liverpool after Ludogorets' late equaliser
Image: There was frustration for Liverpool after Ludogorets scored a late equaliser in Bulgaria

The examples are numerous. "He has told me to just be confident and get on the ball, I am in that zone now," said Raheem Sterling in March. "He gives everyone confidence, when you step on to the pitch you know that he is behind you," was Mignolet's take, while Steven Gerrard also piled on the praise. "You go out feeling full of confidence and belief," the Liverpool captain said. "His one-on-one management is the best I have known."

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Neville: Lambert over Balotelli

The importance of self-belief runs through every fibre of Rodgers' personality. It's why he says things like: "You can live without water for many days, but you can't live for a second without hope." And: "I use a quote with the players, 'Per aspera ad astra', which is Latin for 'through adversity to the stars'." Fortune cookie wisdom perhaps, but that's beside the point - it's simply about making players believe it. Confidence is contagious.

Unfortunately, Rodgers' confidence management is in danger of seeming like a house built on sand. There is little doubt that his positivity empowered many of Liverpool's players last season, but no amount of philosophical calls-to-arms can account for the shortfall in Liverpool's quality. The nature of Rodgers' management style might well mean that when his teams are good they are very, very good, but when they are bad they are awful.

Needed a boost

At the precise time when Rodgers' squad needed a boost in order to keep his dream sustainable, Liverpool sold their best player, and reality suddenly struck, just as it did at Anfield against Chelsea. No matter how many times the manager insists that the sun still shines over Anfield, the feeling still remains that this team’s one shot at greatness came and went in May.

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Neville: Liverpool needed Sanchez

The lack of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge has hampered Liverpool's attacking vigour, but too many players now appear lost, sapped of all belief. Take those aforementioned examples - Mignolet, Sterling, Gerrard, all worryingly short of form or spark. The title collapse caused a damaging psychological blow.

That's certainly the view of Jamie Carragher. "I think the biggest thing is the lack of confidence," Carragher told Sky Sports before the match. "You can see it in everything they do. There's not one area of the team that's functioning well. Not one individual player that can say after three months that I'm playing well. That's down to confidence."

Unfortunately, while Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group have seemingly backed Rodgers to turn the club's fortunes around, there is no quick fix. Self-belief is far easier to lose than regain. Victories are the only medicine, and Liverpool now haven't taken their tablets for five games. It's getting harder every time.

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