The Roy Hodgson era is BACK at Liverpool

The Roy Hodgson era is back at Liverpool. Will it end the same way this time around?

Liverpool suffered another defeat this weekend as Manchester City came from behind to win 2-1 at Anfield. And it probably should have been 3-1, if not for the bizarre non-goal right at the end.

But whatever the scoreline, Liverpool were outplayed on home turf yet again. That's been a theme this season and it unfortunately can't be said that they've been any better away from Anfield.

Though, the start of the season was strong. Not necessarily in performances but results, as Liverpool kept finding ways to win games.

Things then took a turn with a defeat against Crystal Palace that sparked the worst run of defeats in 70+ years. If you take that game as the 'turn', Liverpool's form over the last 20 Premier League fixtures actually looks familiar.

As pointed out by Michael Reid on Twitter, it's an almost identical points total to the Roy Hodgson era. Hodgson actually managed 25 points from 20 matches, whereas this current run has seen Liverpool amass 24.

And we all know how Hodgson's era ended.

From Hodgson to Slot

Hodgson's spell was a disaster and he also didn't have £400m of investment the previous summer. Quite the opposite, actually, as Liverpool were in a dire financial position. The season even started with Javier Mascherano forcing his way out to join Barcelona.

He was sacked after those 20 matches and Kenny Dalglish took over. Things turned around immediately, earning Dalglish the job permanently.

However, this is apple and oranges. There are a few things to consider before feeling the end result here should be the same.

For one, Hodgson most certainly had not delivered the Premier League title the season prior. Slot has that in the bank and it's about as strong an argument as anyone could muster.

Hodgson also wasn't the pick of the group who eventually sacked him. FSG, then NESV, took over as Liverpool owners in October 2010, a few months after the manager was appointed. It made it far easier to call it a day on him - Hodgson was never their man.

And there's also, as difficult as it is to discuss, the impact of Diogo Jota's death. It's an impossible one to judge from the outside - no one really has any idea how it's affecting the players. They may not even realise fully themselves.

Rewind back to June and just about everyone would have forgiven a poor season. Time has softened that position for many, which is only natural, but if the ultimate decision from the club is to not judge anyone on this season after Jota's death, that really just has to be accepted.

How could you not? It's the factor that underlines everything this season. Slot's need to handle everything around it makes this season, and his own performance, incredibly difficult to judge, both professionally and on a personal level.

The results are similar to Hodgson's, undoubtedly. But the landscape couldn't really be more different.