Liverpool's under-fire Brendan Rodgers 'facing sack' if he loses today

Brendan Rodgers is facing D-Day in the Merseyside derby, with Liverpool’s owners ready to pull the trigger if they lose at Everton, writes Steve Bates in the Sunday People.

So far, the Boston-based Fenway Sports Group who own the Reds have shown no appetite to sack Rodgers, who ended last season with a 6-1 hammering at Stoke and has had an erratic start to the new campaign.

The poor 1-1 draw with Swiss minnows Sion in the Europa League in midweek did little to lift the pressure on 42-year-old Rodgers.

And Anfield sources have suggested a demoralising defeat in the 225th Mersey derby at Goodison Park on Sunday will shift FSG’s thinking.

Former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti and former Borussia Dortmund chief Jurgen Klopp head a list of available managers who would jump at the Kop job if FSG do dump Rodgers.

Ajax boss Frank de Boer has also expressed interest in work in the Premier League and would also be a candidate if the club’s American owners decide to make a change during the international break which begins on Monday.

Senior Liverpool figures believe that 12-day period to be a key window of opportunity for FSG if Rodgers and his stars suffer defeat against their neighbours.

Owner John Henry and his management team in Boston are not prone to knee-jerk reactions, especially concerning one game.

But informed sources close to FSG point out that while the owners have always been strategic planners with a long-term view over the direction of the club, the game at Everton is a major moment for Rodgers.

Henry and chairman Tom Werner backed their manager in the transfer market during the summer with a slew of arrivals which will amount to around £85million once a compensation tribunal sets a fee for ex-Burnley striker Danny Ings.

That will take Rodgers' gross spending in his three years at Anfield to £300m, and FSG are concerned Liverpool are no closer to winning major titles.

But club officials are also keen to point out that a Liverpool win at Goodison could change the picture entirely — even though Rodgers faces another tricky game away to Tottenham in the first fixture back after the international break.