The 80/20 Rule: Applied to Liverpool FC

In 1941, management consultant Dr. Joseph M. Juran made his observation of the “vital few and trivial many” whereby 80% of the effects is driven by 20% of the causes. (Apparently, in later years, Juran preferred “the vital few and the useful many” to signal the remaining 80% of the causes should not be totally ignored.) He named it the Pareto Principle after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. However, it is most commonly known as the 80/20 rule and has become an important rule of thumb used extensively in business but can be applied in all walks of life.

In fact, I find myself applying this rule in my search for the reason behind the sharp decline in the fortunes of Liverpool FC this season. Of the ten outfield players, I don’t think it is unreasonable to judge the SAS pairing of Suarez and Sturridge (20%) as driving 80% of the team performance, as they single-handedly finished off games in the first twenty minutes last season and provided a platform for their team members to excel. I have not lost faith in Rodgers and his philosophy but the club will have to assess their strategy of replacing the “vital few” with the “useful many” who have so far failed to deliver.