Why Next Season Looks Promising for Liverpool

 

Following Liverpool this season has been infuriating. After a run of two or three great games you start to think ‘we could really make it to the top 4 this year’, then they put in a couple of truly lacklustre performances against fairly low-level opposition. To be honest, it is unrealistic to hope we may still qualify for the Champions League this season, although there are lots of promising signs for the future.

Firstly, it has to be remembered that this is Brendan Rodgers’ first season at Liverpool. Adapting to a new managers style is hard for the players, and whilst they get used to it consistency is bound to be an issue. By the time the 2013/14 season starts, as long as FSG have been sensible enough to keep Rodgers, the players will be used to the manager and to his elaborate, precise method of play. This should mean that the snippets of brilliant play we’ve seen at points this season is maintained throughout the next.

Also, there is the matter of new signings. The players Liverpool have just brought in (Phillipe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge) show great potential, and once they have settled in to the side they have the capacity to be extremely effective. Daniel Sturridge in particular could be key, as Luis Suarez has shown he operates brilliantly with a second striker. Sturridge may well be the answer to the questions being asked about Liverpool’s chance conversion rate. As well as this, there will be a chance for us to strengthen the squad further come the summer, meaning the current weaknesses in our team can be ironed out by new arrivals. The defence in particular could do with improvement, and if we are able to bring in a good new defender before next season it could go a long way to helping us get the right results.

Furthermore, there are a lot of players who were brought into the side in the Dalglish era who are only just starting to come into their own. In recent games Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing have been playing brilliantly, in fact they have arguably been two of the best players in the side. If they continue in this run of form, something they didn’t manage at all under Dalglish and have only just started to show under Rodgers, they could be key in helping Liverpool to reach 4^th or higher next season. Henderson in particular could play a huge role in the future, as Steven Gerrard, though still currently playing excellently, will have to retire at some point, so Henderson will be needed to ensure the central midfield remains a strong point for Liverpool.

In conclusion, although a lot of fans are upset with the inconsistency of Liverpool this season, to the point where some are calling for Brendan Rodgers to be sacked, on the whole Liverpool are showing a lot of positive signs. Everyone should be patient, because there is a lot of potential in the current team, and by next season I think everything will fall into place, and the performances and results will finally start to come on a consistent basis.