Duology: Suarez and Sturridge

All the world is a stage, but Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were more than merely players. In 2013/14, their only full season together, the two combined to produce sheer theatre of the sort rarely seen before on a football pitch: Suarez the anti-hero, Sturridge the flawed genius. Ultimately it was not an Achilles Heel but an Achilles tendon that brought the latter down, while the Uruguayan left for Barcelona without a Premier League medal and with yet another scandal hanging over him – it transpired that the campaign was destined, in the end, to be a Greek tragedy. However, though the partnership collapsed, the memories endure; Liverpool has seen some truly wonderful footballers in its long history, but Suarez and Sturridge can stake a claim as two of the greatest ever.

It is tempting, with hindsight, to diminish the impact of Sturridge in the whirlwind 13/14 campaign. This would be to do a gross disservice both to Sturridge as an individual and to the near-telepathic connection that the two built up. Suarez, of course, is one of the most gifted forwards ever to grace a football pitch, but without Sturridge there would be no title charge about which to reminisce. The English forward led the line himself in Suarez’s enforced absence at the start of the campaign; he scored all three goals in three consecutive 1-0 wins, clearly laying out his credentials as a world class striker in his own right. His subsequent terrible injury luck has clouded the memory of many, but make no mistake: the undisputed best English centre-forward at the time plied his trade at Anfield.

The results of throwing a volatile South American into the mix were predictably seismic. Each was equally capable of picking the other out or taking on their marker with consummate ease, and the movement was simply impossible to defend against – a visibly less-than-fit Suarez returned from his ban against Sunderland, and managed to score two goals simply by virtue of getting on the end of Sturridge passes. Many frustrating minutes wasted out on the wing at Chelsea came to fruition in these moments, as Sturridge effortlessly drifted to the byline before instinctively picking out Suarez in the middle. Despite having just half of the previous season to get acquainted, the pair seemed to intuitively occupy the same wavelength: this was an enviable gift indeed, and defenders were certainly rarely able to enjoy similar premonitions as to what was coming next from either of them. Countless established defenders and goalkeepers were made to look foolish over the course of the season – there was little to be done when the pair descended upon a back line. Sure enough, while Sunderland were occupied with Luis Suarez at the back post at a corner, Sturridge added a goal to his two assists in the 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light. This two-man show proved to be a sign of things to come.

Part of the beauty of the partnership that came to be known as ‘SAS’ was the way in which it harnessed a certain volatility to such deadly effect. The two strikers undeniably struck a chord, but it was at times a jarring one – scoring was the currency of both forwards, and a kind of rivalry developed. If one decided to go up a level, the other instantly responded with a refusal to be outdone. A game against West Bromwich Albion sticks particularly firmly in the mind. Suarez had wrapped the result up almost on his own. He opened the scoring with a trademark winding run through the entire defence, followed by a powerful finish into the corner. The second was just as admirable; a fairly average cross meant that Suarez had to meet the ball at a near stand-still, but he somehow managed to generate enough power on his header to beat the goalkeeper. The hattrick was completed with a second header, a delicate glance into the far post from a corner. A visible change came over Sturridge, as he started to play entirely off pure goal-scorer’s instinct; he was not going to fail to get a goal on a day when his partner had managed three. Sure enough, he found his way on to the scoresheet by upstaging all of Suarez’ strikes – he went on a powerful run of his own before lifting the ball delightfully over Ben Foster from twenty yards out. Cue the ‘wriggly arms’, an enduring image from Sturridge’s time at the pinnacle of the game. Very few players would have even spotted the keeper marginally off his line; the technique to execute the chip to perfection was simply outrageous, and ensured that Sturridge shared the headlines.

That is not to say that the pair were selfish, or at least not overly so. They were undeniably single-minded, and would never pass up a goal when presented with the opportunity, but this is what made them so good – the reason these chances came along with such regularity in the first place is that Suarez and Sturridge kept laying them on for one another. Many classic partnerships have had a playmaker and a finisher, or some variation on the ‘big man, little man’ approach that so dominated the thinking of English coaches in the 1990s: not these two. They were both complete forwards, equally adept at producing something out of nothing and converting the chances when they came.

Indeed, the partnership that developed was almost transactional – an assist created more than a goal, it created a debt. It merited a response in kind, often an immediate one: in away matches at Stoke and Cardiff, in which Liverpool scored a combined eleven goals, Sturridge laid on goals for the Uruguayan only to be presented with tap-ins of his own later in the same games. Invariably, this would prompt a celebration almost as iconic as the wriggly arms: Sturridge would turn and point at the provider, who would be pointing back at him with a look of unbridled joy etched on his face. The elation was about a goal for the team, of course, but beyond that it was about the restoration of equilibrium between the strikers.

There was no such parity by the end of the season in terms of goal and assist tallies – Suarez ultimately found a level with which even Sturridge was not quite on par, finishing with an astounding 31 goals and 13 assists despite missing the start of the campaign. He was second only to Steven Gerrard in assists, and led the second-highest scorer by ten clear goals. Who was this second-placed man? Daniel Sturridge. These statistics make it all the more remarkable that Liverpool did not win the league; it is a historical anomaly, and one that does a disservice to a front two who are almost unrivalled across the entire Premier League era in their brilliance. Suarez had thrown absolutely everything he had into the campaign, and his tears after Crystal Palace were those of a man who has done everything within his power but still fallen short. Even before the unpleasant side of his utter single-mindedness reared its head at the World Cup in the form of a bite on Giorgio Chiellini, a move away from Anfield seemed inevitable.

This same World Cup provided one fitting last act in the Suarez and Sturridge relationship. England were drawn in the same group as Uruguay, which meant that the two forwards who had thrived so much together would now have to do battle on the biggest stage. Again, this was almost irresistible theatre: the two men had just endured the pain of falling short in the Premier League together, and now it fell to one of them to inflict a final blow on the other.  It was Suarez who would emerge victorious, scoring twice to eliminate Sturridge and England from the competition. This final severance of the ever-unsteady bond between the two signified the end of a partnership that burned bright but ultimately burned out.

Sturridge remained at Liverpool in 2014/15, but a combination of awful misfortune with injuries and the club’s utter failure to adequately replace Suarez cruelly limited the influence he could exert – all that was left of the SAS was a memory. It is inevitable that this casts a shadow over the partnership, but it would be an immense shame if the pair were lost from the archives of the best footballing duos in history. Circumstance transpired to bring them together in a team that was otherwise simply not equipped to push for the league, and they were ultimately dragged down, but this cannot erase the mesmerising connection shared by the two strikers. Who can forget Suarez’s remarkable four-goal haul against Norwich, or Sturridge’s delicate chip over an onrushing Tim Howard in the derby? These are the things that fans pay to go and see: it cannot be denied that Suarez and Sturridge were the ultimate crowd-pleasers. This, and not the circumstances in which it all fell apart, should be their legacy.

First published on These Football Times as part of the Duology series: https://thesefootballtimes.co/category/duology-footballs-greatest-partnerships/

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Diamonds are Forever: Why Liverpool Need to Revert to an Old Tactic

One of the hallmarks of Liverpool’s barnstorming 2013/14 season was the narrow 4-4-2 diamond adopted by Brendan Rodgers. Since Klopp has taken charge, this has given way to at least a notional 4-3-3; in recent weeks Mohamed Salah has become something of a de facto striker, but the line-up is nonetheless still two players who are traditionally wingers operating alongside a forward. Klopp’s tenure has by no means been unsuccessful – the fact that the team are in the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since 2009 is testament to this – but goals have sometimes been a little harder to come by than they were in the peak season under Rodgers. This is of course partly attributable to the then-available talents of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, but the formation plays its part too. Liverpool’s current front line is at the very least comparable with the duo of Suarez and Sturridge, which is in itself a high compliment indeed, but they can nonetheless sometimes struggle against the low block. It could be worth experimenting with the narrow diamond once more against teams that like to try and frustrate Liverpool in this way. 

What are the advantages of such a formation? Essentially, it forces the team using it to play narrow – none of the attacking options are wide players, so forward play is channelled through the middle of the pitch. This means that the only way into the box is through intricate passing combinations. All too often, Liverpool have been lured out wide by the available space and then launched in aimless crosses: this does not play to the strengths of their forwards, who are not target men, and generally does not produce results. It would be preferable if they remained patient, moving the ball around in the centre until gaps are prised open. It is then a case of picking that gap and finding a runner, who is duly free of the low block. It requires a fairly high level of technical expertise, and an even higher level of discipline, but once it is drilled into the players it produces results far more reliably than slinging in crosses. It would be doing the current crop of central players a disservice to presume they are not capable of excelling in such a system. It may well get the best out of the technically-gifted Gini Wijnaldum. Henderson, too, is a good passer of the ball – one of the biggest complaints against him is that he likes to shift it sideways, so removing this option may actually help him. Can’s strengths lie in positive driving runs, which can also serve to open up a bit of space to pick the right pass: in short, the central options seem well-suited to the narrow diamond.

In terms of Liverpool’s current attacking personnel, however, the suggestion of this formation seems strange. The only regular first-team player who is generally classified as a striker is Roberto Firmino. The formation requires two forwards, and leaves no room for wide attackers – thus one of Mane or Salah has to play up front, with the other possibly missing out altogether. As mentioned, however, Salah is effectively playing as a striker anyway. There is no doubt that the Egyptian would continue to thrive in the proposed setup, as it would not substantially alter his role. The issue with leaving out Mane is less easily resolved. There are effectively two solutions: accept that he has to be sacrificed in order to reap the benefits of the narrow diamond against lesser teams, or else play him up front with Salah and drop Firmino into the number 10 role. Neither are necessarily ideal. Mane hasn’t had the best of seasons by his standards, but still brings enough to the team to warrant reluctance to drop him. Firmino, by contrast, has been a revelation up front, to the point where shifting him deeper seems counter-productive. However, part of his brilliance has been his ability to create for others – there is no reason to think that he could not continue to excel when playing behind two strikers, even though his output might take something of a hit. It may be worth at least trying it, so as to try and find the key to consistently unlocking low blocks.

This solution is particularly appealing when Liverpool’s full-backs are considered. Moreno and Robertson are the options at left-back, with Gomez and Alexander-Arnold the available options on the other side: of these, three would properly be classified as attacking full-backs. Only Gomez, who is a natural centre-back, is more conservative. Games where this formation would be most useful are against teams that set up with little attacking intent; there is therefore no issue in picking two of the offensive-minded full-backs. Width is duly provided, even though the formation does not involve any wide attackers. The whole point of the tactical setup is that the team are not constantly looking to the wing, but these full-backs at least provide an out-ball as a worst-case scenario in order to prevent turnovers of possession. Some form of in-game tactical flexibility is also maintained. If it comes to it, Liverpool’s full-backs all have a decent delivery on them, and are capable of picking out someone like Solanke if Klopp truly feels that the block cannot be broken down in any other way. Again, this must be considered a last resort, as the entire point of utilising the diamond is to find more reliable and repeatable ways through a deep line. Nonetheless, the fact that this tactical alternative remains removes a fairly significant criticism that might be levelled at the formation.

Thus, it seems like it might at least be worth experimenting with a return to the diamond that characterised Rodgers’ tenure when it comes to games against opponents determined to sit deep. It is not so radical a change from the current setup that it will unduly affect the team’s prospects in the short-term, but it helps to ensure that the players do not constantly funnel the ball out wide when faced with pressure in the middle. It could serve to bring the best out of the current crop of central midfielders, and the multi-talented forwards should be able to adapt to it. All of this is supported by the attacking full-backs, who ensure that at least some wide threat is maintained.   

- Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Everton 1-1 Liverpool: Draw Not Enough For Rodgers

A fairly good performance from Liverpool in the Merseyside derby was not enough for Brendan Rodgers to keep his job. Depending on whom you believed before the match it may have been the case that his fate was already sealed anyway; regardless, the outcome is that Rodgers has parted ways with the club. His side showed more fight than in recent weeks, perhaps one last rally around the manager who nearly brought us glory in 2013/14 or, more likely, because of the intensity of the footballing rivalry between Liverpool and Everton, but this didn’t prove enough for a win as once again a defensive error meant that we couldn’t come away with more than a point.

A highlight of the early performance was Liverpool’s attacking pressing. This has been slowly returning to our game after a period of absence where we looked lacklustre, impotent and frankly uninterested – today, the pressure high up the pitch meant that the tempo remained high for much of the match. Danny Ings epitomised this: since coming into the side he has been one of the brightest players, and today was no exception. This positive approach meant that it was Liverpool, the visitors, who started on the front foot – Sturridge looked very lively, dancing and jinking in and out of defenders, linking up quite nicely with Ings. Everyone was getting involved; in a memorable attack, Lucas fed a clever pass through to Skrtel who tried to pick out Sturridge in the middle. The wing backs in particular showed talent going forward. Moreno continued his excellent vein of form, making things happen with his positive running style, and Clyne also looked dangerous when venturing forwards.

As is often the way with such an onerous style of play, the pressing began to fade after about half an hour. Everton still weren’t being allowed to dictate the play, with Lucas playing an important shielding role in front of the defence, but the game became more even. Chances became fewer and further between: a lovely little one-two between Coutinho and Milner nearly resulted in a brilliant goal, but Howard saved smartly at his near post. As is often the way, it was at this quieter phase that the goals came. Having wasted roughly six corners already, Liverpool capitalised on a momentary lapse from the Everton defence as an in-swinging corner was met by an unmarked Ings six yards from goal. It was no more than he deserved, and Liverpool too had been fairly good value for their lead. Sadly, however, it did not last long. A minute into added time at the end of the half, Emre Can made an error in defence that was punished clinically by Lukaku – his awful clearance hit Skrtel, and the Belgian was on hand to smash it home. This type of goal is becoming all too commonplace, and cannot have helped Rodgers’s cause. In truth it isn’t really his fault, and it highlights the fact that a new manager won’t immediately fix everything – perhaps his insistence on passing it out from the back has led to the rise of defensive errors, but most of the blame in this respect must fall at the feet of the players.

They didn’t cover themselves in glory in the second half either. The momentum seriously dropped off, and Everton were given the upper hand – a lack of sufficient pressure meant that the defence was called upon more and more. Mignolet was called upon, and showcased his strengths with two immensely good reaction stops – Naismith was denied from very close range before a drive from McCarthy, seen late due to Galloway standing in the keeper’s eyeline, was turned around the post. He gets some abuse for his occasionally nervy distribution and claiming of the ball, but what he does he does very well: he is a shot-stopper. He is potentially one of the players that will benefit most from a new manager: if he isn’t required to play the ball as much, he could truly be one of our greatest assets.

The second half did not have the intensity of the first, with both sides tiring. Liverpool managed to win a few more corners, but were extremely wasteful with them – the goal should not mask the fact that corners are something we really need to work on. Skrtel’s seven headed goals in 2013/14 were a not insignificant part of our success; certainly we could have had a lot more goals this year if that sort of form could be repeated. A small blessing was that we were at least beating the first man today, but for all the good it did we might as well not have bothered – goal aside, nobody in the middle even threatened to score.

In the end, the draw was probably a fair result. Everton came back strong towards the end, but on the balance of play neither side can complain about coming away with a point. A better performance than many we have seen recently, but not a turning point – certainly not enough to justify a change of heart from FSG over Rodgers. There are definitely positives, however – hopefully these, combined with the lift that a new manager will bring, will combine to bring about some better, top four standard form.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

West Brom 0-0 Liverpool: Post-Match Analysis

Well let’s face it, there’s not too much to say on this game. Even the commentators, who considering they are getting paid to watch and talk about football should always be happy, sounded bored out of their minds for the majority of the game. Other than a decent half-volley from Balotelli, a speculative effort from the halfway line by Coutinho and a good save from Myhill to deny Henderson from close range, there was really very little to get excited about; the fact that it took almost an hour for the first shot on target says all you need to know.

Of course, the Liverpool defence have to take at least some credit for making this game so boring. The lack of action was largely because of West Brom’s ridiculously deep line couple with Liverpool’s attacking impotence, but on the few occasions that the hosts did threaten the Reds defence coped admirably. Lovren in particular deserves credit: he has taken a huge amount of flak since his 20 million pound move in the summer, but he didn’t let that weigh on his mind. Other than a few poorly thought out “Hollywood balls” in the early stages he didn’t put a foot wrong, consistently beating Anichebe in the air and making a couple of vital challenges and interceptions. Mignolet had very little to do at all, but he will be pleased with the clean sheet: it takes him joint top in the running for the Golden Glove, something that nobody would have expected after his shaky start to the campaign.

However, encouraging though the newfound defensive strength is, it is almost meaningless when we don’t have anyone capable of doing the job at the other end. Sturridge’s almost constant injury problems have been a real blow, and unsurprisingly the genius of Suarez has been missed this season. His ability to draw three defenders and then beat them left space for the rest of our attackers to work in – with the exception of Coutinho, nobody has managed to reproduce that sort of thing this season. This has meant that Liverpool have been reduced to aimlessly passing it around just outside the edge of the 18 yard box, occasionally taking pot shots in the hope that they can be bailed out by a wondergoal. Come the summer, whoever is in charge of the club by then will have to prioritise bringing in players who can create and score goals: the links with Depay are encouraging, but if recent history is anything to go by then we’ll probably fail to secure his signature and instead settle for Milner.

Balotelli was given a rare chance by Rodgers in this match. He proved all of the vacuous critics wrong in that his work rate could not really be faulted – he made multiple good runs and showed willingness to press the opposition at times. However, he was still ineffectual. This was largely down to the service he was provided, but he does of course have to take some blame for failing to make anything happen: when you’re out of favour, you have to grasp any chance you’re given. Rodgers looked a defeated man at times, slumped against the wall of the dugout, and this view was reinforced when he threw Borini on with just under half an hour to play. The Italian is even more out in the cold than his compatriot Balotelli, and everybody knew that he would be unable to offer the incisive input needed to break down the West Brom back line.

It was a pointless change from a manager who rapidly seems to be running out of ideas – none of the formations he tries are making any difference, and his press conferences are becoming gradually more ridiculous by the day. Am I saying he should be sacked immediately? Not necessarily, no. Rodgers has an ambition for the club which we saw a snippet of in our excellent campaign last year, and if he is given more time then there is every chance that he’ll be able to get us to sustain that level of performance and consistently challenge for the league. However, you couldn’t blame FSG for pulling the plug on him; he wasted all of their money in the summer, transforming the team from a 100+ goals per season outfit to one who consistently struggles to find the net. Again, the injuries to Sturridge and the almost unavoidable departure of Suarez have to be taken into account here, but Rodgers cannot absolve himself of all blame like he seems to want to do in press conferences. Especially considering Klopp might be available, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Rodgers was shown the door at the end of the season.

Be it the manager, the personnel or simply the style of play, something clearly needs to change for next season. This campaign is pretty much a write-off now, but we cannot afford to carry on with these disappointing performances into the new season. We have a good young team with bags of potential, but we need more: we need to bolster the squad with prolific goal-scorers and set them up in a way that allows the goals to start flowing freely once more. One season of mediocrity after a squad overhaul that saw our best player leave can just about be forgiven – if the trend is not reversed in the next campaign, then all of the progress we seemed to be making last season will be undone.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013 

Liverpool 2- 2 Leicester: Post-Match Thoughts

Sorry guys, false alarm! After our scintillating performance against Swansea last time out, I made the grievous error of writing that “we’re back”. In the first game of 2015 Liverpool presented us with fairly strong evidence that they are not in fact back in the form of a hugely disappointing 2-2 draw with bottom of the table Leicester. The dropped points leave us a sizeable seven points off 4^th place, and casts huge doubts over our ability to finish in the top 4 this season.

In the understandable flood of emotion following the announcement that Steven Gerrard is to leave the club at the end of the season, nearly everyone seems to have forgotten that he has been extremely poor for (at a generous estimate) the last six months. Of course we should admire what he was in his prime and applaud his great service to our club, but what we should not do is persist in playing him out of sentimentality. His ‘legend’ status is the only thing getting him on the team sheet this season, and I would go as far as to say that it cost us the match yesterday. For the first time this campaign we fielded what I see to be our strongest back three: Sakho, Toure and Can. They all had reasonable games – Sakho in particular was superb – and would surely have been capable of holding on to a two goal lead had they received even a small level of cover from the defensive midfielders. As it was, Gerrard’s total lack of mobility meant that the back three were constantly exposed; essentially, he was a wasted player in the line-up. Had Rodgers opted for the same team that won at Swansea, we’d probably have won.

It wasn’t just the line-up that Rodgers got wrong. His in-game switches were bizarre; Borini came on for the injured Lallana just after half time, when Markovic would surely have been both better suited to the position and more capable of making an impact. At 2-2 he made another odd change. We needed a goal, so he decided to take off Moreno for Lambert. This was nonsensical for multiple reasons. Firstly, and most simply, Lambert is painfully ineffectual and has not once made a notable impact as a substitute. Secondly, the whole point of buying Lambert was a ‘Plan B’ that allowed us to whip crosses into the box – Moreno is our quickest wide player, and would have been the ideal candidate for getting down the flank and putting crosses in towards Lambert. These decisions alone cannot take all off the blame for the failure to get a win, but they certainly played a part.

A very strong case can be made that Liverpool deserved absolutely nothing from the game. Both of their goals were penalties, the first of which was definitely given incorrectly. Jeffrey Schlupp slid in to block Sterling’s cross and the ball struck his face – the referee deemed it to have struck his arm and pointed to the spot. Admittedly Schlupp shouldn’t have gone to ground with his arms spread out, but it wasn’t a handball. The second penalty definitely hit a hand – Simpson’s to be precise – but he had very little time to react and move his hand out of the way. It is clear, therefore, that Liverpool can count themselves lucky to come out of a home fixture against 20^th place Leicester with a point; this is indeed a sorry state of affairs.

To conclude, if Brendan Rodgers wants even a distant chance of guiding Liverpool into the top 4, he has to make the brave call of dropping Gerrard in his final half season. We saw at Swansea what we can achieve without him in the team, and we saw yesterday how little he contributes when he is in the side. The article that celebrates the achievements and service of the legend that is Steven Gerrard will surely be on its way, but this is not the time for sentimentality. This is the time for cold, hard realism, and if Rodgers doesn’t show that same level of realism then we can wave goodbye to our hopes of Champions League football next season.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Crystal Palace 3-1 Liverpool: Post-Match Thoughts

When the fixture list was released earlier this year, Liverpool fans were quick to notice the twist of fate that saw us host Chelsea and then head to Selhurst Park for the next game – with memories of last season’s capitulation fresh in most fans’ minds, this pair of games seemed the perfect opportunity to exact some sort of revenge upon the teams who cost us our first Premier League title. However, far from looking fired up with determination to make the two London clubs pay, consecutive poor performances meant we failed to take a single point from either game. Sadly, these lacklustre showings are hardly an anomaly: Liverpool now find themselves just four points off the relegation zone, having accrued a measly 14 points from 12 games. This shocking run of form is showing no signs of abating – on the contrary, the club are now on a four game loss streak. Consequently, Brendan Rodgers’s future at the club is starting to come into question.

The only sign of improvement in recent weeks is that the quick start that was such a feature of Liverpool’s play last season has shown itself once more. Against Chelsea it was Can who put us into an early lead; at Selhurst Park it was Lambert who fired home after a glorious pass from Adam Lallana. Sadly a football match lasts longer than 10 minutes, and Liverpool’s defensive weaknesses were soon exploited. Seventeen minutes in, as if the sense of déjà vu wasn’t strong enough already, Dwight Gayle tucked the ball into the net to draw the hosts level.

An hour of very little action followed this – the tendency of the reds last season to spring rapid attacks and win the game early is gone, but what we are witnessing is by no means the ‘total football’ that Rodgers said he would bring to the club either. This terrible hybrid takes the worst elements from the two philosophies: our side now has a lack of incision that one might associate with the so-called death by football approach, but has a hugely exposed defence that is common in a team who likes to quickly throw men forward. This failure to create a clear team identity is Rodgers’s main problem. He should either have stuck to his guns and instilled the passing game as Liverpool’s default, or totally changed tack and built the team around pacey bursts forward. His claims of pragmatism are unfounded; indecision would be more accurate.

Another of his key problems is his failure to bring in any good defenders during the transfer window (coupled with his stubborn refusal to get a defensive coach in). Yannick Bolasie is a relatively good player, but Dejan Lovren managed to make him look like an amalgamation of Ronaldo, Messi and Maradona. It was Lovren who was at fault for the second goal; Bolasie flicked it over the Croatian’s head with ease, dumbfounding him to the extent that he fell to the floor. Unchallenged, Bolasie then pulled the ball into the area – Joe Ledley was on hand to slide it past Mignolet. Some fans have said that Mignolet could have done better with it. Whilst this may be true, I feel that the Belgian keeper has been used as a scapegoat throughout this season; his defence are hardly giving him any protection, and he has pulled off some good saves to keep us in games. Admittedly he has very little presence in the box and often fails to claim aerial balls that he should be collecting, but he is by no means the root of the problem.

Nobody could blame Mignolet for the third Palace goal, which was an absolute peach of a free kick from Mile Jedinak. The alleged foul by Martin Skrtel on Dwight Gayle was dubious seeing as they were holding on to each other’s shirts, but by this stage most fans were beyond caring. Jedinak took full advantage of the referee’s decision by curling the free kick beautifully around the wall and into the top corner. This capped yet another bad day at the office for LFC, who now sit perilously close to the relegation zone.

This is even more shocking when you consider the title challenge that Liverpool mounted last season. It seems a world apart from the repeatedly awful performances we are currently witnessing from our team, and the rapidity of the downfall is truly astounding. Whilst it can partially be attributed to the sale of Luis Suarez and partly to the lengthy absence of Daniel Sturridge through injury, a lot of the blame has to fall on Rodgers’s shoulders. A deadly combination of poor judgement followed by stubbornness has led to a series of shambolic performances from a team vastly inferior to the one we had last year, and if Rodgers can’t find a way to turn this around soon then he surely has to go.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea: Bad Play, Bad Ref, Bad Result

Having managed to prevent European giants Real Madrid from scoring more than one goal in midweek, Liverpool fans went into the game against Chelsea with a fair amount of confidence. Chelsea came into the game unbeaten this season, but there was some optimism that we could perhaps break this run, or at least take a point away from the match. Unfortunately the majority of stand-out performers from midweek were left out of the starting eleven, and we were consequently treated to another terribly mediocre performance. Chelsea played much better than us and created more chances: on balance, they certainly deserved to win. However, we would probably have snatched a draw had it not been for the failure of the referee to miss a blatant Cahill handball in the box just minutes from time.

The team made a promising start. Mario Balotelli was making some good runs in behind the defence for once, and although he was getting caught offside too often he was definitely causing the Chelsea defenders some problems. They looked uncomfortable whenever a Liverpool player ran at them; the direct style of Coutinho and Sterling carved open gaps in the blues’ back line. It was this positivity that resulted in the reds taking the lead after 9 minutes – Emre Can was not closed down, and his ferocious drive deflected off Gary Cahill and into the net past a helpless Courtois. Sadly, the lead didn’t last long. Chelsea won a corner, and what happened next was totally predictable. Despite outnumbering the Chelsea players in the box by two to one, the hapless defending led to a failure to get the ball away. Mignolet was forced into a good stop from a Terry header, but the ball came out to Matic. There was a hint of handball about his layoff to Cahill, but it looked accidental. The centre-back then smashed the ball goalwards, and despite Mignolet’s best efforts the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line by Hawkeye technology.

There was a brief period after the equaliser where the game really opened up. Liverpool were absorbing a lot of pressure, but they were also springing dangerous looking counter attacks. Balotelli even managed to get the ball in the back of the net with a tidy finish past Courtois, but he was just offside. By the half hour mark, this Liverpool threat seemed to have faded somewhat. It became an exercise in defending, and past experience should have served as a warning that this could never end well. Whilst we managed to keep Chelsea from taking the lead for the rest of the first half, it was really only a matter of time. It took until the 67^th minute, but Mourinho’s men did finally take the lead. Like the first there was a touch of controversy about the goal – Azpilicueta took the ball round Coutinho, but looked to have run it off the pitch in the process. Replays were inconclusive, but it looked like a fraction of the ball hadn’t crossed the line. His subsequent drilled cross was parried away by Mignolet, but it fell to Costa. He made no mistake with the finish.

Despite bringing on Allen, Borini and Lambert, Rodgers had no success whatsoever in changing the tide of the game. Although we were the trailing side there was a complete lack of urgency and intensity, and we frankly didn’t deserve a goal. However, into added time, Liverpool worked their way into quite a threatening position. The ball came out to Gerrard on the edge of the box, and he aimed to roll back the years with an extremely powerful effort. It may have been heading for the corner or going just wide, but we never got the chance to find out; Gary Cahill lent into the ball with his arm. It was pretty blatant: Steven Gerrard certainly thought so, clearly incensed at the referee’s choice to wave away the penalty claim. This was the last incident of note, and Chelsea comfortably weathered a late period of weak pressure to finish the game 2-1 victors.

We can rightly point to the referee as the reason we didn’t get a point – had Anthony Taylor seen the handball, we would most likely have scored the subsequent penalty and got the draw. However, it would have been undeserved; factors other than the referee have to be considered to get to the root of why we put in such a lacklustre performance. Rodgers has some serious questions to answer: why, for example, was Kolo Toure left out? He certainly earned a place based on his performance at the Bernebau, and his leadership and experience would surely have been invaluable against Chelsea. However, 20 million pound signing Dejan Lovren was preferred; it’s fair to say that he and Skrtel were quite poor throughout. Rodgers’s assertion that we don’t need a defensive coach also has to be questioned. At the corner which led to the first goal, the two centre backs were seemingly marking each other on the edge of the box. With only four Chelsea players up for the corner and eight Liverpool players in their own box, there is no way we should be conceding.

This stubbornness in our manager is extremely worrying. Last season it was ‘assuredness’ which was ‘great to see in such a young manager’ – it’s all well and good when we’re getting the results, but his refusal to change the formation and personnel is costing us dearly at the moment. He is blindly standing by his summer signings to the detriment of the team, and unless he swallows his pride soon then our results will continue to be disappointing. We now find ourselves in a position where we could well be in the bottom half of the table by Monday, and unless Rodgers bucks up his ideas then we might even end up in the wrong half of the table come the end of the season. This is admittedly a worst-case scenario, but hopes of the top 4 are definitely fading rapidly.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool vs Villa: Rodgers Rests Raheem and Pays Painful Price

Yesterday, Liverpool took on Aston Villa at Anfield. There was a definite sense of nervousness in the days leading up to the game; our key man Daniel Sturridge was out, and Villa are a team we’ve struggled against in recent times. Rodgers, however, was apparently not concerned. The day before the game, rumours started circulating that Sterling, who has been without a doubt our best, most influential player so far this season, was going to be rested. I dismissed it as rubbish, but, sure enough, when the team sheets were released an hour before kick-off, Sterling was notable only by his absence in the starting eleven. We went on to perform extremely poorly, and ended up losing 1-0.

Of course, blaming the defeat entirely on Sterling’s absence is unreasonable, but it did play a very large part. Right from the outset, we missed his pace and urgency. A lot of our players seemed to be strolling around the pitch, barely exerting any effort at all. When we did get the ball in a decent area, there always seemed to be a whole crowd of Villa players barring further progress. Even a 9^th minute goal for the visitors (surprise surprise, it came from a badly defended set piece) didn’t seem to jolt the Liverpool players into action. Rodgers eventually seemed to realise that we needed Sterling’s creative impetus and spark on the pitch, and brought him on midway through the second half. The difference was immediately apparent; he made space not only for himself, but for others. Sadly, it was too little too late, and the closest we came to an equaliser was a curling Coutinho effort which struck the post.

Another reason we put in such a lacklustre performance is the formation we used. The 4-2-3-1 simply doesn’t suit us, and it showed. Neither Henderson nor Gerrard (particularly the latter) work particularly well in a defensive ‘2’, and whenever we use the formation our lone striker looks woefully isolated. Some would point to the injury of Sturridge and say that playing one up front was forced on us, but again I have to come back to Sterling. Although arguably better in the hole, he has proved already this season that he can do a good job up top. Playing our usual 4-4-2 diamond with Balotelli and Sterling as the attacking partnership would surely have improved our performance immeasurably. Even when Sterling did come on (for Lallana) the formation wasn’t changed- Coutinho played where Lallana had been before, and Sterling operated down the middle. The change may well have been more likely to lead to an equaliser if Sterling had been moved up top with Balotelli.

With twenty minutes to play, yet another bizarre decision was made from the usually extremely tactically astute Rodgers. Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert came on in place of Mario Balotelli and Lazar Markovic- admittedly neither Markovic nor Balotelli had been particularly effective, but the change, if anything, made us look worse. Lambert was clumsy and often wasteful whenever he got on the ball, and Borini barely had a touch! I genuinely forgot that he’d come on; he made no notable contribution whatsoever in the time that he was on the pitch. To be fair, seeing as both Joe Allen and Daniel Sturridge were injured, our options off the bench were limited. That said, it seems clear, at least in hindsight, that no change would have been better than introducing Borini and Lambert.

To sum up, what we witnessed yesterday was a rare tactical misnomer from Rodgers. He doesn’t make them often, and it certainly doesn’t change the fact that he is an excellent manager who is extremely well suited to LFC, but there’s no denying that he messed up. Obviously some of the blame has to fall on the players- up until Sterling came on, none of our attackers were working anywhere near hard enough- but I maintain that if we’d started Sterling up front with Balotelli then we would have won the game.  Hopefully we’re able to move on from this defeat and bounce back with a win in our return to the Champions League (yay!!) against Ludogorets on Tuesday.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

How Will Liverpool Line Up Next Season?

Photo: David Rawcliffe

The warning signs are there in the title to this article- the following piece of writing will contain no solid fact whatsoever. It will be almost entirely speculation on my part, and will, in all probability, turn out to be totally wrong. I am not blessed with the footballing brain of Brendan Rodgers, and as such my ideas of how Liverpool should play their football next season may not exactly tally up with his! Still, I’ll give it a shot.

One of the reasons it is so hard to determine exactly how Liverpool will look to play in the coming season is because the exact personnel of our starting eleven is unknown. It is a fair assumption that our midfield will be subject to a lot of rotation; we have more games this season due to being back in the Champions League (yay!), and Sterling, Markovic, Coutinho, Lallana, Ibe, Suso and Texeira are all capable of stepping up to the plate. All of these players can ply their trade in the number 10 role or in a wider position-this gives the side a huge amount of versatility. In some games we could opt for the raw pace of Sterling, Ibe and Markovic- this would lead to a deadly counter-attacking style. In other fixtures we could go down the route of sheer technical ability as opposed to pure pace; Coutinho, Lallana, Suso and Texeira are all extremely gifted on the ball. A combination such as this would lead to a shift towards the ‘total football’ style so widely discussed when Brendan Rodgers first took the reigns at LFC, as all of these players have exceptional passing ability. This ability to mix things up not only from game to game, but also within games, gives us a huge adaptability. This was something we were, to an extent, lacking last season.

All of this goes on the assumption that we will be playing three attacking players behind a lone striker- it is feasible that this might not be the case. The signing of Loic Remy from QPR looks imminent, and he is undoubtedly a talented player. It is inconceivable that he should push Daniel Sturridge out of the side, so perhaps Rodgers is planning on playing two up front. Of course, it could just be that Remy is being brought in to strengthen the squad, and is only being purchased as back-up, but the possibility of a two-man front line has to be considered.  With Remy out of the equation, a 4-2-3-1 would make the most sense: two of Can, Henderson, Gerrard and Allen could occupy the deeper roles, with a combination of the aforementioned midfielders in the three and Sturridge up front on his own. Once Remy is factored in, it becomes harder to predict what Rodgers might do. It is possible that he could revert to a formation he used at times last season- the formation he dubs ‘the 4-4-2 diamond’. Better known to some as the 4-1-2-1-2, this features one holding midfielder, two central midfielders and one out-and-out attacking midfielder playing behind two strikers. This was utilised sometimes last season to allow the SAS partnership to thrive; there is no reason to suggest that it might not be used once more to make full use of the SAR partnership (admittedly not quite as catchy). Though this could be deemed the most beneficial for Sturridge and Remy, it means there is only one attacking midfielder in the line-up, meaning multiple attacking midfielders would have to be played out of position. The signings of Lallana and Markovic this transfer window suggests to me that Rodgers is not looking to regularly go for the 4-4-2 diamond, and his preference is to opt for something closer to the 4-2-3-1 in order to make full use of our massive amounts of quality in the attacking midfield area.

The question many fans are most eager to find the answer to is whether Liverpool will play more defensively next season. Our one obvious shortcoming last season, the flaw in the team that ultimately cost us the title, was clearly our defence. As such, it would be ludicrous to suggest that Rodgers will not look to strengthen the team’s defensive qualities in one way or another. However, I don’t think he will look to address the defensive frailties by lining up in a more defensive manner. Liverpool’s main asset is their great attacking football, so to compromise that by committing fewer men forward would be akin to shooting oneself in the foot. Instead, I think it likely that our defence will be strengthened by means of new acquisitions in the transfer market. We have been persistently linked with Dejan Lovren since before the window opened, and he would not be a bad signing. The fees being bandied about are ridiculous, and I certainly don’t think he is worth the £20 million figure being cited, but he seems to be a solid centre-back. Other than Sakho we have no defenders who are good enough to be regular starters if we want to mount another serious title challenge, so the signing of Lovren (or similar) and at least one new full back is imperative. If we manage to bring in the right players, we won’t need to play in a manner any less attack-minded than last season, as we will have a defence which can be relied upon.

To sum up, there is no way of knowing for sure exactly what we’ll be seeing from Liverpool next season, but that’s all part of the excitement. On August 17^th the plans of Brendan Rodgers will start to be revealed, and we can begin to see for ourselves what Liverpool have in store for us in 2014/15. All we can do until then is hugely over-analyse pre-season games, get whipped up into frenzies about made-up transfer targets and altogether get carried away by the whirlwind of madness that is the close season. The only certainty is that, come what may next season, we will be behind the club with the huge support that can only be given by the best fans in the world.

 -James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Southampton 0-3 Liverpool: Persecution of the Saints

Yesterday (Saturday 1^st March), Liverpool travelled to St Mary’s to face Southampton, a team who they have had huge trouble beating in recent times. Fortunately, despite playing nowhere near their best, they were able to overcome their problems, eventually emerging 3-0 victors.

This game saw one notable change to the starting 11- Rodgers opted to play Joe Allen in place of Raheem Sterling. On the one hand this was harsh on the 19-year-old, who has been in excellent form. However, Liverpool have lacked control of the game away from home this season, so an extra man central was a good idea. It proved effective- Liverpool dominated the early exchanges, creating a couple of pretty good chances. Nothing came of this pressure until the 16^th minute, when Luis Suarez got back in amongst the goals after capitalising on a defensive error from the usually solid Southampton back line.

The Saints responded well, with Adam Lallana proving instrumental in their attacks. Sometimes he plays wide, but yesterday he operated in the number 10 role and was extremely effective. He combined exceptionally well with Jay Rodriguez and Ricky Lambert on multiple occasions, and nearly equalised for Southampton after a lovely little move- his effort struck the post. They kept up a relatively strong amount of pressure on the Liverpool goal all the way through to half time, but couldn’t get anything to show for it.

The second half showed signs of continuing where the first left off- Liverpool had to absorb a fair bit of pressure from the home side. However, 57 minutes in, Rodgers made a substitution that culminated in the killing off of the match. He brought on Raheem Sterling for the uncharacteristically ineffectual Philippe Coutinho; a change many fans had been clamouring for at half time. Just over a minute after coming on, and with his very first touch of the ball, he put Liverpool two up, firing home from a nice pass from Suarez. From here on in Liverpool cruised. Southampton looked demoralised, and Liverpool could have scored three or four in the second half. In the dying moments they did manage to add a third- Suarez embarrassed Jose Fonte with a series of silky skills, and was eventually clattered by him, resulting in a stonewall penalty. Gerrard stepped up to take it, and, as per usual, finished it emphatically. This was arguably his best penalty of the season- it flew right into the top corner, leaving Boruc (who had dived the right way) completely helpless.

After the game, Rodgers said that this game was, in its own way, just as impressive as the 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal. I am inclined to agree with him. It’s an age-old saying that to win when not at your best is the mark of champions. Liverpool didn’t just win; they produced a score-line of 3-0! With only 10 games remaining and Liverpool sitting in 2^nd, just 4 points off the top, people are finally being forced to take our title challenge seriously. We are the form side- since the halfway point in the season, no team has a better record than ours. Our main title contenders, Man City and Chelsea, are still to come to Anfield: this is the best shot we’ve had at the title in years. If Suarez and Sturridge can keep up their scintillating form (if they were a team in their own right, they would be 6^th top scorers in the Premier League), there is no way you could justify counting us out of the race.

To conclude, these are exciting times for Liverpool, both fans and club alike. At the start of the season it is almost inconceivable that, with so few games to play in the season, there would be talk of winning the division championship. Even if we don’t manage to secure the title this year, we can be thrilled with the huge progress we’ve made and content ourselves with the all-but-confirmed consolation of a Champions League spot. That is not to say that we shouldn’t dare to believe- we have a great team with a great manager, and with a bit of luck we could yet go all the way. Do it for Stevie!

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

What Formation Should Liverpool Play Next Season?

Last season Brendan Rodgers experimented with a lot of formations, but towards the end seemed to settle for a 3-5-2. This seemed to be relatively effective, and Liverpool put in some great performances, going unbeaten in their last eight Premier League matches. However, Rodgers has made some additions to the squad, so will the formation need to be tweaked?

Firstly, I must make it clear that all formations need to be flexible. If each player stuck rigidly to their assigned position, there would be no fluency, and the team would also become extremely predictable. That said, formations are a very important part of the game, and it is crucial to find the one that best suits the club. The 3-5-2 we settled upon last season was quite effective, as it moved Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique into more advanced positions, encouraging them to push forward without having to constantly worry about tracking back. However, now Carragher has retired, it would be quite hard to play this system. It uses 3 centre-backs, and currently Daniel Agger is the only one I have genuine faith in. Skrtel is extremely error-prone, and Coates is still very young. Martin Kelly has potential, but he seems too susceptible to injury to be a viable option, and (though he has played centre-back in the past) is a full-back by trade. For the 3-5-2 to continue to work for Liverpool, Rodgers would probably have to make two quality signings at centre-back. There were strong rumours linking us to Papadopolous, but recently they have cooled slightly. As such, it seems a new formation may be the way forward.

One possibility is the 4-4-2. It is not the most adventurous formation, and a lot of people discount it due to the fact that it is so widely used, but there must be a reason why it has proved so popular over the years. It suits our squad better than the 3-5-2, in that it only requires 2 centre-backs, and also provides cover in the wide areas of defence in the shape of two full-backs. However, it does have its drawbacks. The success or failure of the formation hangs largely around the performance of the two central midfielders, who are forced to be both positive in attack and also good at tracking back, providing cover for the defence. This is a lot for two people to manage at the best of times, but if either of them have an off-day the whole team tends to fall apart. In our team the central midfielders would most likely be Gerrard and one of Henderson, Coutinho, or Lucas. None of these players are naturally central midfielders, and due to this I don’t think this formation is right for Liverpool.

Another option is the 4-5-1.  In terms of the defence and midfield, this takes the best from both the 3-5-2 and the 4-4-2. It only requires two centre-backs, and provides wide threats in the form of wingers. However, there is still the problem of central midfielders. As I mentioned previously, Liverpool have no real out-and-out central midfielders (except perhaps Joe Allen), and this formation requires three. Of course, players such as Henderson, Coutinho and Lucas are good enough to adapt, but nobody plays to their full potential in an un-natural position. Also, as the three central midfielders have to consider tracking back, they aren’t usually committed too far up the pitch, which leaves the lone striker very isolated. Consequently, I think the best formation for us next season is a variation on the 4-5-1.

I am referring to the 4-2-3-1. It is clearly similar to the 4-5-1; however it is different in some key ways. Instead of three central midfielders, it uses two central defensive midfielders and one central attacking. This solves almost all the issues of the previous formations. The central attacking midfielder no longer has to worry about tracking back due to the cover of the two defensive midfielders. The two wide players (one of whom will potentially be new signing Iago Aspas, a right forward) can also stay high up the pitch. Because of this, the lone striker is no longer isolated, as he has the support of the three advanced midfielders. It is not, however, perfect. Lucas is naturally a defensive midfielder, but Gerrard is not. He would have to adapt slightly to play in a more holding role. He is very versatile and could of course manage this, although it is not ideal. On top of this there is Coutinho, who, were another attacking midfielder to come, would be shifted out to the left. He has played in this position before and is still extremely effective, but not quite as deadly as he would be in his natural position of central attacking midfielder.

Although the 4-2-3-1 requires that two minor compromises be made, it still seems by far and away the best formation for Liverpool next season. It allows the majority of the team to play in their natural positions, and allows the attacking midfielders (and also, to an extent, the full backs) freedom to roam whilst still providing cover in the shape of the two defensive midfielders. If Rodgers can get this system working for us next season, it has the potential to be mightily effective.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Out with the old bunch- Is Rodgers Creating a new Core?

When we look back on the Rafa era, we automatically think of a core group of players who were integral to our success. Stalwarts and club legends such as Gerrard, Carragher and Alonso are inextricably linked with Rafa’s time at the helm, in which Liverpool Football Club enjoyed great success. With Carragher retiring at the end of last season and Pepe Reina, who was signed by Benitez in 2005, looking likely to leave, the core members of Rafa’s elite squad are exiting Liverpool in their droves. Were Reina to leave the club, Gerrard would be the only remaining member of the team who won the 2006 FA Cup Final in such dramatic fashion. The question is, can Rodgers create his own ‘golden group’ of players?

Since arriving at Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers has shown a clear preference towards signing young talent. He has brought in Fabio Borini (22), Philippe Coutinho (who recently turned 21), Daniel Sturridge (23), and most recently Iago Aspas (25) and Simon Mignolet (24). He has also nurtured the talents of younger players in the team, most notably England under 21’s captain Jordan Henderson, who this season became a regular in the starting 11. As well as this, he is rumoured to be after Tiago Ilori (20) and Kyriakos Papadopolous (21). Combined, these players cover a wide range of positions, and are good enough to either make the first team already, or else break into it in the near future. Along with academy players that are slowly being introduced to the starting 11, such as Jordan Ibe and Raheem Sterling, it is clear that Rodgers is building a team for the future.

Steven Gerrard is still going strong, and was arguably one of our best players last season. He is also a great role model to the younger players, fiercely loyal and committed to Liverpool. However, his illustrious career will at some point have to come to an end, and if Rodgers is to build an elite band of players that remains largely unchanged for long periods of time, he will need someone else to step up to the plate, and fill the role of leader. Seemingly the perfect candidate for this is Daniel Agger. At 28 years of age, he probably still has a lot of playing time left in him, and he has shown passion for the club since the moment he joined. Despite lots of interest from Champions League clubs, he has chosen to stay at the club he loves. He even has ‘YNWA’ tattooed on his knuckles. Agger has the potential to be the leader that all of Rodgers’ promising youngsters look to. If they rally around him in the same way the players of Rafa’s heyday rallied around Gerrard, the new generation of Liverpool starlets could well go on to achieve great things.

There has been a lot of worry in recent times that Liverpool are no longer able to attract ‘big names’ to the club. Although this is frustrating in some ways, it is also in some aspects a good thing for us. In a way, it allows us to start afresh, as Rodgers is forced to look to the young talent pool, rather than to those who have already established themselves as greats in the footballing world. Because of this, we aren’t simply replacing players if and when they leave or retire, we are building a whole new generation of players. This safeguards our clubs future, and allows us to build a squad that could potentially remain a tightly-knit unit for years to come. Obviously transfers sometimes have to be made, but as a general rule a team that remains largely unchanged will work better as a unit, and consequently play better football. Players such as Coutinho, Sturridge, Mignolet and Aspas, if all goes well, could remain at the club for years to come, and be the defining players of the Rodgers era.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

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.

The Wing-Back System- Ideal for LFC?

Over the past year, Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique have been very good full-backs for us. They have always had a tendency to venture forward, especially Johnson, and have also been solid when it comes to their defensive duties. However, under Rodgers, they have been moved slightly, into a more advanced ‘wing-back’ role.

I think that this is a very good idea. The new position gives the two players a lot more freedom to attack , which in my opinion has really brought out the best in Jose Enrique. He didn’t start the season well, but when Rodgers decided to play him as a wing-back, he came into his own. He has already got a few assists this season, and indeed a goal. Also, when necessary, he is able to get back and defend well. This means he is, in effect, able to contribute positively to both defence and attack, making him very useful.

The new wing-back system doesn’t really affect Glen Johnson’s play that much. He has always been an attacking full-back, and so in his new position he basically plays as he did before. However, now he knows he is able to attack and be sure of cover behind him, his marauding runs forward do have more freedom about them. Consequently he, like Enrique, has already managed to contribute with some goals and assists this season.

So it would seem that our defence is much improved thanks to the introduction of the wing-back role. On the face of it, that is true. However, there is always the imminent risk of injury. We saw this in the game against QPR, when Enrique limped off nursing his hamstring. Because of this, it would be good to bring in some back-up wing backs in the summer. I know this seems like a long way away, but it is important to plan ahead. Obviously there are some that immediately spring to mind who would be brilliant, such as Phillip Lahm or Marcelo, both of whom are hugely attacking full backs, but unfortunately they are both clearly out of our price range. One person who could be a viable option is Adriano, who plays for Barcelona. He is equally talented on both feet, meaning he could play on either side of the pitch, and at 28, though he probably still has quite a few years left in him, should not come at a premium price. If we were able to get him for around £15 million, I would say he would be a great buy.

To summarise, the introduction of the wing-back role to our club by Brendan Rodgers has been extremely effective. It has allowed us to become more attacking, and has brought the best out of Johnson and Enrique. The only real issue is that we don’t have much back-up, and so it would be great if we could look to bring someone in when it comes to summer.

The Rodgers Regime

Brendan Rodgers was appointed as Liverpool manager on the 1st June. This means he has been in charge of the club for over 5 months, but what has he achieved?

The key thing that Brendan Rodgers has changed at Liverpool is the style of play. We were never a team totally reliant on long balls, but under Dalglish’s management possession was never exactly a priority. Rodgers has changed that. He has shifted the team’s focus, implementing a tiki-taka style of play that worked so well for him at Swansea. This has taken a while to bring in to the team, as even for the most seasoned professionals changing to a new style is hard, but it seems we are getting there. LFC have now gone 7 Premier League games in a row undefeated, so it is clear that after a shaky start, the results are starting to come.

However, it isn’t just the style of play Brendan Rodgers has changed. He has also altered the formation. Whereas before Liverpool normally played 4 at the back, Rodgers has modified it so there are three main defenders, with two more defenders slightly further up the pitch, sort of like wing backs. Then there are three in midfield, who’s role it is to pull the strings and control the play. Finally, there are three strikers, two of them (usually Sterling and Suso) playing wider with the other (almost invariably Suarez) playing down the middle. This formation switch has worked well, particularly the introduction of the wing backs. Jose Enrique and Glen Johnson, who were both attack-minded full backs in the first place, can now play with a lot more freedom. This allows them to contribute a lot more to attacks, without constantly worrying about tracking back. The success of this was highlighted in the Wigan game on 17th November, where Liverpool were able to get three goals, with Enrique scoring one of them and assisting another.

Finally, Rodgers has also made some significant personnel changes. For me, Joe Allen has been the best summer signing. He passes brilliantly, and is the perfect candidate for controlling the play from the heart of the team. Nuri Sahin, who was brought in on loan from Real Madrid, has also been moderately successful, with a few solid games in midfield. However, where Rodgers has really disappointed me was the purchase of Fabio Borini. To be fair to Borini, he hasn’t had much chance to prove himself, as after only a few games for the club he broke his foot. However, in the small amount of games he did play, he looked really poor, and I can certainly think of better ways the 11 million pounds could have been spent. Hopefully Borini will come back from his injury refreshed and I will be proved wrong, but at the moment it does look like he was a waste of money.

Overall though, I think Rodgers has had a generally very positive effect on the club. He has retained the club’s brilliant work ethic, whilst also bringing in some new ideas of his own. Admittedly his first few results were very poor, but implementing new ideas always takes a while, and given enough funds and time I can see Brendan Rodgers guiding us back into the top 4, maybe not this season but certainly in the near future.

Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool vision

After the departure of Kenny Dalglish from Liverpool, the board spent a long period of time trying to decide on suitable people to approach about the vacancy left at the club. One of the first names mentioned was that of Brendan Rodgers, and after three long weeks they managed to lure him to the club.

To me it seemed an odd choice at first, as Liverpool’s style is very direct, compared to the short passing style implemented at Swansea by Rodgers. However, this passing game, compared by some to that of Barcelona, could do wonders for Liverpool. What was so lacking at the club last season was the ‘killer ball’, that one pass that released one of our classy strikers into the clear. But under Rodgers, that could all change.

However, this new system being implemented at Liverpool does leave some good players somewhat stranded in no-mans-land. For instance, Andy Carroll, who really hit form near the end of the season, thrives on long balls hopefully punted up field, or aerial crosses looped into the box. It was in these sorts of situations that he really did well. These sorts of chances will be in short supply under the club’s new regime, and one word that certainly doesn’t spring to mind when Carroll’s name is mentioned is passmaster.

There is a lot of interest in Carroll from other clubs (he has been linked with Fulham, West Ham and AC Milan), but personally I don’t think he should just be offloaded by Brendan Rodgers because he doesn’t fit into the style of play Rodgers implemented at Swansea. Carroll can adapt his playing style to some extent, and if Brendan Rodgers is as good as people say he is, then I’m sure he can find a place for a world class player like Carroll in his vision for the club.

Overall, I think that if Carroll can be included in it, this new vision for LFC is really exciting. Liverpool have lots of great players, and if Rodgers can get them to really gel as a team and become a tight unit like that he managed to create at Swansea, Liverpool may well be able to return to their former dominance.