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

Not again… Suarez Saga Version 2.0

This feels all too familiar. The moment Suarez sank his teeth into Chiellini, Liverpool fans everywhere knew what was coming. It’s nothing new- the only real difference to last time is that instead of Real Madrid being the front-runners to take Suarez from us it’s Barcelona. I was tempted to just dig out my article from last time and tweak it a little- it all still applies. Much like last time, everyone seems absolutely convinced Suarez will be off to Spain. But will he?

In short, I have no idea. The only people who have even an inkling of where Suarez will be playing his football (or, more accurately, serving his suspension) next season are the Liverpool transfer committee, and sometimes I’m dubious as to whether they have a clue either! Either way, all is not lost. Contrary to what jealous fans of other Premier League clubs will tell you, Liverpool are by no means a ‘one man team’. Yes, Suarez contributed a vast amount of goals and a sizeable number of assists in the last campaign, but other players also did exceptionally well over the course of the season. Indeed, Daniel Sturridge was second top scorer in the Premier League! If we are to lose the best striker in the league, it is certainly a nice consolation to have the second best ready to step up.

It’s not like we’d be giving Suarez away for free either. If Barcelona (or anyone else for that matter) are to secure the services of Suarez, it will cost them a lot. A conservative estimate of the fee Liverpool might receive for Suarez is £60million, and to be honest he’s probably worth a lot more than that. Armed with this money to spend on top of the rumoured £40million that FSG made available at the start of the window, Brendan Rodgers can make Liverpool’s already excellent team even more formidable. A large investment is needed to sure up our main weak point from last season: the defence. If we can bring in some top class full-backs and centre-backs (no, I’m not talking about Dejan Lovren)  as well as maintaining our attacking flair then it is not unreasonable to suggest that Liverpool are in an extremely strong position to win the league this season. Of course, when losing the 3^rd best player in the world, it is easier said than done to ‘maintain attacking flair’, but just one good signing would ensure we still have a front line that strikes fear into opponents’ hearts. We have been heavily linked with both Shaqiri and Sanchez- imagine Sterling, Coutinho (or Lallana, if we must) and one of Shaqiri or Sanchez in a three behind Sturridge. Tasty.

But all this conjecture is pointless if, as nearly everybody seems to have now written off as a possibility, Suarez stays put. I even saw a ‘Goodbye Suarez’ video posted on YouTube the other day- he’s not gone yet! Everyone got themselves worked up into a similar frenzy last year; you get the feeling that it’s only a matter of time before some moronic fans start their ceremonial burning of Suarez shirts. Liverpool are under no obligation to sell Suarez unless a release clause is met, and even then nothing is set in stone. The club essentially admitted that Arsenal’s insulting bid of £40million plus 1 pound did in fact trigger a clause, but they ignored it anyway. Despite all of his controversies, Liverpool won’t be eager to get rid of their prize asset; unless the price is right, then it’s safe to say that Suarez won’t be going anywhere.

To sum up, whether Suarez goes or not is not only beyond our control but also, in the grand scheme of things, not that big an issue. If he stays, then we have the privilege of having a world class striker playing for us for the majority of the season, and he will doubtless help us to push on and challenge for the title again. If he goes, then we’ll have plenty of money with which to strengthen the squad, which will also undoubtedly stand us in good stead to launch another title challenge.  Either way the club benefits, so let’s all just relax and see how events unfold.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

World Cup 2014: Who Will Win the Golden Boot?

I’m back! As you may have noticed from my rather straightforward, pun-free title to this piece, I’m somewhat rusty when it comes to football writing: I’ve been busy with exams. Those are out of the way now though, so I have 10 weeks ahead of writing to my heart’s content.

But enough about me, let’s move on to what you all actually care about- football! I’m taking a break from articles about Liverpool to bring you my views on the World Cup, which, in case you’re reading this having just woken up from a coma, is currently taking place in Brazil. Almost two full rounds of fixtures have now been played, and the question of who might win the golden boot can start to be seriously considered.

First up on the list of potential winners is the man who got the award at the last World Cup- Thomas Muller. No player has ever won back-to-back golden boots, so it would be an extremely impressive achievement. He certainly started the tournament in a way that made many people view him as favourite; he bagged a hat-trick in Germany’s first game, a 4-0 win over Portugal. He also looked bright in their match against Ghana, but failed to find the back of the net, meaning he remains on 3 goals for the tournament. The only reason I wouldn’t look upon him as the out-and-out favourite is because of his versatility. Although he is deadly in a centre-forward position, he isn’t always played there. For example, against Ghana, Muller moved wide midway through the second half to accommodate the 2006 golden boot winner Miroslav Klose. Though undoubtedly still effective from the flanks, he is more likely to notch assists than goals.

Another front runner is Robin Van Persie. He too has found the back of the net three times so far, including one sensational diving header against Spain. The 5-1 win against the world champions flattered the Netherlands somewhat, but there is no denying that they look capable of progressing to at least the quarter-finals in the tournament and possibly further. As such, it seems likely that Van Persie will have plenty more opportunities to score goals, and having been released from the shackles of David Moyes he is free to show just what he is capable of. He will probably fancy his chances of taking home the golden boot, but he faces stiff opposition.

Some of this opposition comes from within his own team. Arjen Robben is another man who has scored 3 in the tournament so far, and frankly he is looking deadly. His one-footed nature has been well-documented, but with his electric pace he can usually make himself enough time to switch the ball to his excellent left foot. For his club, Bayern Munich, Robben is played as a winger. Indeed, this is the position he has played throughout most of his club career. For the Netherlands, he plays a slightly different role. We have seen him play alongside Van Persie as a second striker at this tournament, and he is thriving. The only real question mark over Robben is whether his pace alone will be enough to get him goals at the business end of the tournament, although the fact that it was enough to totally bamboozle the defence of the reigning champions indicates that his pace will serve him well against any opposition.

Reluctantly, I also include Brazilian star Neymar in this list. Personally I don’t think that he’ll win the golden boot, but he’s found the net twice so far and the people of Brazil are pinning their hopes on him to deliver the goods. His two goals so far have been a badly hit but well-placed long ranged effort and a penalty that shouldn’t have been given in the first place- not exactly inspiring stuff, but the golden boot is for quantity of goals, not quality. Still, there’s only so many lucky breaks that one player can get, so if Neymar is to win it he will have to up his game. Add to this the fact that he’s not actually a striker (he plays behind Fred), and his chances of winning the award look slim.

The next two players to come under consideration are very much outsiders when it comes to winning the award, not because of their lack of goal-scoring prowess but because of the teams for which they play. I have written about the wizardry in front of goal of a certain Mr Luis Suarez more than most, but Uruguay have an uphill struggle to get out of the group stage: they have to beat Italy in order to progress. If Suarez does feature in the knockouts, he is sure to keep scoring and has as good a chance as any of winning the golden boot. He has the best goals to games ratio of anyone in the tournament, playing just one game and scoring twice. The other player who gets a brief nod of recognition in relation to the award is Enner Valencia of Ecuador. He is a classic poacher, and has already nabbed 3 goals for his country at the tournament. However, to guarantee their place in the last 16, Ecuador have to beat France, which looks rather unlikely.

One man who the Ecuadorians will be particularly wary of when facing the French is my favourite for the award, Karim Benzema. He too has a goal tally of 3 so far, and has looked extremely dangerous in front of goal. He could have been on 5 by this stage- one of France’s goals against Honduras came from the keeper parrying a Benzema shot into the net, but it went down as an own goal, and he also saw his penalty saved by Benaglio against the Swiss.  He often plays as the lone striker for France, so he gets the lion’s share of the chances, and he is extremely adept at taking them. He is a player who tends to score in bursts, and from what we’ve seen so far he appears to have hit a good vein of form at the perfect time for his country. France have looked formidable so far at this World Cup, and the further they progress the more chances Benzema will get. I think that he is on track to become the first Frenchman to win the award since Just Fontaine in 1958.

The fact that these 7 players can all be considered well and truly in the running for the award shows just how open and exciting this World Cup has been so far. Indeed, there are many huge names I haven’t even mentioned. None of Aguero, Messi and Ronaldo even made the list, though one would have to be a fool to entirely discount such stars of the sport from winning the golden boot. All in all though, based purely on what we’ve seen so far, I think that Benzema is the most likely to score the most goals and take home the award.

-James Martin

Follow me on  Twitter @JamesMartin013

Royal Screw-Up At Palace

Contrary to what the article heading may suggest, this is not a piece for OK! magazine about Prince Harry’s latest escapades. In fact, it is in reference to the frankly shocking capitulation that we witnessed yesterday evening at Selhurst Park. I’m over-using humour in this first paragraph because to seriously stop and think about it is frankly too much- we lost nearly all hope of the title yesterday.

We didn’t throw away our already rather slim chances in the way that many predicted- failure to break down a packed, resolute Palace defence. The breaching of what the Palace fans dubbed ‘Fortress Selhurst’ was actually rather easy; Liverpool fired 3 past them, and should have had a lot more. 3 goals to the good with 12 minutes to play- it looked a certainty that Liverpool had overcome their last remaining big hurdle, and kept the pressure right up on Manchester City. Our defence has been unreliable all season, but surely even this motley crew wouldn’t concede 3 in the space of 9 minutes to a side who has struggled to score many all season? Alas, that’s exactly what we did.

Was it the pressure getting to us? Was it the fact that Palace had nothing to lose whatsoever, and so put their all into that last 10 minutes? Was it simply that our defence is not good enough? It was most likely a combination of the three, with the emphasis on the 3^rd. The first goal, the one that let Palace back into the game, was a freak deflection. Damien Delaney’s well-hit but ultimately speculative effort struck Glen Johnson and flew right into the top corner. Any usual title contenders would at this point have stopped pushing to increase the goal difference, and shut up shop. But we are no ‘usual’ contenders. We neither have the ability nor the inclination to go defensive, and here that cost us oh so dear.

Of all people to shatter Liverpool’s remaining title dreams, it was Dwight Gayle. He was talked about a lot at the start of the season- the club’s record signing who had just months before been in the Conference! I even considered him for my Fantasy Football team (though seeing as I currently lie in 150,573^rd place that’s no high accolade). However, he has barely featured all season, and only came on for Crystal Palace as a late substitute. It was he who scored the two goals that sent us from cruising to crying in a frighteningly short space of time.

Speaking of unlikely players, there is no doubt that the ball fell to the wrong person in the 94^th minute. Rodgers had taken off Sturridge for Moses at 3-2, and it was the Nigerian who had the chance to re-ignite Liverpool’s title dreams deep into stoppage time. After a scramble, the goal lay almost empty- did Moses manage to even make proper contact with the ball? What do you think…

It was an almost comical moment, at least it would have been had the ramifications not been so severe.

But just how severe are said ramifications? Are we now out of the title race which we did so staggeringly well to even get to in the first place? There is no doubting that Manchester City are now unbelievably strong favourites; they would have to either draw to both Villa and West Ham or lose to 1 of them to open the door again for Liverpool. This, however, is not impossible- Liverpool have to make sure they are ready to capitalise on any shock slip-up. If City did lose to West Ham or Villa, and we failed to win our game against Newcastle on the last day, it would be too much to bear. Liverpool just need to keep focused on their game, and maybe footballing fate will smile upon them by turning up just one last shock in this staggering season of Premier League football.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013  

Ba Humbug: Mourinho’s Bus Crushes Liverpool

Football is dead, and our title dreams look to be going the same way. Today, Chelsea succeeded in demonstrating that dull, defensive, unimaginative play can yield results. For the first time all season, Liverpool fans were forced to endure 90 minutes of their team being frustrated time and time again by a defence that simply could not be penetrated. Despite being camped in their own penalty area for the vast majority of the game, Chelsea still prevailed as 2-0 victors, courtesy of goals from Ba and Willian.

Right from the outset, it was clear that Mourinho had no intention of switching from his usual strategy. Despite needing a win to keep any distant hopes of the title alive, he named an extremely defensive line-up, and the players’ instructions were clear: don’t leave your own half. Liverpool did their usual; at least they tried to. They came out all guns blazing, but upon arriving on the edge of the opposition area, they realised there was just no way through. Although most of the first half seemed to be being played in and around the Chelsea box, the Reds never looked like breaking the deadlock. Chelsea’s set-up and style of play was frankly repellent, but in fairness to them they executed it very well. Within the first minute they’d started time-wasting: this was reflected in the 3 minutes added on at the end of the half. Irony is a cruel thing- it was in this added time, which was only being played due to Chelsea’s cheating, that the away side pulled ahead. As if this twist of fate wasn’t already too much for Liverpool fans to take, it was the club icon, Steven Gerrard, who was at fault for the goal. He has been the figurehead of this title charge- the leader, the one everybody wants to win it for. It was his mis-control and slip that released Ba clean through on Mignolet. The Senegal striker made no mistake.

The second half was more of the same. About 10 minutes in, in a vain attempt to find a way through the Chelsea wall of defenders, Rodgers took off Lucas for the less-than-fit Daniel Sturridge. It was clear that he wasn’t yet ready to play; at least not in a match of this intensity and magnitude. Uncharacteristically, he failed to make any significant impact to the game. Joe Allen came close on a couple of occasions with speculative long shots, and Sterling had a penalty shout turned down, but in general a goal looked very much elusive. Chelsea forced us to resort to whipping balls into the box, where our lack of physical presence led to the ball being cleared time and time again. In the dying minutes of the game, Chelsea added insult to injury. Everybody was committed forward in a desperate attempt to salvage a point, and the ball broke to, of all people, Fernando Torres. Unchallenged, he ran the length of the pitch. At least he didn’t have the audacity to score against his former club- he squared the ball to Willian, who was left with a tap-in into an empty net.

But where does this result leave Liverpool? Mathematically speaking, the title is now out of our hands. Barring huge wins (we’re talking 6 or 7 nil) against Palace and Newcastle, City will take the league title on goal difference if they win their remaining fixtures. Psychologically speaking it’s a huge blow as well- we will have to show a real ability to bounce back against Palace next week, as anything but a win there will definitely end our dreams of the Premier League title. That said, it’s far from over. We are, after all, still top of the league! City have the game in hand- points in the bag are always better than a game from which points ‘should’ be gained. The pressure is now all on Manchester City- a potentially tough game against Everton still remains, and Aston Villa and West Ham have both proved to be a thorn in bigger teams’ sides at various points throughout this season. Of course it isn’t ideal to have to be relying on others, but, having come this far, we would be foolish to give up. Steven Gerrard will want to atone for his mistake (and atone properly, not just attempt many ridiculous long shots that kill our momentum), so you can be sure that everyone in the Liverpool camp will be hugely fired up for our last two games. Let’s hope this passion, passion that we’ve shown all season, combined with a little bit of luck, is enough to carry home the league title despite today’s setback.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

Liverpool 3-2 Man City: We Shall Not Be Moved

 In a game dubbed (perhaps slightly prematurely) by many as the title decider, Liverpool and Manchester City produced an absolute thriller. During the first half it looked like Liverpool could turn it into an utter rout, but City came out very strongly in the second half and made a real game of it. Eventually though, Liverpool prevailed, and they now sit two points clear at the top of the Premier League table with just 4 games to play.

Even 3 hours before kick-off, hordes of Liverpool fans were flocking to Anfield, vying to get a good enough spot to catch a glimpse of the players on their arrival. The stadium complex was full of nervous energy; occasional chants of “we’re going to win the league” broke out, but quickly died away. The importance of the game was evident. Still, despite the tension, the fans (some of whom were lined up all the way down Anfield Road) were able to muster a rousing battle cry when the team finally arrived. The message was clear- we can do this.

In spite of the huge rivalry between Liverpool and City in this years’ race for the title, the two clubs still showed excellent respect towards one another in the emotional Hillsborough tribute prior to the game. Firstly, representatives of Manchester City offered a wreath of blue and red flowers, and then some of the away fans raised a banner that read ‘YNWA96’. The Liverpool fans subsequently applauded the City faithful, and the gratitude towards them was clearly heartfelt. When tragedies such as Hillsborough occur, the whole football community has a duty to put their rivalries to one side and stand united, and that’s exactly what happened in the lead-up to kick-off yesterday. The minutes silence was also impeccably observed by both sets of fans.

After these touching tributes, the animosity between the two clubs returned with a vengeance! City’s attempts to cheer on their team were drowned out by the roar of the Liverpool fans. Some of the aforementioned tension was dissipated almost at once- Liverpool, having made a trademark quick start, were ahead after just 6 minutes! It was scored by Raheem Sterling, who coolly dummied his way round Kompany and Hart before firing home. The elation, tinged with relief, was tangible.

The momentum was well and truly with us now, and it remained with us throughout most of the first half. Coutinho and Sturridge both had chances to score, but it remained at 1-0 until the 26^th minute. It was a classic Liverpool corner- Gerrard whipped it in, and Skrtel, as he has done with such regularity this season, met it with his head and fired it past the keeper. City were being absolutely blown away. This might have been something to do with the injury to Yaya Toure early on- without his presence, City were unable to physically overpower the Liverpool midfield. This allowed the reds to play expansive, creative football, which led to chances.

Had Suarez and Sturridge been at their best, the first half would have been ‘vintage Liverpool’. As it was, SAS were misfiring slightly. Neither of them have been on top form in recent games (although Suarez not at his best is still better than most), and against City they really struggled. Sturridge just seemed unable to ever get involved properly, and Suarez, partially due to the constant fouling he was receiving from Demichelis, was also relatively ineffectual. Still, this did serve to show all the doubters that Liverpool are by no means a one-man-team, an accusation that many jealous people have thrown at the club since our acquisition of Suarez.  The team as a whole played well, and as such we totally dominated the team who going into the match were title favourites, without requiring a goal from Suarez or Sturridge.

Sadly, this utter control could not be maintained into the second half. For about 10 minutes Liverpool were able to keep City’s attacks at bay, but eventually, on 57 minutes, they cracked. Some nice interplay by the City forwards combined with some poor defending from Liverpool resulted in David Silva pulling one back for City. After this, Liverpool lost all the

remnants of their previous initiative, and City were all over them. As such, there was a sense of inevitability about the second goal, which came just 5 minutes later. It was a freak goal: Silva’s ball across the middle hit Johnson, and then rolled almost comically past Mignolet at the near post. At the time though, the Liverpool crowd certainly didn’t see the funny side. Groans of despair and anxiety filled the ground. These only increased in intensity when Manuel Pellegrini brought on Sergio Ageuro- the way the game was going, it looked likely that he would work his magic and put City in front. 

Thankfully, at this point, Liverpool showed the spirit and strength of character that is needed in any team who wish to launch a genuine challenge on the title. They dragged themselves slowly back into the game, and though they had to survive defensive scares (Silva’s stretching shot that went just wide of the post from Aguero’s cross was particularly nerve-wracking) they also started to make some attacks of their own again. In the 78^th minute, they mounted one such attack. It looked to have fizzled out, but City captain Vincent Kompany scuffed his clearance. It came to Philippe Coutinho, who had already missed two great chances in the first half. This time, he was not wayward. With a powerful first-time drive, he put the ball right in the corner, beyond the reach of Joe Hart. Anfield erupted. Renewed cries of “we’re going to win the league” echoed round the ground, with real belief behind the words. The passion of the fans worked its way onto the pitch, and was picked up by the players. For the remaining 12 minutes, they fought for their life, showing a real hunger and desperation for the title. In stoppage time, Henderson fought a little too hard. He lunged in two-footed to try and get the ball and prevent a City attack. Though he won the ball, the manner in which he went in for it was only ever going to lead to one thing. Clattenburg, who up to that point had been having a howler (Suarez should have had at least two penalties), got this decision right.

As it was so late on it didn’t have any real effect in the short-term; Liverpool held on for what could be a crucial win in the race for the title. Gerrard’s emotion in the team huddle after the game summed up the passion mixed with a sort of desperation that every fan is feeling. We all want this extremely badly, and it’s in our hands, but with 4 games remaining it most certainly won’t be easy. Henderson’s three-match ban will make it no easier. He has been one of our unsung heroes this campaign- his generally excellent tackling, his desire to cover vast distances for the club during matches, and his passing (he has made the 2^nd most passes of any player in the Premier League this season) have all been invaluable. Still, we have Allen available to step up, and he is a more than adequate replacement. Alternatively, Lucas could come in to the team for the next three games. He could take over from Gerrard at defensive midfield, and Gerrard could shift forward to fill the place where Henderson would normally be. The fact that we have these two decent options will hopefully mean that we can get the results we need even without Henderson.

The fans certainly believed that we could get the results we need to in the immediate aftermath of the game. Hardly anyone left straight after the final whistle; instead they stayed, and filled the ground with chants of ‘We shall not be moved’. This determined, stubborn attitude is just what the team needs to get themselves over the finish line and do what was unthinkable at the start of the season: win the league title. With Rodgers at the helm, and a team of passionate and technically gifted players out on the pitch, I’m really starting to believe that we really will not be moved.

-James Martin

Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

West Ham 1-2 Liverpool: Make Us Dream

Well, we got through it. This game against West Ham certainly wasn't good for fans' nerves, but in the end Liverpool pulled through to extend their win streak to an immensely impressive 9 games. The headlines will be dominated by Anthony Taylor, who made two extremely poor decisions that hugely changed the shape of the match. In the end though, all that matters to Liverpool is the three points, who with the win keep the title race in their own hands.

Right from kick-off it was clear that Liverpool weren't going to have it easy. West Ham started off strongly, defending solidly as well as mounting a few promising attacks of their own. The reds still had the lion's share of the chances however, with Sturridge blazing wildly over a couple of times and Suarez chipping an effort onto the bar. The first half was a frustrating, nerve-wracking affair, and the relief was tangible when we finally broke the deadlock through a Gerrard penalty. The captain is a true talisman for our club: his passion and drive (excuse the cliches) is infectious, and you can see his belief rubbing off on the entire squad. If we are going to pull off a sensational Premier League title win then he will be central to it.

Soon after this came Anthony Taylor's first awful decision. Right on the stroke of half time, West Ham won a corner. Mignolet came to claim the ball, but dropped it after being struck in the face by Andy Carroll. Guy Demel subsequently turned it in, but Liverpool were rightly convinced that the goal shouldn't stand. It seemed that the assistant referee shared their conviction- initially, he flagged for a foul on the keeper. Astonishingly though, Taylor, following a conversation with his assistant, over-ruled the decision! Had we gone on to lose points from this game, it would have been a cruel way to lose control of the title race.

Fortunately for us, the referee was to 'make amends' later on in the game. With 20 minutes to go the feeling of nervousness that defined the first half was back, and stronger than ever. It was at this point that we won our second penalty. There was no doubt about the first- Suarez won it by totally out-doing Tomkins, who then handled the ball in an almost identical fashion to Rafael in our game against United. The second was less stonewall: Flanagan burst into the box in hot pursuit of the ball, but Adrian appeared to get there just before him. Replays showed that he did indeed get the first touch on the ball, but he did then grab hold of Flanagan's foot. Either way, the penalty was given, and Gerrard set Liverpool back on the path to ultimate glory with an emphatic finish.

Try as our opponents might, they just can't seem to kill off the feeling of optimism and excitement that has descended upon the club. With only 5 games to go, and safe in the knowledge that victories in all of them will secure us the title that would mean so much, it is a truly amazing time to be a fan of Liverpool FC. Now we have to look to the game that could ultimately decide the destination of the Premier League trophy- Liverpool vs City.
-James Martin
Follow me on Twitter @JamesMartin013

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