Make Everyone Fight For Their Place

THE mid-week win over West Brom in the League Cup has obviously excited Brendan Rodgers, and for the right reasons as well.

The ability to push hard and fight back from a goal down is something every manager dreams of in a team.

He’s also taken issue with the horrendous refereeing decisions that have been made against Liverpool, especially the penalty claims against Manchester United, which more or less turned the game in United’s favour.

That lack of another striker’s already hurting Liverpool though.

Fabio Borini hasn’t really made much of an impact yet and while it’s early to say he can’t, the fact remains that Liverpool don’t have the option to just substitute the lad and bring on someone to try and change the game. Or perhaps try Borini initially as an impact striker – make him work for his place in the starting line-up.

Over the years, Liverpool have had this bad tendency of abandoning players who’ve already proved themselves, for new players who promise to do that and much but haven’t really done it in a red shirt yet.

Dalglish made the same mistake with thinking Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson would more than do what Raul Meireles had done, and didn’t that work out very well.

Adam’s gone and Henderson still hasn’t done much for the side at all.

Nuri Sahin, showed great play against West Brom but Liverpool can’t start relying on him week in week out as they do with Suarez. A couple of decent showings from Raheem Sterling got people thinking the same thing.

While consistency, of course is always necessary, it doesn’t mean the other players can afford to slack back.

There used to be a time when every Liverpool player, whether new or old, had an aura about the way they played. When the pride showed up in playing with a Liverpool shirt on, performances were stellar, and results were good.

Rodgers’ biggest job is to regain that among whichever 11 he puts out on the pitch.

The youngsters he put out against West Brom did well for a reason. It’s because they want to prove their worth and force their way in to the starting line-up.
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Which means it’s important to make sure no one thinks they are guaranteed a place in the starting 11 – not even Steven Gerrard. This fixation with him has gone on far too long.

He’s not the same player he was 2 years ago, and if on a given week there’s someone who is showing more grit and sharpness, start him.

The past practices and recent ones, such as ruling Andy Carroll out without really giving him a chance, need to be dropped. He came on against Manchester City and did quite well. His reward for that – being sent out on loan to West Ham.

Of course many will say it worked out well since he went off injured immediately but Liverpool couldn’t have known that at the time.

The fact remains, they let him go after he’d shown great improvement, on the basis that Borini and Suarez were enough along with another potential new signing, which of course didn’t happen.

Stop depending on hypothetical success and focus more on what’s working right now – even if Clint Dempsey had ended up at Anfield, there is no guarantee he’d play as he did for Fulham.

Look at Liverpool’s past signings – Jermaine Pennant, Fernando Morientes, Alberto Aquilani, Paul Konchesky, excetera.

At the same time, players who have been performing end up getting shown the door. Yossi Benayoun, Albert Riera, Meireles, Dirk Kuyt…

This needs to stop, else this downhill decline is just the beginning of a very grim end. Other teams, who are successful right now, look at how they treat their players who are doing the business for them.

Take a leaf out of their book. It’ll only help.
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