AS we enter another hiatus from Premier League football while International competition takes centre stage, it is pretty difficult to assess exactly how good Liverpool’s team is this season.
Of course, the team often doesn’t start to take shape until after at least 10 games but the reds have been enigmatic in their displays if not their results thus far.
Perhaps the most evident feature of Brendan Rodgers team has been the inability to put together two halves of football. Until the triumph at bottom of the table Sunderland, Liverpool hadn’t managed a goal in a second half in a league match and had looked vulnerable without offering much in the way of attack in the second 45. Theories have ranged from a lack of match fitness, a deliberate tactical ploy (which was certainly the case against Villa), uninspiring team talks and good old complacency.
Yet, after producing only 7 good halves of football out of 14, Liverpool have managed to plunder 16 points from 21 and are second in the league only on goals scored. The good news is that the task is being completed even if the execution has lacked finesse. Should Rodgers be able to sharpen the team’s performances after the interval then we could be looking at a very lethal side indeed.
While the optimist may consider the potential of the team over 90 minutes, the caveat is to acknowledge a double dose of our second half performances will most likely see the team departing empty handed. Southampton was the proof of that, a pretty woeful display left many Kopites fearing a return to the dark days in the early part of last season. Thankfully those apprehensions seem misplaced and Liverpool have grown ever stronger since the return of Luis Suarez. The thought of Coutinho returning to aid Suarez and Sturridge in the attacking line-up has also had most fans salivating.
There are still areas of concern across the side though. The defence has mirrored the team in terms of consistency, at times all the players have looked formidable only to be exposed later on. Against Man Utd the back line probably performed at its peak, restricting Moyes’ title holders to only a couple of real opportunities to score. Since then, Sakho has shown himself to be an unfinished masterpiece, with splashes of authentic quality mixed with occasional naivety, which would be punished by more ruthless opponents. Toure has proved an astute recruitment. His displays have been the personification of effort and application, even at right-back he has look assured and has had the courage to genuinely assist in attack.
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That said, too many chances have been afforded to the opposition too easily. Set plays have made a mockery of any notion that our team is strong enough in the air. There is undoubtedly room to improve but with Mignolet demonstrating his expertise in one-on-one situations the reds have not been punished as often as they might have.
The other machinery not proving totally effective has been the midfield. While Lucas has remained industrious and Gerrard can still conjure up passes of incredible genius, the partnership looks flawed. Neither player has proven mobile enough to make the midfield wholly effective and Gerrard has struggled to make an impact on a game after the 60 minute mark. Of course, last season Gerrard only started to hit form after Christmas and should he do so again, the team may well move up a notch in quality. Lucas continues to be a good player but as the tactics progress, there seems a lesser need for the archetypal defensive midfielder and much more of a need for a player who can retain possession and relieve pressure.
Joe Allen is the only player in the squad who possesses those traits but he would need to show a much greater level of consistency than he did last season to fix the problem in the middle. That is not just consistency from game to game but within a match to be able to stand up to pressure, retain the ball and release the rest of the team once they have broken into position. It is a big ask for him to reach the standard required to force Lucas out of the team but he does have the skill set to profit in the role the team requires.
Despite these issues the squad is clearly much stronger than before. Losing Johnson, Suarez, Coutinho and Agger would have been insurmountable last year, this year Liverpool have coped admirably. That said, the absence of both Suarez and Coutinho highlighted a dearth of invention for Rodgers to select from and reiterated why one of the priorities in the summer was to attract another quality attacking option. Additions are needed in January but the squad appears capable of remaining in the hunt until then, especially without any cup matches to come until the window opens.
On the whole it has been an excellent start to the season, Sturridge has been unstoppable and Suarez at least looks contrite after his summer of discontent and, most importantly, he has continued to mesmerize all Anfield devotees since his return. The biggest achievement of Brendan Rodgers’ charges though, must be that after two months of football there continues to be hope. The last few years have seen reds gazing towards next season when the league has barely got into its stride, in fact last year some had given up after the first outing. Now, we can enjoy football for the time being and see where this group can take us to January and with the other big players dropping points we may as well dream a little longer…
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Some disjointed fans will still say progress has not been made, it clearly has.
I think Gerrard should be taken off occasionally and fresh legs tasked with maintaining second half performances or to come off the bench and demanded to wrestle back control of the game.
Would like to see Allen given a run of games to see if he has what it takes, I believe he has some talent but without game time this year is difficult to see if there has been much improvement.
A lot of Allen haters out there, probably same people who hated Lucas and Henderson at first (although I was and still am not Lucas’ biggest fan).
Last year we had good first and second halves but would lose draw a lot Really at a loss to explain why, if teams figure out why as well and start matches with that game plan, we could be in serious trouble.
But I place my trust in Brendan to work out the solution.
Progress ? Only if we finish in top 4. Right now there is no progress…it’s in your head . The start has been ok but we have had lots of easy games.
Rodgers is an atrocious manager. We won’t get top 4 with him.
Only a fool would put their trust in a second rate manager like Rodgers.
Stevie G.
How many second rate managers have had the privilege of sitting second in the best league in the world after seven games?
Your negativity towards the man is unparalleled and something we have only seen against Hodgson, from fans renowned for giving players and managers a chance.
A when Steven Gerrard first began his career he was a hot prospect only after a few years did we start to see the world class player he would become.
Rodgers was a hot prospect at Swansea and quite a few fans were jealous of how Swansea set up and played the game, if (if) BR can reproduce that with Liverpool I think everyone will be happy, except you who has some sort of personal vendetta against him.
Last season we were bottom half, this year we are right up there and you still can’t see progress, the mind boggles. If we finish anywhere higher than 7th, that will be progress, not as much as we’d like but 6 is better than 7 and you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone in the world who would say that is not progress!!
I completely agree with some of what you say, you do know your stuff but calling Rodgers second rate, this early in his LFC career is a little premature IMO
Henderson is better than Lucas…but neither are top quality. …and Allen is awful. 2 New midfielders are needed
If only Allen can regain his form when he first join Liverpool I am fine with him.
Lucas should be dropped 4 hendo cos he makes our midfield predictable with his sideway and backward passes but hendo can throw a 30 yard pass and more mobile with even high goal threat.
B Rodgers is doing what he can with the squad he has, he has made some shocking buys that are simply average at best: Alberto, Allen, Aspas, Assaidi, Borini. 40m wasted on average players
B Rodgers is a good manager, but he needs to bring more class,quality players: He needs to bring in two good centre midfielders, a good defensive midfielder, two class quality wide men who create and score at least 8 to 15 goals a season every season. As Gerrard needs to be rested, but obviously Rodgers does not have enough faith in Allen or Henderson to rest Gerrard sufficiently. And lucas is the only player at club who is defensive midfielder, who gets stuck in all over ground and protects back 4. But even when he plays poor;y in games he starts next game as there is no one in Squad who is defensive midfielder.
The 3 5 2 formation is best suited with the players we have as in all honesty, G Johnson and L Enrique offer more class, creativity and goals going forward to squad and team than IBE, Moses and Sterling.
When B Rodgers brings in wingers with more class, creativity and goals in them to the club, the 3 5 2 would not be used as much. But hopefully In January the owners back B Rodgers well with 55-65M to bring in five class quality players: Amongst them these two class pacey quick quality wingers who score and create goals :
1: RW /RWF: M Salah(21) Of Basel for 10-15M to play on right wing as a right winger or a right wing forward
2:LW / LWF: B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle for 12-16M to play on left wing as a Left winger or as a Left wing forward
And the other three players needed in January are as follows:
3: CM: Koke Of A Madrid for 10-18M to compete with Allen
4: DM: M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 10-14M to compete and Cover Lucas Leiva
5: FD: A Hernandez(23) Of Palermo or Konstantinos Mitroglous (25) Of Olympiacos for 5-8M to compete with Sturridge and Suarez
These five players would bring more class, depth and quality to squad and make help us maintain our pursuit of top 4: And help squad achieve champions league qualification.
And all those five players are of champions league class and quality
Rodgers is NOT a good manager
Kav, Yes he is a good manager. Just like most of the managers our club has had over the last decade, has made some abyzmal signings. ( Brought too much average, hard working players to club instead of more class and quality signings)
Rodgers is a good Young manager, hopefully he rectifies his mistakes sooner than later by selling/shipping and moving on players he thought were good enough and could cut it but have not: Assaidi, Borini, Aspas Should all be shipped out.
Plus these other dead wood average players need to be shipped out IN January or the summer: As the simply not good enough
B Jones GK
S Coates CB
J Flanagan RB
I wonder what this guy needs to do to be considered a good manager:-
Remove some deadwood… Tick
Improve our style of play…. Tick
Sign a gem or two for cheap.. Tick
Have the team sit near the top… Tick
Keep hold of your best player.., Tick
Best start in Prem for years.,.. Tick
Bring through youth…. Tick
Decrease the average age of squad.Tick
Obviously some signings wont work out and that’s the same at every single other club that has ever been. No manager signs bad players on purpose, some players have never lived in another country and miss home or were the star player at their club and have to readjust but can’t. Many factors as to why but our ones are young and so if they can’t step up we wont make huge losses, unlike Downing et al.
BR is a man who is learning, just like other young managers, mistakes are made, hurdles along the way but has a desire to always progress Liverpool at all costs. The man returned the original this is anfield sign, clearly loves the club.
Short of morphing into God I have no idea what more he can do to appease some.
Aaron, as i blatantly stated to Kav. B Rodgers is a good manager, but he is a young manager. Yeah he has made mistakes, he has signed too many dead wood average players, but hopefully he brings in more class players from now on.
Another fault of B Rodgers is when the club are winning games 1-2 away from home and teams are trying to get back in game instead of bringing on pacey wide man to stretch opposition on break to win game 1 3 , he leaves it and teams have got back in games. Happened twice last season: At Ethihad against Man City and At the Emirates Vs Arsenal and this season against Swansea.
But in all honesty the wingers we have at club do not create or score enough goals for side, so when Rodgers brings some proper class, creativity, pacey, quick Goalscoring wingers to the club. He should be able to go for the kill, when teams are trying to get back in games.
All the best managers in world football make mistakes with signings, but no matter how much i hate united. Alex Ferguson made loads of comical signings over his time at United but if a player did not meet the standard, they were shipped out between 6mths to years time. And that is how Rodgers needs to be: The likes of Assaidi, Aspas, Borini need to be shipped out. And so do the other dead wood average players we still have at the club: B Jones, J Flanagan and S Coates.
Players who rarely play, who do not offer the club or their team mates they are competing with for their position no competition when they are injury free and fully fit should not be at club?
Players who are not missed when they are out injured or on loan should be moved on, If Assaidi, Aspas, Borini, Coates, Flanagan and Jones was sold tommorrow? Would it make difference to side, yeah clear wage bill.
Would not change anything else in squad/side, then the 6 positions could be replaced and filled: These 6 positions first and foremost:
1: RW /RWF: M Salah(21) Of Basel for 10-15M to play on right wing as a right winger or a right wing forward
2:LW / LWF: B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle for 12-16M to play on left wing as a Left winger or as a Left wing forward
And the other three players needed in January are as follows:
3: CM: Koke Of A Madrid for 10-18M to compete with Allen for next 3-5 years
4: DM: M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 10-14M to compete and Cover Lucas Leiva for next 2-4 years
5: CM: B Etxebarria(26) Of A Bilbao for 10-14M to compete with Henderson for next 2-4 years
6: FD: A Hernandez(23) Of Palermo or Konstantinos Mitroglous (25) Of Olympiacos for 5-8M to compete with Sturridge and Suarez for next 3- 5 years