Liverpool had to work hard to earn a draw with Arsenal but were unlucky not to earn the win
What do Liverpool need this Christmas? Many presents in fact, although winning matches would be a good start.
The 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the weekend was promising indeed, but only when set against the terrible run of form that has plagued the Reds this season. Signings taking a long time to settle (and some looking out of their depth), injuries, most notably to Daniel Sturridge, departures, most notably Luis Suarez, additional fixtures, constantly changing teams and tactics have all been troubling issues for Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool.
It has resulted in just 22 points from 17 league games, an early exit from the Champions League and even more fixtures with the Europa League – yet that competition may represent Liverpool’s best chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Only 12 months ago the Reds were top of the table and about to impress greatly away to Manchester City, a game which should have ended in a victory for Liverpool and arguably a bigger factor in the title race than Steven Gerrard’s slip. Now for this year’s Boxing Day they travel to Turf Moor and Burnley, a team who most had down to be relegated by now, especially after their early start to the season. Yet they have fought back valiantly with wins over Southampton, Stoke and Hull and now have a genuine belief that they can escape the dreaded drop.
Brendan Rodgers stated after the Arsenal draw that Liverpool could still make the top four and he is correct, both mathematically and realistically. Admittedly a nine point gap to West Ham does seem daunting, but despite their impressive form and strong squad they are extremely susceptible to a run of form akin to Southampton and Newcastle where the duo have slipped back into the chasing pack.
If the Reds can pick up their game and their form then they will join Arsenal and Manchester United in a race for two of those coveted top four starts. Compared to the two clubs above, Liverpool are five and ten points behind respectively – therefore the Reds need to start winning immediately and then continue winning. The spectacular sequence of wins in early 2014 which almost took Liverpool to the title needs repeating to some extent, just to fight for a top four finish this time round.
The young Serb has become a real plus in recent games as his worth has finally begun to show
Yet that, and especially a trophy alongside it, would constitute an excellent season of consolidation as the top sides that attract the best players are the ones that consistently qualify for the Champions League. With Liverpool in the semi-finals of the League Cup, albeit with a monumental hurdle to overcome in the shape of Chelsea, silverware may be possible this season.
A Europa League win especially would remove two birds with one stone with a trophy and Champions League football, while the Reds would become the most successful team in the competition’s history, alongside their success in Europe’s biggest cup competition.
Rodgers now seems to be having a look at implementing a 3-4-3 formation in an attempt to revive Liverpool’s fortunes. It has allowed them to return to a fast, fluid and intense style with Raheem Sterling leading the line and stretching teams with his pace, which is resulting in defences bakcing off and consequently greater space and time for the likes of Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Coutinho and Adam Lallana. Whilst Henderson and Lazar Markovic are not ideal wing-backs, they both carry pace and stamina to maraud up and down the flanks and three centre backs offers greater solidarity.
However, it remains a work in progress and it has been noted that whilst there has been an improvement between boxes, at the very ends of the pitch mistakes are still being made. Hopefully though these bad habits can be ironed out with more time and matches under this system.
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