Could this be the difference between 7th and the top 4?

Attitude may have a lot to do with it – players walking around with their heads down. Or it may have been Rafa’s defensive tactics leaving our creative players too isolated over the last two or three seasons. For me, however, one of the standout differences between Liverpool and the rest of the big four, one that caused us to slip so low recently, has been fitness.

Arsenal’s players skip like gazelles across the Emirates savannah. Chelsea players muscle other teams out of their way. Man Utd players keep going until they grab a late, late winner. The Reds huffed and puffed last year. They became strung out as the midfield failed to support the forwards.

In years gone by, it was the Liverpool way to make the ball do the work.“Pass and Move”. That’s all gone now. There was little movement last season. Against the stronger teams, there was rarely anyone to pass to unless play moved backwards. And on the rare occasion a Pool player wouls charge forward there was nobody going with him. It was as though running without the ball is too much effort.

Was the fitness regime too harsh or too soft, I ask myself? Will it change under Roy? We definitely need new blood and more powerful players. But the good ones we have now need to improve. In a tough league like the Premier League speed and power are at a premium. Once the team is physically stronger, when the players are moving faster and smarter, then we will be in with a chance of the title.

Look at Man U., if your eyes are not offended. You’ll see a squad that many people reckon is as strong as any. I don’t see that. I see players who are fit enough to run around for 90 minutes, pressuring when they don’t have possession. Rooney is a special player. The others are OK. And there are a few duffers.

Look at Barca. They always seem to be first to a loose ball – not that there are many loose balls in a Barcelona game. They get there first and control the game. First is first and second is nowhere. That applies especially to winning the ball in the first place. To restore our pass and move philosophy then I believe our boys need to get fitter, get to the ball first and get into space.

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