WE’RE 11 games in to the season and the Premier League table of 2013/14 has already split in two. It has an established top 8 clubs consisting of the two Manchester sides, Liverpool, Everton, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and the surprise package of Southampton.
Of the remaining twelve clubs that will likely fill the bottom 12 positions, only West Brom and Swansea look like coherent teams with defined styles of play and discernible plans that offer hope for improvement. Sure, sides like Newcastle have enough talented players in their ranks to throw up surprises from time to time, but in general terms the bottom 12 teams are a group ranging from the hopeless to the average.
Simple maths states that there are 72 points waiting to be accumulated against those second tier Premier League clubs. That total alone is enough to almost guarantee a Champions League finish come May. Last season Manchester United beat every team from 12th position down both home and away, amassing a gargantuan 54 points in the process. While Man City faltered against several of the bottom half sides, United eased their way to a 20th title despite having a much weaker squad than their neighbours thus highlighting just how important it is to beat the dross that unarguably exists within England’s much celebrated top flight.
Currently Arsenal lead the pack in England with Liverpool lying in second place. Neither club has looked flawless or even close to top class but both of those sides have (so far) mastered the art of beating the teams that they are expected to. Indeed, in the case of Liverpool, they have put many of those opponents to the sword with relative comfort (3-1 vs Crystal Palace, 4-1 vs West Brom, 4-0 vs Fulham, 3-1 vs Sunderland).
The two games that Liverpool have lost this season have been against pressing aficionados Southampton who squeezed the Reds high up the pitch and defended immaculately and the leaders Arsenal who simply had too much quality for Liverpool on the night. The only other top tier opponents Liverpool have faced was Manchester United who they beat 1-0 in a scrappy affair at Anfield. Three points from three games against direct competitors isn’t scintillating form, but it’s not actually proving that important as things stand.
Over the last few seasons Liverpool suffered numerous frustrating games both home and away against the lesser lights of the Premier League so Brendan Rodgers and his side deserve credit this season for chugging along at a ratio of over 2 points a game so far. The fixture list has been relatively kind up to now but that should not detract from the progress Liverpool have made.
They are getting the results that are always expected but have rarely been guaranteed in recent times. Whereas last season Liverpool always looked likely to slip up in games against smaller clubs, not many teams look like they will be able to cope with the Reds this season, especially at Anfield.
Previously, when Liverpool dropped silly points, it was usually against stubborn, obdurate sides who would cede possession, defend deep and look to frustrate them. The likes of West Ham, Stoke, Reading and West Brom all had success with this method in Rodgers’ inaugural season. Such tactics now look increasingly unlikely to bother the Reds.
Teams who have come to Anfield and tried to sit back and soak up pressure this term have been dispatched with consummate ease. Instead, having the guts, stamina and tactical nous to press Liverpool intelligently now looks the best way of winning points against Rodgers’ men, and not many teams have been prepared to adopt such methods this term. If teams stand off against Liverpool these days and let them play then they are more than likely to find a way through.
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If the incomparable Luis Suarez isn’t the man to do it then Daniel Sturridge probably will. If Sturridge doesn’t, then Philippe Coutinho can unlock a door at any moment. If the little Brazilian isn’t at his best then Steven Gerrard’s delivery can still hurt you and even if the skipper isn’t on form then you constantly have to deal with the threat of the perennially underrated Glen Johnson bombarding you down the right flank.
Liverpool have attacking options that are currently seeing them comprehensively overwhelm lesser sides and that could be their trump card when it comes to securing Champions League football. If teams wish to trust to hope and attempt to cling on for 90 minutes against a side which has an array of attacking quality then more fool them. Liverpool’s weaknesses (and there are plenty, the Reds are nowhere near the finished article) are exposed when sides put them under pressure, not when opponents allow Liverpool to play on the front foot. The encouraging thing for Brendan Rodgers is that so few teams outside of the top 8 are equipped or willing to do so and his team are reaping the rewards as a result.
Liverpool have four extremely tough away games on the horizon starting with the Goodison derby a week on Saturday quickly followed by trips to Spurs, City and Chelsea before we roll into 2014. Perhaps more important than that daunting quartet of fixtures though, are the games against Hull, Norwich, West Ham and Cardiff which also take place before the turn of the year.
If Liverpool manage to continue their pattern of putting the smaller sides to the sword and pick up maximum points from those games against the lesser teams then the pressure going into the matches against the top sides will be eased exponentially. Even with poor results against their rivals at the top, a perfect record in the four upcoming easier games would keep them in touch at the top given the nature of the league this season.
It sounds counter intuitive to suggest that games against relegation fodder are more important than the traditionally billed ‘six pointers’ against Champions League rivals, but when you see how often teams at the top are slipping up this season and how Liverpool still lie second despite unimpressive losses to Southampton and Arsenal, it becomes apparent just how crucial it is to continue amassing points against the teams further down the table.
One need only look at how close Manchester United are to the top of the league despite picking up just one win (against Arsenal) and five points from five games against their direct rivals. Sure, getting hammered at City and losing at Anfield was bad for United and drawing with Southampton and Chelsea at home are no reasons to celebrate either, but those early losses and draws already look less significant now than they did three or four weeks ago.
Apart from their win against Arsenal last weekend, what results have helped move United from crisis point back into the title picture over the last month? Wins against the awful Stoke, Sunderland and Fulham offset by a home point against Southampton. It’s hardly a sequence of results that would have Bayern Munich shaking in their boots, but it’s been enough of a run to propel United back into contention in the Premier League.
After the turn of the new year and this run of tough away games, the only top 8 teams that Liverpool have to travel to are Southampton and Manchester United. If the Reds are still in touch with the league leaders come January, then Champions League football for next term will be there for the taking.
Regardless of how they fair at Goodison, White Hart Lane, Eastlands and Stamford Bridge over the next few weeks, Liverpool simply need to keep doing what they are doing and putting away teams who make up the second tier of the Premier League. All the top sides are likely to take points off each other and regarding Champions League qualification, it will be beating the rest, not the best, that could ultimately prove crucial.
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Aim higher, please. We are LFC !!!
Correct . Most around here have forgotten that.
We finished, on average, 7th in the league prior to Rodgers taking over.
Let’s get behind the team and congratulate them on being 2nd after 11 games. Any disgruntlement at not pushing for a title tilt is ridiculous.
Top 4 is the only aim this season – anything higher a bonus. Once their we can make much classier additions to help with not just a title challenge but also a chance in Europe.
You talk jack sh*t !
You refute nothing then add nothing. Well done.
Idiot
Do people not realise that we have finished outside the Top 4 for the last 4 seasons. Getting back in is the priority.
Troll Hunter trolling again!
Aaron the troll
Idiot
STOP aiming for the ‘top 4’ and aim for FIRST! if you never aim for first you’ll NEVER finish first!. I assure you that long ball garbage Moyes is ‘managing’ is aiming for first!.
We have always aimed for first, where has that got us so far?
No Champions League for years, PERSPECTIVE.
Boring troll Aaron .idiot
Two trolls in one four worded sentence, at least bring something to the table!!
Don’t make it so easy for me, MR HUNTER!! you nice person you
Idiot
Liverpool has always been about BEATING the best. Good teams that want to compete at the top and win trophies need to be consistently beating the top teams ….if not we can’t be considered a top team
This attitude is sickening for a club of Liverpools stature and perhaps shows how Rodgers has lowered our standards.
As Pete says ..aim for the top ….lets not be happy with beating the bottom feeders.
Liverpool teams from the past were. As for being considered a top team, we will be if we continue picking up the 2 points per game we are currently.
Have you missed the last few seasons when we couldn’t beat teams like Stoke, Norwich or even Fulham at home?
It shows how Rodgers has lowered LFC’s standards?! It shows how he is returning us to the team that won these games at home at a canter.
Continued squad/team-building in January and summer will hopefully see to the rest.
We use to beat utd chel tot arse n all top teams . Not wit Rogers though.
When? Where have you been for the last 3 seasons?
Where have u been? Woys team beat chelsea, Kenny beat CFC home & away, KD beat Arsenal 2-0 away, KD knocked Man U out of FA cup, KD knocked M City out of League Cup, KD beat City 3-0 at Anfield, KD beat Man U 3-1 with Kuyt hat trick. You dont know nothing about LFC. Probably a plastic fan.
Very true Mr sarcasm. Rodgers minions have selective memories.
After beating these top teams where did we finish in the league thanks to losing to ‘lower clubs’?
Idiot
My favourite follower is back, meet a girl or something, will help you get over me.
There’s a nice boy.,,, oh how’s the purchase of that dictionary going?
M R H U N T E R
Still trolling Aaron ? Idiot
Still trolling Hunter? Idiot.
Do you see how boring your retorts are, at least attempt one degree of humour, or try something more intelligently witty, just a thought my lonely friend.
Better suggestion.. Post something football related, isn’t that why you come here? Or is it just to troll under the pretence of hunting down people who have something to say about football!!
Now put your Fav Manchester United shirt back on and get back to your own forum.
What a sad troll Aaron is
Calls people idiot
Makes homophobic comments
Bores everyone with his idiotic comments
Idiot
Well explained , It is the accumulation of points , This is call strategy!
LFc should also sit back and soak the pressure, close the game , when we are visiting the ‘top fours’ .With the forwards we have , we can beat them on counter attack
After spending 95m we should expect more than 4th place .
All top teams are struggling . We have one of the top players in world football and no injury problems . Liverpool should be top 4 no problem. It would be shocking if we failed.
City, Spurs and Chelsea spent £250m between them this summer alone. All of them finished above us for the last 3 seasons. Wind yer neck in!
Some of us are getting a bit carried away . Top 4 hardly likely , that’s Rodgers only task this season and maybe a Cup run ? But when you strip away all the bull , we are actually only 4 points better off than when Kenny was in charge and if we fail to beat the Blues something Rodgers has failed on , then we will only be a point better off after same games played . Now this not a Kenny vs Rodgers post, but we have to bear in mind that under Dalglish , in his first 11 games we had already played the top 5 plus Everton and had also won 3 Carling games . The fixtures Rodgers has had don,t compare easily with that season and we are out of the cup . Now i can see why fans who have only joined us since Rodgers arrived being over the moon, but with the fixture list soon to take a turn i am very worried and so are others. If we were doing so well why is it that the fans are split nearly down the middle on CL qualification.
Total nonsense, lfc of all clubs? No we are too big for that. Lfc aim for the first not even second. We lost to Arsenal bcos we failed to field a good squad against them (Arsenal). A win is a win no matter how it comes and we did that against Man U. and we can do it against any other team, so Mr Dave Martinez don’t lower liverpool to that. YNWA
Brendan should prove me wrong by beating Everton and Tottham,I bet none of them have coutinho and Suarez but Iam confident we are going to dispatch both.Otherwise Brendan I still have doubts lingering above ur head u fat irish good against weaker teams at best manager.
You are calling our manager “fat” and “Irish”. Shame Ireland isn’t a sunny holiday destination or you could have added “waiter” to your trolling piece of *.
You are calling our manager “fat” and “Irish”. Shame Ireland isn’t a sunny holiday destination or you could have added “waiter” to your trolling.
Is that not racist? I’m pretty sure it is, why don’t ye call him a paddy or a mick just to show what your really all about.
The consistency on the site is amazing. I called this cretin a tit a couple articles ago and persons had ago at me, but this muppet can say what he wants and nothing. Well guess it says a lot about the people/person that backs/back him and his comments.
You’re the one who called him a tit a few articles ago, talk about pot and kettle. Offended by everyone’s but your own actions?
No sheep is soooooooooo stupid . I don’t think the fool knows what racist means.
Is Rodgers Irish ? Yes
Is Rodgers fat ? Yes a bit
So what’s the problem ?
Look up the meaning of racist you clown
No sheep is the only person on here who gets everything wrong ALL the time. Class A half-wit.
Nine frm 15 out of those tough fixtures wud mean a lot…ynwa
Every 1 is entitle to his own opinion…….if yu like cux BR……all i knw is that……he is tryng his best..ok…..haters go kill ur mum
That has got to be the most sick comment ive read on here. Great football ‘fan’ you are aren’t you?
u are nw complaining dat rodgers is nt beating big teams bt i can remember wel enof dat KD cant beat smal teams. I rada regret nt beating big teams dan smal teams
Lol . Yeah right !
We should all give BR a break, he’s trying his best. We only need a couple of Marquee signings & this squad will achieve things. We have no problems with scoring goals but the midfield & defence need to up their games. YNWA!!!
Hodgson tried his best too. but he was also out of his depth.
Everyone tries their best, Rafa failed to win the league and lord knows he tried.
Of course winning the CL excuses him any criticism.
I did like Rafa tho and some of our best football was played under him, also some of our worst. However two CL finals, one victory, also FA Cup means he will always be a Sir… but, there is only one King!!
I’ve never known someone to be slagged off as much for taking a team from nowhere to second as much as BR, we now look like a cohesive unit and people are upset, beating teams we should, people upset, consistent, people upset, best start for five years and guess what… educated fans upset!!!??
I bet even if Rodgers landed on the moon without any rocket, people would say ‘easiest take off in years’ overlooking everything else.
Now if Rodgers fails, I’ll take everything back but quarter of the way through the season, second, playing well since January I’m pretty sure that wont be the case.
Financially we are the worst of a good bunch and people expecting us to turn water into wine.
A few years ago we almost lost everything, I’d say that water is now a rose’, still some way to go but at least we can taste, just a little, wine is coming.
Yawn . What a boring troll.
Nobody actually listens to the boring rubbish Aaron spouts
Idiot
At least it’s a point of view, boring or otherwise, again another Trolling from ‘The Hunter’
You sound like some sort of failed Gladiator.
Now I’m off to get laid. Enjoy your babestation, you sad lonely little man. Big KISS XX
Idiot Aaron . Still trolling this site ?
Get a life . I have no interest in discussing football with trolls like you around
But at least discuss it with the forum you petulant little man
Aaron the troll
Idiot
its okay guys my view is on switching joe allen into the starting eleven.lucas and hendo their do dirty work of marking.push gerrard behind strikers.front threee put coutinho dboy suarez.our midfield should be solid to maintain pressure on opposite teams.want to aspas