No coal in the stocking this year

FIRST place at Christmas, was a wonderful gift!  But what did it mean?  Surely it made us all feel proud and, for the ultimate fans, provides for an added glow to the Yuletide. But recourse to sober second thought is important.

Looking at the glass as half full, the standing and the performance of the team in general and Suarez in particular, gives us a leg up in the transfer window.  Last summer it seemed that our targets, the likes of Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, were being scooped up by other clubs after Liverpool had made a substantial move for their services.

The main fly in the ointment for these players and their agents was the possibility that a loss of Suarez would leave the Reds out of European competition yet again and for the foreseeable future as well.  Exposure is, after all, the lifeblood of the world class athlete and the loss of sponsorship millions through being limited to domestic appearances was a deal breaker.

Another factor in the reluctance of marquee players to move to Liverpool FC was also tied to the players’ desire to be showcased on as many stages as possible and on the greatest of them all – the World Cup.  

In a football stage awash with fine players, participation for one’s country is often a matter of exposure to quality games.  Toiling on a mid-table team in any league (as Liverpool seemed to be in the summer of 2013) would not recommend a player to a national team’s manager.

All that has changed this year with Liverpool’s enduring place in the top four and current standing as the best of the best. Players and their agents will no longer be reluctant to hitch their careers to Liverpool but see the progress of this young team as a ticket to possibly being part of a legendary side.

With the signing of a new deal between the team and Luis Suarez, arguably the best striker in the world, Liverpool should be inundated with invitations to dinner from the representatives of the top players in the sport.  

Considering that the Reds have continued to succeed without the likes of Sturridge and Gerrard at this stage of the season and survived and even thrived in the opening games without the suspended Suarez, speaks volumes for the potential of this group of players.

The ‘glass half empty’ view of things focuses on the fact that the top of the table in the Premiership is so volatile – particularly after the Boxing Day results. Liverpool are not the only contenders to have rushed into the vacuum left by the implosion of Manchester United and the changes at Chelsea and Manchester City.  A paltry six points now separates Arsenal in first from Newcastle in sixth.  Two wins!

Two games could see any of these teams rocketing to the top or sinking to the ignominy of a mid-table position.  The importance of the holiday set of fixtures becomes apparent, especially if one looks at the match ups.

Liverpool had, by far, the most challenging encounters playing Man City and Chelsea, both on opposition turf.

It is not critical to emerge with substantial points from those games, as has been addressed in previous columns, but it boils down to keeping our eyes on the prize.  Although I was confident that we would emerge from these games fairly unscathed (losing gallantly already to City), the fact remains that we do not ultimately need those points to finish top four.

The plan has always been to dominate the bottom two thirds of the table and to reap enough points from those encounters to obviate any dropped points against the other top teams.  A minimum of two points from those two games was not too much to hope for, although now 3 is now the maximum possibility.

Should we emerge with the 3 points now on offer, a place in Europe is almost certain, as are the chances of success in the January transfer window.  Two losses, however, will not diminish our chances of filling some holes and turning a run for the top four to a run for the league championship.