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The 2012-13 season was ultimately a hit-and-miss season for Liverpool FC. The beginning of the season marked the arrival of the promising young manager Brendan Rodgers, who was quick to lower the expectations of the long suffering fan base, and instead sought to label this season as a season of progress, development, and building a firm base.
The Reds started off with a surprisingly heavy 3-0 defeat at West Brom in what was a sign of things to come, results wise. The quality of the football played by the Merseysiders improved from the next match itself, but Rodgers’s men were unable to see out games to save their lives. Apart from a deserved 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at home, the Reds dominated their opposition and outplayed them at every turn for most of their first ten games. However, they failed to win until their sixth game of season at Norwich, with frustrating draws against Newcastle and Manchester City, and an inexplicable loss against eventual champions Manchester United, despite dominating their arch-rivals with 10 men.
Those first few games of Liverpool’s season set the tone for the first half of the season. The squad lacked adequate offensive replenishments, having packed Andy Carroll away to West Ham and Rodgers watched helplessly as Fenway Sports Group waved away his pleas to sign Clint Dempsey. It would prove to be a costly error, as the offensive burden fell on Luis Suarez and the young Raheem Sterling. New signing Fabio Borini flattered to deceive, while the midfield seemed to believe that pointless possession was an art, and the defence was riddled with a series of individual errors.
The team struggled to adapt to Rodgers’s brand of play, with Steven Gerrard struggling heavily in particular, but the captain came back with some strong performances and started to adapt well. The defence continued to struggle, with Skrtel in particular unable to cope with the constant pass-and-move style. Young full-back Andre Wisdom was a solid defensive player, but often lacked the attacking impetus characteristic of his fellow full-back Glen Johnson. It eventually led to Jose Enrique’s return to the side, after being publicly chided by Rodgers, and the Spaniard came back all guns blazing, notably in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea in November. He later mentioned that the harsh word of Rodgers helped his return to form.
While the form of the side gradually improved, coupled with Stewart Downing and Enrique’s return to form, the Reds still lacked a good partner to relieve the pressure on Luis Suarez. Come January, two terrific signings in the form of Phillipe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge helped alleviate the burden on the Uruguayan, and the duo spearheaded the side after Suarez’s suspension for the controversial biting incident.
It came too little too late, as the Reds were already well behind in the race for the Champions League spots and were eventually only able to finish 7th on the table and missed out on European football entirely next season. The return of Jamie Carragher to the side helped the defensive woes, and ensured that Pepe Reina kept the most amount of clean sheets in the league, second only to Joe Hart.
Positives
- Emergence of promising youngsters such as Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom, and Suso.
- The arrival of Sturridge and Coutinho.
- 71 goals scored in the league, fourth highest this season, and only four goals behind 2nd most prolific team Chelsea.
- Some genuinely attractive and breathtaking football.
- The prominence of Steven Gerrard in a deeper role and Luis Suarez’s player of the year type of form.
Negatives
- Only one victory against a Top 8 side, a 3-2 victory over Spurs at Anfield.
- Failure to win games they should’ve easily won, which resulted in them finishing only on 61 points.
- Defence was riddled with individual errors, which resulted in the Reds conceding 43 goals. Most of the defence was culpable for the first half of the season, with Skrtel made out to be the scapegoat, but he certainly was the worst of a bad bunch.
- Failure to add that extra goal to finish a team of before January, which again resulted in several dropped points.
- Suarez’s biting incident, and its overblown aftermath.
- Lack of a Plan B when things didn’t go their way.
New signings
Fabio Borini – D
The young Italian failed to get going this season in the EPL, and his season was marred by a number of unfortunate injuries. Failed to show any decisive attacking influence initially, but his skill was evident. When he returned at the end of the season, he once again showed glimpses of his ability. Not a failure, but next season will be make-or-break for him.
Oussama Assaidi – E
Never really given a chance by Rodgers.
Joe Allen – C
Allen began the season on an excellent note, successfully nullifying the dangerous threat of Yaya Toure in the 2nd game of the season against defending champions City. He played with aplomb, was assured with a ball, and his form carried on for a number of months, but by December his form slipped drastically and eventually lost his starting berth. He has potential, but he could find himself in trouble if he fails to regain his form next season.
Philippe Coutinho – A+
Not to blow things out of proportion, but the diminutive Brazilian has been quite an outstanding signing for Liverpool. Out of favour at Inter Milan, he arrived to little fanfare at Anfield with a fee below 10 million pounds. He’s added another dimension to Liverpool’s offence, and took some weight off the shoulders of Suarez in the creative departments.
His dribbling, tricks, vision, neat layovers and tremendous eye for the final ball have set him apart from his team-mates, and is one of the main reasons why Liverpool have scored a lot of goals since January, having scored three and assisted seven goals. With Suarez’s future in the balance, his importance next season would be even greater.
Daniel Sturridge – A
The Reds quite simply lacked goal scorers. With Carroll loaned out and Borini on the doctor’s table, only Suarez was the consistent scorer.
Enter Daniel Sturridge.
Scoring on his debut and Premier League debut, Sturridge’s pace, clinical edge, and direct style was just what the doctor ordered. He instantly became the first striker at Liverpool, and had an extremely productive second half of the season, scoring ten goals and providing three assists for his new side in the league. If he continues this form next season, he can develop into a true world-class striker and has certainly shown the potential for it.
Defence – C
Conceded too many silly goals, Pepe Reina was off form for the first half, and the team lacked a proper back four until Carragher’s return. Needs to weed out the individual errors.
Midfield – B-
Kept possession aplenty, but failed to make use of it several times. Gerrard was the standout player, with Allen fading away after a promising start. Lucas was inconsistent, Downing came to life later on, and Henderson failed to make an impact on a regular basis.
Attack – B
Before January, the attack would’ve gotten a ‘D’ grade for being non-existent except Suarez and the 17-year-old kid. The addition of Sturridge and Coutinho helped immensely and should’ve been done in the summer itself.
Season grade – B-
I was tempted to give Liverpool the ‘C’ grade, but it is understandable as they had to get used to Rodgers’s style of play. What was the worst part about the season was their failure to turn their domination into more victories. The side progress after January, and has the potential to challenge the Top 4 next season, but still have a squad that’s too thin to even think about challenging for the league title.
