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Dear Brendan,
I know it has been a tough time for you and the lads. Things are going from bad to worse. First of all, let me state that I have absolute and total faith in you, and would be deeply saddened if John W Henry falls prey to a knee-jerk reaction and gives you the sack. But, waking up today morning to the news that you have the full and absolute backing of the Fenway Sports Group has allayed my fears.
This being said, I would also like to tell you that the team has been a victim of some questionable tactics on your part. While it is commendable that you took the brunt and blame upon yourself after the weekend capitulation at the Selhurst Park, it was disappointing to see you and the team repeat the same follies in Bulgaria. Right from your line-up to the way the team went about things upon gaining the lead, everything was reminiscent about Sunday’s performance, except the final score, thankfully.
What has happened to you, Brendan? I remember you saying that buying seven players of medium-to-good calibre can’t replace a world class player, on the eve of last season’s memorable trip to the White Hart Lane. It surprised me to see you doing the same this pre-season on the wake of Luis Suarez’s unfortunate yet necessary departure. Granted, we nearly signed the indomitable Chilean, Alexis Sanchez, before his personal preferences took sway over things.
But, you had other options too. Mario Mandzukic was available for a rather meagre fee. Alvaro Negredo was up for a loan. The Croatian goal-machine, Andrej Kramaric had just a year left in his contract, and is on the verge of completing a January move to Juventus. Instead, you bought Lazar Markovic and Mario Balotelli to replace the Uruguayan maverick. While the former is a star in the making and may turn out to be a shrewd buy, he doesn’t solve our immediate issues. And, the less said about the latter, the better.
Even then, we had a fairly strong team, possessing a much deeper squad than that of last year. After a now habitual thrashing of Spurs three months ago, things looked rosy again, only to have gone downright awry ever since. And unlike last season, when our irresistible attack overshadowed our shaky defence, every department has looked weak this time around.
That the think-tank didn’t buy a top custodian even after Simon Mignolet’s frequent horror-shows in the last stages of the 2013/14 season, is baffling. The decision has backfired spectacularly, with the Belgian inspiring absolutely no confidence, and letting sitters out of his grasp.
On paper, the signings of Javi Manquillo, Alberto Moreno and Dejan Lovren look fantastic; adding much needed depth and steel to our backline. But, Manquillo and Moreno are raw between the ears and cannot play week in, week out, while Lovren seems to be suffering from a crisis of confidence.
Your tactics haven’t helped either. With your philosophy of pressing high up the pitch being restricted solely to the attackers and the midfield, the opposition has acres of space upon breaching them, with our defenders playing very deep. This inability to close down teams doesn’t help, especially when our goalkeeper is no Lev Yashin.
And then, there’s the case of our missing midfield. Agreed, Steven Gerrard is our best midfielder even today. But playing him every three days is neither good for him nor the team. We need our captain to guide us for some more time. Playing him for 270 minutes a week is a recipe for disaster. I shudder to think about Gerrard being stretchered off like Jack Wilshere.
Phase him out a bit, like what Sir Alex Ferguson did with Ryan Giggs or what Juventus is doing with Andrea Pirlo. We can’t afford to lose him. Also, this opens the doors to a Henderson-Can-Allen trio – our midfield of the future. A triumvirate brimming with infinite possibilities.
This brings me to the question that nobody has been able to answer. What has happened to our attack? Yes, the absence of Daniel Sturridge and the sale of Luis Suarez was bound to affect the team. But the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana, who was the lynchpin of Southampton, not showing up is surprising. Why aren’t they going forward with the same verve and vigour?
Right now, we look a team desperately short on belief. To not have scored a single goal from corners in nearly 20 competitive fixtures is unbelievable, especially when they were one of our strongest points last season. There are few better man-managers than you. Rejuvenate them and re-instil their confidence and I’m sure we’ll be up and running before long.
Having said that, no amount of man management is going to help Mario Balotelli, our so called “marquee” signing. The Italian doesn’t look like a player fighting to resurrect his career and has more yellow cards than goals. Don’t indulge him any further. Rickie Lambert may be less talented; but, he gives every ounce of what he has on the pitch. Anything less is unpardonable, and goes against our club ethos.
The scrutiny is firmly on you. Had you been at the helm of one of those myopic clubs in the league, you’d have been ousted by now. You are at a wonderful place, with the backing of the best fans in the world being your support. Prove your detractors wrong. Prove us right. With three relatively easy league fixtures and a cracking night of European football at Anfield on the radar, the time is now. Let’s go.
YNWA.
Regards,
A Liverpool fan.
