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You can simply call it an addiction, but that wouldn’t tell half the story. Extreme fandom is in no way a rarity in football but it defies the banality of getting lost in the crowd. The excitement rises as the season approaches, your heart pines for that sweet glory and your body physically aches for release in the form of your club attaining the pinnacle.
Yes, it is almost like a drug, minus the health hazards. That is, if you do not count the perils of rising blood pressures, rapid mood swings and blinding pain of utter frustration. But all that has been part of the job description for a Liverpool supporter; at least in the last four years or so.
So we stand at the brink of another dawn, or at least what seems like a dawn. The customary this-year-is-our-year chant has been brandished like a war cry. But this year does feel different. We have a manager who seems to know what he is doing. The handling of the Suarez affair has been nothing short of brilliant. There has been a desirable ruthlessness in the transfer decisions.
The dross has been removed while the incoming targets have been chosen keeping in mind the long-term team building. More than individual player quality, Liverpool has lacked a certain self-belief and coherence as a unit in the past few seasons, something that definitely seems to be a focus for Brendan Rodgers.
They seem to have gone for undervalued players with a potentially high ceiling, players who at their best are brilliant. A lack of marquee signings might be a cause of concern for a section of fans and a regularly used attack on FSG to prove their corporate evilness, but I disagree.
However hard it might be to accept, the primary reason Liverpool are missing the signings is their inability to offer European football this season and virtually zero prospect of a title charge in the next two years. It is surprising how a club that was a hair’s breadth from winning the title in mid-2009 degenerated to the lows of near administration due to the incompetent owners.
Anyhow, all this brings us to the one undeniable fact: a transfer window is just the beginning. What matters is how you build upon it. It is a long standing caveat that positive results of pre-season games should be taken with a pinch of salt. But Liverpool surely have impressed this summer. 17 goals scored in seven games, six wins and a solitary goal scored past the new guard in the net.
After seven years, the club will have a fresh first choice goalkeeper defending the red goal. Simon Mignolet has impressed so far in the pre-season with Jamie Carragher already praising the young lad’s contribution. The pre-season has shown he can be vocal and can command the last line of defence.
Iago Aspas
Liverpool’s defence had been a mild enigma last season. From being the tightly knit unit of 2011-12 season, the club degenerated to being careless and error-prone in defence. A part of that was definitely due to the change in style incorporated by Rodgers and the resultant pressure on defence to play out the ball from the back. This was the probable cause of 2011-12’s player of the season, Martin Skrtel, being relegated to the bench and facing a possible exit.
A part of it was also attributed to the departure of Steve Clarke, who had handled the defensive duties under Kenny Dalglish. However, a quick look at the defence tells us that the main area that needs strengthening is the wing back, with absolutely no cover for Enrique and Johnson. The problem is Rodgers’ full backs need to have that attacking flair and a constant engine like work-rate. Something which increases the wear and tear rate, compounding the necessity of decent cover for the starting full backs.
The remaining roster of Agger, Toure, Skrtel, Wisdom, Kelly and Coates are all primarily centre-backs with Kelly a possible exception. The good news is Brendan has recognized this weakness and Aly Cissokho seems destined for Anfield. Once again they have chosen a player who has shown immense talent in past, although the consistency remains a question.
Although I wouldn’t put the midfield strength as anything spectacular, they have a decent starting and bench player strength. The one position where they might need a back-up is the holding midfield position of Lucas. Henderson, Allen, Gerrard, Luis Alberto, and Coutinho are all either brilliant or have promised a lot.
But all of them are best when bombing forward or creating trouble in the attacking 3rd. They need a cover for Lucas – a defensive rock in the mould of Dembele, a plain and simple bully who can rattle the opponents and break the attacks. A destroyer who can interrupt the rhythm of the opponent’s passing and foil the counter attacks.
The forward line is probably the most unpredictable part of the team as of now; teeming with potential but laced with the ever present question of consistency. The fortunes of Liverpool’s attack swung in the exact opposite direction of their defence. From a measly 47 goals in 2012, riding on the back of Suarez’s brilliance, Liverpool netted a spectacular 71 goals.
But statistics often tell only the partial truth. The fact is that a big chunk of these goals came in bulk against ineffectual opponents. They have had a spate of games where they scored 4+ goals while keeping a clean sheet, doing wonders for their goal difference. But they have also failed to break down teams in search of that one goal that would have converted a draw to three points. Still, no one can take away the fact that Liverpool had started looking like a really potent threat after the arrival of Sturridge and Coutinho in January this year.
To add to it, Rodgers has roped in Iago Aspas to bolster the attacking ranks. Considering the increasingly likely scenario of Suarez staying put, they have the trickery of Suarez and Aspas at their disposal. Not to mention Rodgers’ insistence on getting one more key attacking player. Aspas, although untested in EPL, has shown an impressive glimpse of his talent by scoring four and creating another four goals in the pre-season matches.
Sturridge is a complete striker whose brilliant accuracy holds the promise of a landmark season for him, if he retains his fitness. The jury is still out on Borini who has always impressed with his movements and space creation but for some reason his finishing has gone kaput. He needs that shot of confidence – typical of so many strikers – to get him back on track.
So where does that leave the team? Well, it won’t be a very good preview if I did not predict the final position for the club. The fact remains that it is a season of immense significance for the club. Rodgers has had his one season in transition and there won’t be many places to hide if Liverpool’s season pans out like the last one.
As far as fan expectations go, getting to 4th would definitely translate to a brilliant run. But even a respectable effort where they can close the gap and cover up their deficiencies would not be looked upon unkindly.
