Kenny and his loyal army are nearing a crossroads – where next for the Merseyside based club? Liverpool have been the subject of a storm in the media recently… it’s fair to say they’re not pleasing everybody. So, what’s going wrong? What’s going right? And why all the controversy?
Obviously, there’s the Suarez saga. When he was bought in the summer, huge excitement surrounded the club. In fact, with Carroll, Henderson and Adam joining him, there was an audible buzz on the red side of the city. Although not bought as an out-and-out goal scorer (Andy Carroll was, but he has hardly been particularly successful, only striking form recently),Liverpool was not only blessed with his unselfish attitude and clever runs, but a wealth of goals.
When he was accused by Patrice Evra of racism, it created a scandal and unsettled the club, management, players and fans alike. Suarez, a racist? Not in my view. The F.A. however felt there was enough evidence. So, with Suarez out for eight games, Liverpool went through a dreadfully inconsistent period. Moving on, Suarez didn’t help himself with the handshake incident, which requires no more publicity than it already has… extensive articles have been written upon the matter, even analysing the psychology behind it all! This whole incident was a major setback.
It must be said, there have been far too many experiments taken regarding squad selection. Kenny Dalglish has endless amounts of respect at the club, but he needs to start keeping a settled team to prevent doubts and uncertainties in his players, as well as regaining confidence from his loyal fans. Other than the defence – Agger and Skrtel hold an excellent defensive record as a partnership, keeping Carragher out of the regular starting 11 – the attack needs to keep a certain structure. With Gerrard, Maxi, Henderson, Bellamy, Downing, Carroll, Spearing, Suarez and Lucas (who was a pivotal player in the team, before a very unfortunate injury), there is exceptionally stiff competition for the midfield places. John Aldridge thinks Gerrard and Bellamy should always start – I’d agree with this. There needs to be the right chemistry between pace, defensive duties, strength and creativity; the Liverpool midfield can easily have this, should Dalglish settle on a core team.
These kinds of points beg the question: where next? How do Liverpool hit sustained top form? Steven Gerrard will be critical in inspiring the team into that much coveted fourth spot. But I think Liverpool need to start treating the games they consider ‘small’ (e.g. versus Wigan) as they would for the big ones. The same mentality would be critical in achieving the same heights as their ever-advancing rivals. Shaking off the ‘controversial’ tag would also be good – Liverpool shouldn’t be associated with negative parts of football which they clearly don’t endorse or support.
Don’t get me wrong: Liverpool do play good football, sometimes with excellent fluidity and – when on their game – they’re unstoppable. Should they gain Champions League football again (which is a big ask), they’d get a huge morale boost and begin to rediscover their old form and passion. Big nights in Europe are very much part of Anfield folklore – bring back the Spirit of Istanbul, Kenny! It should make for an excellent end of season, I’m sure. Just keep your mouth shut, Mr Suarez.
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