 |
| Henderson celebrates his stunning goal vs Man City |
It was not so long ago that a minority of naive Liverpool
fans were calling for Brendan Rodgers’ head. How times have changed. Renewed
optimism and the feeling of invincibility has returned to Anfield. An
incredible run of form has transformed Liverpool’s season and replenished faded
aspirations of a top 4 finish. It would be a massive achievement for the club
and would allow Rodgers to buy big again in the summer with the addition of the
new TV money from the Premier League. Last summer the squad needed filling out,
but now the size of the squad is no longer an issue, he can focus on adding
quality which is still lacking in certain positions.
Form
It’s been well documented that Liverpool have not lost a
league game since the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford in December, but not even the
most optimistic fan would have predicted a turnaround of this magnitude.
I’ve wrote before about the
change in system being key to the upturn in fortunes, but specific players also
deserve a mention. Players like Phillippe Coutinho and Mamadou Sakho have been
vital and the coming of age of Jordan Henderson in Steven Gerrard’s recent
absence.
Coutinho particularly deserves a
mention, especially in the last month having scored 3 wonder goals against
Bolton, Southampton and Man City respectively. But it’s his general play I’ve
been most impressed with; his control, skill and vision are exquisite and it’s
no surprise that he’s been selected for the latest Brazil squad. His performance
in the 2-1 victory against Man City will live long in the memory, City’s
midfield couldn’t get near him, nor Pablo Zabaleta, who I’ve never seen get
turned so much since last season against Eden Hazard.
Mamadou Sakho is another player
who should take massive credit, his presence in defence has seen Liverpool
halve the amount of goals conceded compared to his absence (according to
twitter!). The deceiving natured of his ability on the ball is quite comical,
he’s almost clumsy but classy at the same time, but he does possess the odd
incisive pass from the back leading to a goal scoring opportunity. But it’s his
positional play which is most impressive, making a number of clearances and blocks
at crucial times while forming a solid partnership with Martin Skrtel and Emre
Can in a back 3.
Jordan Henderson’s recent
transformation as a player and the return of Daniel Sturridge shouldn’t go
unnoticed, although Sturridge has slipped under the radar. This is probably to
his benefit as not as much pressure has been put on him, allowing him to ease
his way back without the added pressure to perform.
Top 4
There is no doubt about it that
Liverpool are right in the mix in the race for the top 4. Only 2 points behind
Man Utd and with a game between the two at Anfield on March 22nd,
there is a huge chance of leapfrogging them and qualifying for next seasons
Champions League.
The form that Liverpool are in is
similar to the form of the tail end of last season where they went on a 11 game
winning streak before finally succumbing to Chelsea, which eventually decided
the title.
After last season’s disappointment,
simply a top 4 finish would suffice this year and with Man Utd’s questionable
form there’s a real chance of achieving this aim. The icing on the cake would
be winning the FA Cup which is also a real possibility with tomorrow’s winnable
quarter final tie against Blackburn. It would be the first silverware of
Rodgers’ era.
The Future
IF Liverpool qualify for the
Champions League which is by no means a certainty, then I think Rodgers deserves
another crack at spending big in the transfer market. I don’t think many will
argue that his transfer record is hit and miss, with many signings that just haven’t
worked like Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto, both who are now on loan back in
Spain.
There have been reports linking
the club with a number of players including the likes of Miralem Pjanic, Radja
Nainggolan, Alvaro Morata and Danny Ings to add quality to the squad. I think a
new centre back is imperative, Dejan Lovren looks less than convincing, Emre
Can will move into midfield and Toure is getting on. Someone like Mats Hummels
or Rafael Varane would do nicely! Why not go big?
Additionally a new striker should be a position that
Liverpool invest in, I wouldn’t mind Danny Ings, a young talented striker who
looks a good footballer as well as a good finisher. But someone like Gonzalo
Higuain would be perfect, or Edinson Cavani, or Radamel Falcao just to annoy
Man Utd fans as they look like passing up the opportunity to sign him.
Whoever we sign I certainly hope they have a bigger and
quicker impact than most of the signings Rodgers made last summer, but with the
younger ones improving all the time, the future looks bright whoever we sign.
Let me know what you think, who should we sign this summer?
Do you think we can get top 4?
No comments:
Post a Comment