Liverpool - Midseason report
Thursday, 17 Jan 2008 12:26
A look back over the first half of the 2007/08 season, and a look forward to what is still to come.
The season so far
After the arrival of funds in the form of the American owners, hopes were high at the start of the season that the 18-year Championship drought might finally come to an end – or at least that a title chase could be maintained until the latter stages of the season. A solid if unspectacular start saw us unbeaten until November, before a dismal defeat away at Reading began to bring things to a head.
Together with the disappointing loss to Manchester United at Anfield – again – the 3-1 loss to the Royals crystallized a few problems which have beset the team in recent years. At the Madjeski Stadium, both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were 'rested' – and the team suffered. At Anfield against the old enemy, despite the lion's share of possession and an ability to retain the ball, the team came up short against the leader of the 'Big Four'.
It was in this context that Rafael Benitez began to look for new targets to bolster the squad and the war of words with Tom Hicks and George Gillett began – a battle which, sadly, he seems destined to lose.
It's not been a bad season and we are still in all of the major competitions after pulling out all the stops in Europe after a dreadful start, but it could and should have been better. Liverpool need to close ranks and pull together for the second-half of the season but it looks as though changes are afoot, whether it be at board level or the manager, and it can only set us back.
The new signings
The main man has, clearly, been a big success. At £26 million there were question marks over whether big fish Fernando Torres could make the leap from a small pond to a higher-profile team, but if anything he has made the rest of the team look like small fry. Proving he can score goals, the Spaniard has belied his age with some fine performances even when Liverpool have looked flat.
Dutchman Ryan Babel has been inspired at times but his wayward shooting and tendency to drift out of games has seen him fail to nail down a regular first-team slot. The 21-year-old has perhaps suffered from being tried in a number of different positions and formations. Another hefty price tag, £11.5 million, has hung round his neck, but he looks like he could flourish as the season progresses, although it may be a year too soon.
Yossi Benayoun has been another who has flickered into life on occasion but, along with the rest of the side, has been found wanting in some of the big games. A useful addition, but – and this is the yardstick for all new signings – is he going to bring us any closer to the Premier League crown? Probably not.
Lucas Leiva is also worth a mention. The young Brazilian has looked like he has got bags of potential, turning the game against Everton after coming on for Stevie G.
Star man
It's a straight choice between Torres and Gerrard – two match-winners. Torres has been an exceptional signing and has performed incredibly in light of the expectations and expenditure, but, as so often before, it has been Gerrard driving the team on and inspiring those around him. Speaking after the 5-0 trouncing of Luton in the FA Cup, when Gerrard netted three, Jamie Carragher described him as in the top half-dozen players in the world and it's hard to argue with that assessment. Expectation has followed him for many years now and he continues to deliver – at least in a Reds shirt – and his England wobbles this year are born of a wider problem with the national team.
If the rest of the club – on and off the pitch - could follow his indefatigable example we could have been in touch with the leaders. As it is, another Champions League spot, progress to the latter stages in Europe and the FA Cup seems the best we can hope for. If Stevie can reach the heights again, I wouldn't bet against him trying to do his usual man-on-a-mission and save the club from implosion with a run to a major final.
Manager approval rating
Rafael Benitez: 8/10
Benitez' position at Liverpool has come under close scrutiny this season and it's clear that for all his squad rotation meddling and strange goatee, he is a firm favourite with the fans. His record speaks for itself in Europe and if he could only translate the master tactical strokes to the Premier League, the Mexican – (or should that be American?) – stand-off with the owners would be a moot point.
It would be madness to ditch him now after the years he has spent assembling a squad and, while there are questions which should be rightly posed about some of his selections and signings, he is still the man best-placed to lead us to glory.
After recent weeks, however, he has been fatally undermined and it seems to have pervaded the team. Everyone at Anfield seems to be looking over their shoulder at the moment, and it's not just Sami Hyppia struggling to keep up with a ball over the top.
Rafa must take some share of the blame for the fall-out from the internal squabbles but he has maintained his dignity of late and is clearly passionate about the club, the city and the supporters.
January wish-list
We could do with a centre-back with a bit of pace, although we will wait and see how new signing Martin Skrtel turns out. The ever-developing Daniel Agger has been sorely missed this season and we could do with the cover in any case.
Aside from that another Torres would be the dream-ticket, with Dirk Kuyt continuing to work hard but not demonstrating the finishing ability and technical quality the Spaniard shows.
Babel is improving and old-stager Harry Kewell has made a characteristic intermittent return to form, but we could do with an attacker in the midfield who can take people on, score goals and change a game when things are flat. Too often we find ourselves labouring to conjure a goal against midtable opposition or the bigger clubs and over-rely on Gerrard and Torres to pull us through.
I hear this Portuguese fella, Cristiano Ronaldo, is a decent player.
Nathaniel Bertram
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