Love, Faith, Character

On its road to revival, the Liverpool Football Club, under the command of its young manager Brendan Rodgers, has seen a slew of impressive performances in the recent past. The club is famous for its pass and move style of football but Rodgers seems to have added a newer dimension to this ominous style of play. And this seems to be clicking at Anfield with a spurt of brilliant goals in the recent past.

But what is still bothering is the inconsistency of the performances. Against teams like Arsenal and Manchester City, Liverpool has dominated major portions of the game and looked like a force to reckon with, while against lesser opponents like Southampton, West Brom and Oldham, they have faltered badly. Let us put into perspective the present dynamics of this great club and look at a few areas that still need improvement. I would state that I am a die-hard Liverpool supporter but I have tried to remain objective in my assessment.

Under the adroit command of Brendan Rodgers, the club has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past season with improvements coming in all departments.  His resilience to impose the Rodgers brand of soccer on the players seems to be finally paying off. His short stint has seen many high earning players at the club being let go if not found fitting into the present footballing structure. Sahin and Cole are prime examples. The new inductees in the form of Sturridge and Coutinho have been a revelation and bolstered a hamstrung side. Overall, his work has silenced his critics and with the club finally heading in a proper direction, he seems to be in it for the long haul.

Tactically the Rodgers style of play predominantly sees the game being developed right down form one goal post to the other. The only problem with this style of play, as was exposed by Stoke City and Southampton in the recent past, is when the forwards start pressing the defenders. This hampers the chances of getting goals upfront and perturbs the defence line leading to many give away goals.

Looking at individual players, the club has never been better poised for European dominance. When at their best, the back four are imperiously stopping the most lethal attacks in the Premier League. Agger has cemented his place in the side as a centre back with brilliant support from the Enrique from the left and Johnson from the right. Add to the mix the experience of Carragher and you are looking at a very good defence line. Both the right and the left backs are fluid when moving up the wings and at the same time quick to drop back when under pressure. Reina has finally found his fitness and his shot stopping abilities to guarantee a safe if not infallible goal.

The midfield is held firm by Gerrard who is at the peak of his prowess with his passing and pin point long balls playing a crucial role in releasing the true abilities of the forwards. Coming back from injury, Lucas has also found himself regularly in the team sheet and he hasn’t disappointed in the defensive midfielder role.  Joe Allen, who has followed Rodgers from Swansea, has established himself as a holding midfielder for the Reds and him in the side gives Gerrard a lot more freedom to move forward. Adding a pinch of creativity and flair is the Brazilian from Inter. In his 5 games he has already provided 2 goals and 2 assists but much more importantly, the sparks of brilliance which will be instrumental for the Club in the near future.

Leading the attack is the 27 old Uruguayan Suarez who has found his footing this season scoring 25 goals in all competitions. His meticulous nature coupled with his speed and sharpness has invigorated the attack which lacked the killer instinct after the departure of Torres. He has singularly taken the team out of tough spots and has been phenomenal in producing brilliant pieces of play. On his left stands Sturridge who seems to have finally arrived at the scene. Having found an able partner in Suarez and the back of a net a few fair times, he is running high on confidence and support from the KOP. Their chemistry will be something to look forward to in the near future probably the complete training session during the break will see them develop better as a pair. The right wing has seen a revelation in the form of Downing. After being criticised by Rodgers publically for his performances, he seems to have put his head down and focus more on his game which has enabled him to earn regular starts. His newly found charisma is much needed in the line-up, adding more attacking options and reducing the pressure on Suarez to generate the goals.

What is also looking promising is the bench strength. Sterling, Wisdom, Henderson, Suso, Shelvey, Jones, Skrtel have all been in good shape and have made decent impacts in the match time they've had. It would be a good idea to send the likes of Sterling in the lower divisions to gain longer periods of play for his overall development. Also it would be good to see some players like Suso and Assiadi given a few more chances in the team to add newer alternatives in attack.  

Things are finally starting to look up again for this historic club. Let’s hope to see them return back to their former best and make a much bigger impact on the English scene.