Liverpool FC Season Review 2012/2013 by Damien Stellenberg On the 1st of June 2012 we were introduced to the man who was going to lead “The Project.” Brendan Rodgers took the mantle at one of the hardest and most prestigious jobs in football leading the Kop to new glory days. I had my apprehensions as we all have, wanting a more prestigious name, but once I took my football consumer hat off I saw the light. After inheriting a club in distress, the few successes and even more failures under Kenny Dalglish, FSG took the lessons learnt and developed their plan for Liverpool FC. Unfortunately it did not include Dalglish and it was a tough decision to make by FSG, knowing how well The King is worshiped by the fans. So to Rodgers, who said all the right things, as was expected. All we heard for two months was, Tika-Taka, four-three-three formations, “adding to the group,” “the project,” Mourinho connections, Seven-Zone formations and no over spending on older players. FSG was going to start from scratch. As they say, looking retrospectively is a perfect science. But the first point of call for FSG was to move the old guard, with their high wages and relative low return potential. This meant Kuyt, Maxi and Bellamy all were moved on even though this left us quite short upfront for players and goals especially with the notion and rumor that Carroll was probably not going to fit into Rodgers system and Suarez not seen as the guy to be our main goal scorer. From the outset I thought this was a mistake because I felt those three could easily fit into the new system and relieve the pressure on Rodgers as he would need all the help he could get from experienced professionals. And all had a goal in them. But FSG wanted to start completely from scratch. I felt that we were already in a tough transitional period and we were going to lose Aurelio anyway and Carragher was on his last days. Why not manage these exits by not moving them all at once. Bellamy wanted to go home and I respect that, let him go. But I would have rather lost Maxi and Kuyt for free in a year’s time than the pennies we got for them. Then as Rodgers started working with the squad we knew that youngsters were going to be given a serious look in, with Sterling given the most show. The loss of those experienced forwards led Rodgers, as most managers do, to bring in players they know who can fit into their system. Fabio Borini was his first acquisition, which also fitted into FSG’s young and promising transfer criteria. Then there was a situation in midfield that became clear. Shelvey and Henderson’s age was going to count in their favor although they needed to show serious progress. Gerrard was going to come back strong and continue to be a starter. Lucas was going to be the base on which he was going to build the team. Then the pursuit of Joe Allen, the “Welsh Xavi” was one of Rodgers crown jewels at Swansea City, a 15 million pound jewel to be exact. We paid a premium but the potential was and still is great. A surprise coup when we landed Nuri Sahin on loan from Madrid added to a decent looking midfield. So where did that leave Aquilani and Adam? It left them on the transfer list. Both flattered to deceive although I felt Aquilani could have had a future under Rodgers as “#10” but his sale essentially helped pay for Borini which made sense considering our lack of forwards. Aquilani never really made us miss him when he was on loan for two seasons at Juventus and AC Milan. Adam was just not good enough. Then out of the blue, Oussama Assaidi became the clubs third signing for three million pounds as options on the wing were sought. As predicted Rodgers never had Carroll in his plans and loaned him to West Ham, unfortunately this was all based on a four million pound deal for versatile Clint Dempsey. The owners would not budge on Fulham’s six million pound valuation and Spurs swooped in to take the American to White Heart Lane. After the sales of Bellamy, Kuyt, Maxi and loaning out Carroll, Rodgers was left red faced as Suarez only had support from Borini upfront. FSG put their new man under unnecessary pressure especially as we were to witness the lack of faith Rodgers had in Assaidi. He clearly was not Rodgers choice. After an early start in the Europa League there was a tough set of fixtures to deal with in the league. A double red card saw a disastrous opening day with a 3-0 loss to Steve Clarke’s Baggies. Then a point against Man City, where Joe Allen bossed Yaya Toure in midfield, only for Skrtel to give a poor back pass and hand City a point. Lucas was also lost a few minutes into the game for what would be three months. Cazorla and Diaby then bossed Anfield to take the points for the Gunners. Then an emotional derby against the Mancs followed the release of the Hillsborough files saw more dodgy officiating. Shelvey and Evans both making studs-up tackles but it was only Shelvey who saw red. Allen having another cracker bossing Scholes with the half-time introduction of Suso, Liverpool FC still had the ascendancy as Gerrard fittingly put us ahead. Then a rare cracker from Rafael before a dodgy penalty gave RVP the chance to take the points, which he duly converted. Then a low key but pertinent draw at Sunderland as we saw the effect of the possession based passing system tire and disorganise the Black Cats before a Suarez hat-trick gave Rodgers his first league win at Norwich City. This followed a league Cup win at West Brom where a very young side went behind and won through a Sahin double and we were introduced to Suso, Sinclair, Yesil, Assaidi and Wisdom. With Sterling going from strength to strength, Suarez scoring most of the goals and Gerrard slowly getting to his best, our shape in possession was great. Suarez scoring THAT goal against Newcastle United. We could match it with the best but our problems came in defense. We won back-to-back games for the first time in December, but immediately felt the wrath of Benteke as Aston Villa did a smash and grab at Anfield in the next fixture. Where we struggled in defense was too fold. One of the main aspects of the possession based game is to transition quickly into your pressing positions once you have lost the ball and regain it quickly, while keeping a high line. Barcelona and Spain are uncanny in the way they apply their six second rule. This is the main reason why they continue to have possession statistics of 65% on a week to week basis. Rodgers side has yet to master this art as they struggled to find the balance in transitioning to defense. Podolski, Lukaku and Benteke’s goal at Anfield are typical examples. When it comes to personnel, Skrtel struggled the most and was a disappointment as he struggled to take leadership of the defense. He was later replaced by Carragher who was to play his final season and showed his class and intelligence. With regards to the pressing in midfield, I thought Gerrard was a liability. He almost played the entire league season to provide the spark in midfield, be the playmaker. But he can be selective when he wants to pull all stops in defence and this can leave Lucas exposed. He struggled to find the balance and I have said before the time is slowly coming where we cannot start Gerrard week in week out, we need to get the quality players to “replace” him when need be and I am glad Rodgers has duly noted this. But once Coutinho came into the side and provided this spark, one helluva spark if I might add, I felt Gerrard was then able to allow the relationship between Coutinho, Sturridge, Downing and Suarez to flourish and did not have to find himself having to do it all and was able to sit deeper and be slightly more balanced in his approach. Gerrard in possession was majestic though, rolling back the clock about five years. That strike at the Etihad, special stuff. From the moment Coutinho was introduced we went from conceding more than a goal a game to less than a goal a game. Although this probably had more to do with the “group” becoming a team and Rodgers was getting to know the players and the players becoming more familiar with the new systems, which was now in place for a while. Also the old adage of quality will attract quality. Quality players will find a way of playing with other quality players. In the 2013 half of the season, we only lost five games, three in the league, the loss to the Baggies was the only loss at home as Clarke did an exceptional job doing a smash and grab. We could have been four or five goals up by the time we went behind against Zenit, when Suarez probably had his worst night ever with regards to his finishing. We fell victim to the magic of the FA Cup as some squad members decided not to take up the challenge against Oldham Athletic and we decided not to pitch at Old Trafford and St. Mary’s. But our perennial problem was the draws. If we turned a few of them into wins we definitely would have finished above Everton and could easily put enough pressure on teams to end up fifth and make Europe. Our form in 2013 was Top-4 form and we should be optimistic about that, because by all accounts we should have a stronger squad come August. If you give Rodgers (And the team who do the picking) time to pick a player as he did, when he picked Sturridge and Coutinho you have to be optimistic. Sturridge has had the best start to a Liverpool FC career as a striker ever, better than Rush, Torres and Fowler. His link up play with Suarez was something to behold and then you add the magic from Coutinho and you cannot believe he cost eight millions pounds, half of Henderson’s fee. With regards to Sturridge, Rodgers did try and get him in August but by all accounts he wanted a permanent move. If we were able to convince him to come then, we could have signed him on a pre-contract in January saved the £12 million and had him for a full season. Things could have been so much different. So much for ifs and buts. Coutinho is the type of player I wish we had under Rafa. From the get go he never shirked his defensive responsibilities, but once he is 40 yards from goal he starts to weave his magic. The first OMG moment was his first two assists at Wigan Athletic, the first one for Downing was classic wing play, but the second for Suarez’s first goal was genius in its simplicity. He collects the ball in the center of the field coming of the left flank, runs straight at goal with the space left for him, turns McCarthy inside out as he waits for Suarez to make his run, then times a perfect bullet pass to Luis who then does the business. The fact that he had the confidence to put in a strong pass, backing his team mate to have the necessary touch and to then execute was brilliant. We have been waiting so long time for someone who is really worthy of the #10 shirt and we finally seem to have found him in the little Brazilian. Unfortunately our other three transfers did not fair that well. Joe Allen was superb in the first quarter of the season and carried the midfield as Lucas was injured and Gerrard was not up to speed yet. He played his role well but he picked up an injury on his shoulder that would see his season decline, it would be four months later that we find out the existence of an injury and that it needed an operation. For those who do not see the connection try keeping possession of a football, which is most important to your manager, when you his size and cannot depend on your shoulder to block opposition defenders. He ended up worrying more about not hurting his soldier than making an effective pass. Borini just never got going because of his two injuries and anyone who is prepared to just throw him away should have their heads read. His movement is excellent and the way he toe-poked his first goal at St. James’ Park is exactly what I thought we bought. A player with movement in and around the box, excellent work rate and an eye for goal, like a young and more skillful version of Kuyt. With the likes of Coutinho and Suarez around, Borini will score more than his fair share if given an opportunity. Assaidi was a strange one, clearly not a Rodgers choice but showed signs that Rodgers could have given him many more minutes. He has lots of potential but at 24 it seems he is not at a level where he can consistently produce what is needed at this level, a pity. One has to consider why no one else went for him and that we got him for so little. With the regards to the rest of the squad, Rodgers probably made his biggest strides in pulling careers out of Downing, Henderson and Enrique. Henderson was asked to consider a move to Fulham, which he rejected, then saw Shelvey and Allen leap frog him in the pecking order, but once he was given his chance he did not disappoint. He made such strides that while we were playing poorly away to Southampton, everyone was pleading for Henderson to come up and provide energy in midfield. And his versatility came in the way he scored his goals. His first, an important first goal of the game, a cracker from outside of the box, his second coming from pressing high and fighting for the ball in the Arsenals defensive third. Two third man releases, also very important goals. The first being an equalizer immediately after half-time at Villa Park and a tap in to make it 2-0 against Newcastle United to make the dominance count. Then he pops in a direct free-kick to make it six-nil on the same afternoon. His energy and versatility allows the “wide players” to come narrow and make things happen in the final third as he doubles up and supports the wingbacks that have pushed up. And if the opposition keeps a high line, he is more than willing to make a run from deep and get into the box for the goals. Well done Rodgers and very well done Jordan. Downing was first tipped to be back up for Enrique but a classic lapse in concentration against Spurs where he allowed Defoe to sneak in behind him seemed to mark the end of his Liverpool FC career. But when given the option to leave, he got the kick up the backside and started to rectify his career. From late November he became a fixture in the side starting line-up on the right wing and cutting in and using his left peg. He really started to shine and show some confidence when he put in a delightful reverse ball to set up Gerrard. When it happened most of us were in shock that he not only did it but that he also had the confidence to then score a classic wingers goal cutting in across the fullback and smashing it near post in the second half. FINALLY! I remember waiting for Babel to do that for three and a half years, I think he did it once. Then that all important equalizer against Spurs where he trusted his right foot to put it in between Lloris’s legs. I remember holding my breath fearing the worse. Pass it, Cut In, PASS IT, oh, get in Stuart! And I am sure that I was not the only one. He might still be surplus to requirements, but the one thing he brings to the party is his left foot and reliability to get back and defend and support the fullback behind him. In the modern day where wingers-slash-inside-forwards, it is not a certainty that fullbacks will get that support. But if we can get a better, younger version for his supposed £10 million price tag, I will definitely be tempted. Rodgers then had a unique strategy with Jose Enrique that involved him playing on the left of midfield to relieve him of defensive duties and getting his quality up in the final third. And it worked a charm, I see him as our first choice left-back now. He needs quality back-up to push him in the same way Sterling pushed Downing and Allen pushed Henderson. He is not perfect but he has such confidence on the ball that he is determined to use his pace and ball control to get out of trouble. He clears when he has to and passes when he can. Think and pass as Rodgers says. Now to the youngsters, Sterling, Suso, Wisdom, Yesil, Morgan, Coady, Shelvey and Ngoo could all have Liverpool careers and I hope most of them will. In the first half of the season, many of them had a chance in the cups and showed the promise. Suso is my favorite, he could quite easily start at all but about ten clubs around in Europe at the moment and reminds me of a young David Silva. Whether he is loaned or stays he needs to play and not stagnate. I could easily see us selling him for insane amounts of money if it came down to it. But I would prefer him becoming a legend here, naturally. As for the rest of the squad, there is no one player who has made a contribution who I want to leave in the summer. Of all the loaned players, Carroll, Spearing and Pacheco have price tags that are worth more to us than their talents. As this is being Published, Kolo Toure has been confirmed as a new recruit signing as a free agent, he essentially replaces Carragher. He will not be first choice and will by all accounts help mentor the youngsters. I think it is a very shrewd move and at 32, he is younger than Gerrard. Danny Wilson has also become a free agent and has signed with Hearts in Scotland. Good luck to him. I close with the accolades, having Agger and Gerrard back, week in week out, has done us the world of good. Gerrard really looks to have come over any concerns over his groin and knees. Agger has fast become a leader in the side being the perfect center-back for Rodgers. Suarez was at times unreal. His desire, especially on our last European night against Zenit, where it was clear he wanted to rectify his mistakes from the first leg made me think that this guy wants to be a legend. No more concerns about whether he can provide the goals, he just needs the support. The second free-kick against Zenit being my favorite moment of the season. However just as the season was coming to the close came the moment of madness with Ivanovic. He apologized, he was wrong, the club did what they could but why oh why Luis, why. There was not an excuse in the book that would have given the media any reason to hold back the storm that was to follow. He has let everyone down including himself. So the next question, as we get more badly translated news out of Uruguay, is whether he goes or whether he stays? I so want him to become a legend at the club, but we could do with the 50 million pounds that should come from his sale. He is not irreplaceable but we also do not need to replace him, just his role in the team. Someone that will compliment Sturridge and Coutinho upfront. Tough, but the club has said he is not for sale. And quite frankly it is the way to go. Rodgers now has the job of managing him. Not the easiest of jobs. In the end and after a long while we feel stable and have the opportunity to grow and contrary to popular belief we are not far off from our first major goal which is Champions League football. The top three sides are all changing managers and their will always be some sort of adjustment needed. We need to take advantage of this. A bigger summer awaits and I hope the owners back their man.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 07:16:04 +0000
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