Liverpool FC - Time for a change?



The King has not enjoyed a successful
second stint as manager at the club....Yet



I've followed Liverpool for many years now and never have I seen a Liverpool team so frustrating to watch. Since the start or the 2009/2010 season Liverpool have rapidly fallen in stature, which has seen them plummet down the Premier League table. Liverpool enjoyed a successful 10 years prior to their recent downfall, regularly reaching the top 4 and occasionally contending for League titles. Before 2006 they also featured in many cup finals, which include famously achieving the treble in 2001, beating AC Milan in the best champions league final ever in 2005 and beating West Ham in debatably the most exciting FA Cup final in 2006. Despite narrowly losing out on the Premier league title to rivals Manchester United in the 2008/2009, Liverpool have achieved next to nothing in terms of success and now have to fight for a spot in the Europa League! So where has it gone wrong?

Personally, I blame the players. They have been widely criticized for their performances, with only a handful of current Liverpool players who in my opinion deserve to wear the shirt. For anyone interested, these players are Reina, Agger, Enrique, Lucas, Gerrard, Suarez and Bellamy. This handful of players put in their all week in, week out and are regularly seen putting in 100%. The others however always seem to be lacklustre, who rather be relaxing at home than playing for the shirt. Of course this doesn’t apply to all, with people like Dirk Kuyt who try harder than anyone, but sadly are unable to kick the ball.

The widely criticized Andy Carroll

You could argue that it is the manager’s fault for deciding to welcome these players to the club. Liverpool have spent approximately the same as local rivals Manchester United in the past 10 years, but have been unable to match their success. This blame may be shifted onto the managers. Previously, Rafa Benitez was slated for some eyebrow-raising signings which included former flops such as Josemi, Kyrgiagos, Ngog and Nunez to name a few. In addition Andy Carroll (signed by Dalglish) adds to this long list as he has been largely anonymous in front of goal in the 35 games he has played for the club. On the other hand Benitez, he did make the signings of Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina who have proved to be influential figures at the club. However, now that Alonso and Torres have left, Liverpool have been left with only a few star players in Gerrard, Reina and Suarez. In my belief in order to achieve success you have to bring in more big names, and Liverpool have failed to do this. Instead, they have blown big money on average players, meaning previous managers have wasted the money at their disposal, meaning they have to take a majority of the blame.

This season, Liverpool are in 7th position after 22 games. This simply is just not good enough. Their defence has been stable, with only Manchester City conceding more goals in the league this season. But their attacking frailties have mean't that they have only managed to score a weak 25 goals in 22 games, an incredibly low tally which has seen them draw a massive 8 times at home. This is partly the reason why Liverpool have been so poor this season - their strikers are not up to it. Carroll is a liability, whilst Suarez manages to do everything but score. Dirk Kuyt has also been deployed upfront, but his determination is let down by the fact that his footballing ability is close to non-existent.

Jonjo has the potential to be
a key figure at Anfield for many
to come.

However there is hope for the team yet. Liverpool's youth system has been encouraging of late, with bright young talents at the club showing their class both in the reserves and the youth team. Whilst recent introductions to the first team include Jonjo Shelvey and Martin Kelly, there are also some in the Youth team with extreme talent. John Flanagan, Jack Robinson, Suso, Adam Morgan, Conor Coady and in particular Raheem Sterling are also showing a great deal of potential, which is great encouragement for a troubled Liverpool side. If all these players were to reach full potential, in 5 years time they would've made an impact which means that Liverpool would then be a force to be reckoned with. If in particular Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling were to blossom into the world class players they are expected to be, than Liverpool would severely benefit from their services and will improve massively as a result.

So is there time for a change? In my opinion, if slight enhancements are made to the team, Liverpool would be the force they once were in the 1980's. The youth policy at Liverpool is a major benefit, and if the players expected to reach their full potential, Liverpool could have at least 5 world class players at their disposal. In addition, because the defence has been so good and the attack so bad, surely if that means the attack is improved than the results would be better? If a high quality winger in addition to 2 goal scoring strikers were drafted in, I think that Liverpool will be a force they once were. But these hope ride on Kenny Dalglish and Comolli, who need to assess their options and choose their options wisely. The transfers need to be high profile, and they need to be effective. If so, Liverpool will achieve success once again.