For the records it was also Sam Allardyce’s first league victory over Brendan Rodgers, dating back to the latter’s Swansea days. It also meant the Reds lost consecutive league matches for the first since December last year when they suffered away blues at Man City and Chelsea. The defeat at Upton Park also makes it the second time Liverpool have lost three of their first five league games in 77 years of top flight football.
To put things in sharper focus, the Reds were very poor on their return to the UCL big stage as they earned a barely deserved 2-1 win at home to lowly Ludogorets of Bulgaria, a result sandwiched by their two latest league reverses. The following conversation ensued between me and my worried Kop friend:
WORRIED KOP (WK): Qasim, I’m worried about the form of our club, o! Are we in crisis? I mean this time last year we had chalked 10 points and were comfortably perched in Top 4, what’s happening?
ME: Oh no, we’re not in crisis as much as I know. Yes, the results have been bad and the performances, bar in the 3-0 road victory to Tottenham, have been abject. But our latest collapse could be a result of the recent international break which denied us the services of some key players. Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling were major factors behind our brilliant run last season.
We conceded many goals, 50 league goals to be precise, but the above trio ensured we still won plenty matches by outscoring most of our opponents. But as we know, Suarez left during the summer window, and Sturridge was crocked during the internationals while Sterling returned half fit. That’s a total annihilation of the front trio that contributed about 75 percent of our’ 101 league goals last season.
And when you add the injuries to Joe Allen, another key player in Brendan Rodgers’ new look Reds, and new boy Emre Can, then it is perhaps understandable to some extent why we’re struggling now. To put things in the right perspectives, I’m sure weaklings like Lucas Leiva and Fabio Borini will not come anywhere near our starting XI were Sturridge and Allen fit.
WK: But should we be missing a couple of players this badly after having spent over 120 million pounds on new recruits?
ME: Now you’ve touched some raw nerves there. Perhaps the most disappointing thing for Rodgers is that his slew of new signings has yet to hit the ground running, but I blame him for his overly futuristic investments. Like I wrote some time ago, I remain bitterly disappointed that the coach failed to reinvest the huge money made from Suarez’s sale on landing another marquee signing or signings instead of wasting it on future prospects who may or may not come off. And I remain firm in my belief that some of his new acquisitions are terribly overpriced such as Southampton duo of Adam Lallana (25M) and Dejan Lovren (20M).
God knows I would have signed Mario Mandzukic, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and Loic Remy when Liverpool had the chance to land these players. Add Radamel Falcao and Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero to that list and you know how strong my own Liverpool will be compared to Rodgers. But I am fantasy while Rodgers is the reality, a reality that could come good or go caput.
WK: Your summer signings look very impressive indeed, and to think we had the funds to sign the players you listed above, I’m disappointed in our coach and his scouts. But I’m still worried by our form, or could it be that the UCL is already taking its toll on us because the boys looked tired against West Ham and had not entered the stadium when they were 2-0 down?
ME: NO, no, no, no! Haba! We just played only one UCL match and we’d be complaining of fatigue? Arsenal, Juve and Real Madrid won over the weekend and they were all involved in more difficult UCL fixtures than us last week. I see two main issues here: injuries and adjustment of our new recruits plus the drop of form of some old timers like Leiva, Borini and Mamadou Sakho.
WK: I’m particularly disappointed in Leiva’s decline after his long injury lay-off, and I’ve never believed Borini will be good enough for Liverpool anyway.
ME: Well, I blame Rogers 100 percent that Borini still remains at Anfield when the club could have made a tidy 4 million quid profit on him last summer when Sunderland, for whom he had a relatively successful loan spell, tabled an incredible 14 million quid for his services. Rogers, for reasons best known to him, encouraged the Italian forward to spurn the exit by playing him in the first team during pre-season.
Another player that needs sorting out quickly is Sakho. A big signing from PSG last season, the France international has been calamity at best for us, committing slew of elementary errors which often get punished. But he’s not the only culprit at the back which includes dodgy goalkeeper Simon Mignolett whom I have criticized a lot on my column.
WK: So how do you find positives in this early torture, Qasim?
ME: Of course, there are positives. First is the fact that we’ve not done too badly when you consider all the fixtures we’ve played so far.
WK (Interjects)… what do you mean?
ME: This is what I mean: We’re only one point worse than we got from the corresponding fixtures last season.
WK: (Interjects again)…Really?
ME: Yes, check your records. We lost at home to Soton and away to City while we defeated both West Ham and Tottenham away; add that to the draw at home to Villa and you get seven points which is only one point better than we have now. That can’t be described as a crisis, especially in the face of our recent injury woes.
I also believe we will be stronger when the crocked players return to the fold. Sturridge is already training and I learnt Allen isn’t far off. And things can only get better for the new boys too.
Finally, our next five league fixtures: Everton (H), West Brom (H), QPR (A), Hull (H) and Newcastle (A) are winnable for maximum 15 points. Anything less than 11 points from these fixtures for me will not be good enough.
WK: Ummm, you’ve given me some hope, bro.
ME: Oh, have I? Well, I just think it’s too early to press the panic button or start losing hope on this team.
WK: But what are our chances of finishing in the Top 4 in the long run?
ME: I believe we’ll make the Top 3 as crazy as it sounds. One thing that could work in our favour is the fact that Rogers Liverpool have won more points in the second half of the season than in the first half. At least that has been the trend in his first two seasons. And I have no reason to doubt it might happen again.
WK: Thanks, Qasim, for alleviating my worries. Never walk alone, bro.
ME: Welcome, bro. Never walk alone.
So, guys, that’s my dialogue with a fretting fellow Kop. What’s your take on our subject: do you think Liverpool are in crisis? Dying to hear your views.
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