Liverpool and the EPL title race

All those people, who are either die hard Liverpool fans like me or who share an interest in keeping tabs on how they are progressing will have noticed that they did not have a great start to the new season as most people expected. This was somehow forecast by a few pundits looking at their pre-season form. All faithful Reds had been hoping against hope that this would not happen, but alas, this was how it was meant to be.

All keen observers of the game will have noticed a couple of things;

1. Liverpool are using the same formation and same group of players as last season

2. Most opponents have realized that they have made no change to their style of play.

What implications do these things have? The answer lies in the results of the first four games of this season. Even a team like Bolton could keep tabs on a Liverpool squad which is definitely not short on quality. All teams have realized that Liverpool’s attacking play is controlled by only a few players and mostly by their playmaker and captain Steven Gerrard. So, each team has deployed a marker specifically for Gerrard. Teams who can afford it have also marked Fernando Torres – the man who can give any team a torrid time if left free – as could be seen at Old Trafford last season when Liverpool drubbed ManUtd 4-1.

There is also a noticeable change in the midfield game of Liverpool. Rafa Benitez has decided to play Lucas Leiva in a central midfield role, a position which was occupied by Xabi Alonso up until now. With the spaniards depature to Real Madrid and new import Alberto Aquilani injured, there is no doubt that Rafa has run short of options for that position and has placed his faith in Lucas. Now, Lucas is a Brazilian and most people would expect him to play like one; but he has been disappointing so far, which is the least that can be said about his performances. He only showed glimpses of his capability against Bolton and we can only hope he keeps improving with more exposure.

All the aforementioned things have contributed to Liverpool abandoning their fluid game and trying to stifle opponents by keeping maximum possession. However, even a child knows that games are not won by keeping possesion, but by scoring.

Another chink in the armor is the fragile defence which somehow keeps letting goals in from set pieces.

I will reserve my immediate opinion on what Liverpool need to do to get their title hunt back on track; simply because if I did that, then it would be me sitting in Rafa’s chair and I am definitely not capable of that.

However, I do want to point out one folly that Liverpool / Rafa have committed during the transfer window. They should have gone for Rafael Van Der Vaart who is a better midfielder than Aquilani and was immediately available at a price tag less than Aquilani. I only wish that I am proven wrong and am waiting for that.

Go Reds Go!!!

Hello world!

This is my introduction to the blogging world. To be honest, I have never shared too much interest in blogging. Considering that blogging is a global phenomenon right now, i’m quite a late arrival, but nevertheless I have come to a realization that I do feel strongly about a lot of topics and issues and this is what I’m here for.

World, here i come with my opinions!!!