[article=http://www.espnfc.com/blog/_/name/liverpool/id/2983?cc=4716]Rivals can have their fun but Liverpool are a force again
Posted by Steven Kelly
"There's only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."
Oscar Wilde knew a thing or two about envy. Maybe this is all part of the dreaded rationalisation that Liverpool supporters will be indulging in once the league title eventually and inevitably disappears over a sky blue horizon, but some of the mockery from other quarters has already become a bit much.
You dish it out and you take it -- that's the law of the football jungle. When it's expressly designed to cover up your own team's flaws and failures, though, it comes under the heading of camouflage. Even for the supporters of the bigger football clubs, past masters at the art of deflection, some of what I've been reading is staggering.
Yes, Liverpool thought they were in with a great chance of winning the league and that now seems highly unlikely. I get that, honestly; I'm just not sure people should be reacting as if this simple event were deserving of a national holiday.
Reds supporters did get more than a little carried away after a hugely impressive run of results in 2014 -- still more points than any other side -- that accounted for a huge swell in optimism. The season was slightly distorted by the fixture list. As the table sorts itself out it transpires that Liverpool had to play all their away games against the top teams in the first half of the season. The halfway points total was respectable but wasn't enough for top four once it was doubled up.
Had Liverpool's fixtures been more evenly spread in terms of difficulty there might have been a longer time to acclimatise to the fact they were title challengers all along. What ultimately happened is that defeating Manchester City with a few games to go sprung the mantle of title favourites onto the club with a force that's clearly been somewhat debilitating. I admit to clutching a few straws here but looking at the players' and manager's faces on Monday night at Selhurst the nervousness seemed almost carved into their expressions, and the late collapse at least partly down to energy-sapping tension. Luis Suarez was rumoured to be ill before kickoff.
Lots of people are wrapping up the season already -- even Brendan Rodgers -- though doubtless the media obsession with mind games will reconstruct his concession into one last throw of the psychological dice. Liverpool fans will still be focussed intently on their rivals' final two games. Although seeing little in Aston Villa or West Ham to get a very difficult job done, they are mindful of football's extraordinary capacity to amaze, and this season has been one of the freakier ones for sure.
When the dust finally settles, Liverpool will still be in great shape and will stand a more than reasonable chance of making things even better. It isn't hard to see why.
FORWARDS
In the ultimate chaos of Selhurst Park it was forgotten that Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez added their 51st and 52nd to continue what has been a truly breathtaking campaign for the duo. Experts have speculated on what Chelsea for example might have done with just one decent goal scorer -- Liverpool have two. Summer transfer speculation is bound to haunt the Reds, particularly if Suarez shines in the World Cup for Uruguay and monstrous amounts of money are mentioned, but for now Anfield can lay claim to one of the best striking partnerships in the world.
BRENDAN RODGERS
Liverpool is a very manager-centric club. When something has been achieved they become deified beyond all proportion, and if things slip, the reaction is almost venomous. Rodgers has his fair share of flaws but after a few months at Reading and a couple of years at Swansea, he has now come an awfully long way in such a short space of time.
Too much too soon? Who can say; there are a number of doubts about his Liverpool team and the weaknesses that need to be strengthened. After letting in three goals in nine minutes to Crystal Palace no one needs reminding what they are, yet you know when they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
Brendan Rodgers is 41 years old.
ANFIELD
The plans are in place, everything is set: Liverpool FC finally looks set to be playing in a ground that their support deserves. As ticket prices continue to climb along with television investment and sponsorship, 60,000 seems like a perfectly reasonable capacity. With Champions League football back at Anfield for the first time in years, it remains to be seen whether Liverpool's improved finances and stature will be converted into better players and further opportunities for success. They can't hurt.
So let the supporters of other clubs have their fun. Arsenal may even win a trophy but will still speculate on what Arsene Wenger will spend and whether the next league campaign will fizzle out thanks to injuries -- like all of the others -- and whether getting eliminated from Europe at the first knockout stage every year can actually be called "competing" or whether it's just "turning up."
Let Everton forget the three defeats that caused their Champions League bid to collapse. Let them play Oasis records when they are losing to Manchester City and then squeal like stuck pigs if someone reminds them of Rafa Benitez's "small club" quote.
Let Spurs have rubbish videos on their official social media pages and forget they spent 100 million pounds to finish this season worse off than last.
Let Chelsea fall for Jose Mourinho's schtick that they are in transition.
Let Manchester United add another Steven Gerrard song to their already exhaustive repertoire, forget their decaying squad and absolutely wretched season and mythologise their latest wunderkind -- what happened to the unpronounceable one?
You can even let Manchester City pretend that their title success amounts to more than winning the Tour de France on a Harley-Davidson, or convince themselves that UEFA will simply grow tired of slapping their wrists.
In the end, none of it matters much. People have lost sleep, and not a little dignity, because Liverpool are back. That's exactly as it should be, and on Saturday night/Sunday morning they will be losing even more.
Because where this extraordinary club is concerned, you never know. Ever.[/article]
Posted by Steven Kelly
"There's only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."
Oscar Wilde knew a thing or two about envy. Maybe this is all part of the dreaded rationalisation that Liverpool supporters will be indulging in once the league title eventually and inevitably disappears over a sky blue horizon, but some of the mockery from other quarters has already become a bit much.
You dish it out and you take it -- that's the law of the football jungle. When it's expressly designed to cover up your own team's flaws and failures, though, it comes under the heading of camouflage. Even for the supporters of the bigger football clubs, past masters at the art of deflection, some of what I've been reading is staggering.
Yes, Liverpool thought they were in with a great chance of winning the league and that now seems highly unlikely. I get that, honestly; I'm just not sure people should be reacting as if this simple event were deserving of a national holiday.
Reds supporters did get more than a little carried away after a hugely impressive run of results in 2014 -- still more points than any other side -- that accounted for a huge swell in optimism. The season was slightly distorted by the fixture list. As the table sorts itself out it transpires that Liverpool had to play all their away games against the top teams in the first half of the season. The halfway points total was respectable but wasn't enough for top four once it was doubled up.
Had Liverpool's fixtures been more evenly spread in terms of difficulty there might have been a longer time to acclimatise to the fact they were title challengers all along. What ultimately happened is that defeating Manchester City with a few games to go sprung the mantle of title favourites onto the club with a force that's clearly been somewhat debilitating. I admit to clutching a few straws here but looking at the players' and manager's faces on Monday night at Selhurst the nervousness seemed almost carved into their expressions, and the late collapse at least partly down to energy-sapping tension. Luis Suarez was rumoured to be ill before kickoff.
Lots of people are wrapping up the season already -- even Brendan Rodgers -- though doubtless the media obsession with mind games will reconstruct his concession into one last throw of the psychological dice. Liverpool fans will still be focussed intently on their rivals' final two games. Although seeing little in Aston Villa or West Ham to get a very difficult job done, they are mindful of football's extraordinary capacity to amaze, and this season has been one of the freakier ones for sure.
When the dust finally settles, Liverpool will still be in great shape and will stand a more than reasonable chance of making things even better. It isn't hard to see why.
FORWARDS
In the ultimate chaos of Selhurst Park it was forgotten that Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez added their 51st and 52nd to continue what has been a truly breathtaking campaign for the duo. Experts have speculated on what Chelsea for example might have done with just one decent goal scorer -- Liverpool have two. Summer transfer speculation is bound to haunt the Reds, particularly if Suarez shines in the World Cup for Uruguay and monstrous amounts of money are mentioned, but for now Anfield can lay claim to one of the best striking partnerships in the world.
BRENDAN RODGERS
Liverpool is a very manager-centric club. When something has been achieved they become deified beyond all proportion, and if things slip, the reaction is almost venomous. Rodgers has his fair share of flaws but after a few months at Reading and a couple of years at Swansea, he has now come an awfully long way in such a short space of time.
Too much too soon? Who can say; there are a number of doubts about his Liverpool team and the weaknesses that need to be strengthened. After letting in three goals in nine minutes to Crystal Palace no one needs reminding what they are, yet you know when they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
Brendan Rodgers is 41 years old.
ANFIELD
The plans are in place, everything is set: Liverpool FC finally looks set to be playing in a ground that their support deserves. As ticket prices continue to climb along with television investment and sponsorship, 60,000 seems like a perfectly reasonable capacity. With Champions League football back at Anfield for the first time in years, it remains to be seen whether Liverpool's improved finances and stature will be converted into better players and further opportunities for success. They can't hurt.
So let the supporters of other clubs have their fun. Arsenal may even win a trophy but will still speculate on what Arsene Wenger will spend and whether the next league campaign will fizzle out thanks to injuries -- like all of the others -- and whether getting eliminated from Europe at the first knockout stage every year can actually be called "competing" or whether it's just "turning up."
Let Everton forget the three defeats that caused their Champions League bid to collapse. Let them play Oasis records when they are losing to Manchester City and then squeal like stuck pigs if someone reminds them of Rafa Benitez's "small club" quote.
Let Spurs have rubbish videos on their official social media pages and forget they spent 100 million pounds to finish this season worse off than last.
Let Chelsea fall for Jose Mourinho's schtick that they are in transition.
Let Manchester United add another Steven Gerrard song to their already exhaustive repertoire, forget their decaying squad and absolutely wretched season and mythologise their latest wunderkind -- what happened to the unpronounceable one?
You can even let Manchester City pretend that their title success amounts to more than winning the Tour de France on a Harley-Davidson, or convince themselves that UEFA will simply grow tired of slapping their wrists.
In the end, none of it matters much. People have lost sleep, and not a little dignity, because Liverpool are back. That's exactly as it should be, and on Saturday night/Sunday morning they will be losing even more.
Because where this extraordinary club is concerned, you never know. Ever.[/article]
