LFC: New Season, Same Problems

Another season, another record broken, unfortunately it's not a good one again, as Liverpool have got off to their worst start to a campaign in 50 years. Given that we've had to take on last seasons champions in Manchester City and Arsenal, but both have been at home and there was a poor result to open the season going down 3-0 at West Brom. 

Have we moved any further forward?

New manager, and half a new team and we appear to be no further down the line than we were last year under Dalglish. Swept aside by Arsenal who have shipped out two of their best players and anyone who thought Brendan Rodgers way of playing football would bring back the glory days to Anfield look to be sorely mistaken. 

It's early days, new players haven't really gelled together yet but for someone who's philosophy is to keep hold of the ball, Liverpool seem to give it away more than ever. They look toothless upfront and other than Raheem Sterling don't look like creating an opportunity (both this season's goals have come from set pieces). If they do manage to create one, who's going to stick it away?

Having let Andy Carroll go to West Ham on a season long loan, Suarez leads the line with Borini playing out wide. As is well documented, and as he said himself - Suarez isn't a 'natural' goal scorer, he isn't a tap in merchant. He wants to come deep, get on the ball and link up the play. So why do we have our one center forward playing that way? We need someone in the box to put the ball in the back of the net. At the moment we don't have that, yet Borini stays out wide? Let's be honest, do we actually know if Borini is any good? He's only ever scored 15 senior goals. I'm pretty sure we'd be better with him down the middle and Suarez somewhere else.

Andy Carroll has moved on for the season, with no replacement,
but can Rodgers really blame the board?

It seems a basic error to let Carroll go to another club, being 'confident' of bringing someone else in, rumoured to have been Dempsey or Sturridge, is simply unacceptable. You have to tie up the deal before you let Carroll go, surely that's simple? Rodgers can't blame anyone else either, he's in charge of the transfers, he turned down the opportunity to have a Director of Football saying he wanted complete control. That's fine, I'd rather it was that way, but then don't tell me you've been 'let down' by someone else because you didn't tie up the other contract. If the owners wouldn't pay the money for Dempsey, don't let Carroll go, it's that simple.

John Henry's open letter to LFC fans might have given some realisation to the less deluded of Liverpool fans out there, and even some that are; that the club isn't a contender for the title, isn't a contender for the top 4 and isn't a contender for winning the Europa League competition either. Top 6 will be a decent achievement, and that will be a tough ask too. 

While I agree with some of the points made by Henry in stabalising the club on a financial front, building something for the future rather than making expensive short term fixes I also agree with what the Spirit of Shankly group posted on their page earlier today. The post, criticises Henry and the Fenway Sports Group for it's management structure of the club, or lack of. There is a Chairman, but he is based in the USA, there is no Chief Executive, nobody making the big decisions and being held accountable for them, here in England, based at Anfield, every day of the week. How can that lead to a successful club when everyone who's important in the decision making is in the USA? They sum it up perfectly below:

John W Henry

"There comes a point at any football club where the Chairman has to step forward on behalf of the board and be held accountable for decisions that they have made and strategies that they have implemented. With key questions continuing to go unanswered, Spirit of Shankly suggests it is time for Tom Werner to be held accountable as Chairman of Liverpool Football Club. After all, the buck stops with him, not with those acting with his authority and not with people no longer at the club."

But back to the players and what's going wrong on the field, I'm all for trying to knock the ball around and play attractive football, but you HAVE to have the players to be able to do it. Barca can do it, but they've got Xavi, Iniesta, Messi et al. Swansea did it at times and got all the plaudits, but would Liverpool fans accept seeing good football and finishing where the Swans did last year (11th)? I doubt it. Do we have the players to do it? I doubt that too.

New season, same Liverpool problems.