Liverpool kicked-off their 2012/13 campaign with a hope of making up for their shortcomings in the previous season. After going through a dismal spell of results, the Merseyside outfit managed to finish at a paltry eighth place in the table.
The reparation measures which followed saw the club’s owners sack the former manager, Kenny Dalglish, and bring in Brendan Rodgers as his replacement.
The decision of handing over the reins of Anfield to the Northern Irishman was undertaken keeping in view his modern day coaching techniques, and his impeccable record at the Liberty Stadium.
Rodgers came in at Anfield as a ray of hope for the fans, who have now seen their side fail to secure a place in Champions League football for the third successive season.
His ability to quickly adapt to the culture of football at Merseyside, and his resolve to take the club to a new high won him the confidence of the players and the owners, who feel that he could prove to be a panacea to their mounting problems.
However, of what we have seen so far this season, the Reds seem to be heading for the same course as that of the previous campaign.
Although the men in red managed to grab a place in the Europa League group stages under the Ulsterman’s supervision, they have gotten off their EPL season to a worst possible start, having bagged just 2 points out of their first four league games.
It is their worst start to the league in almost 100 years.
What is even more worrisome for the fans and the club is the striking resemblance to the nature of the games that they have played so far to that of the preceding term.
Despite enjoying a good share of possession and creating a handful of opportunities, the strikers have struggled to find the back of the net. Cruel as it might be, but at the end, it is just the goals which matter in football.
Keeping in view the problems faced by the team upfront, it was expected that Rodgers would land in another striker during the closing stages of the summer transfer window. Fulham’s Clint Dempsey appeared to be the probable choice.
Nonetheless, the former Swansea boss failed in securing the services of the American International, who instead, opted to sign for Tottenham Hotspur.
The development proved to be a huge setback for the 39-year old, who is currently out on the mission of helping the Reds rediscover their lost glory.
With the transfer window now closed, the manager is instead looking to draw on the club’s academy players, in order to meet his targets.
And there are a lot of positives on that score.
The youngsters Raheem Sterling and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Martin-Kelly-c24395 have impressed so far this season, with the former being tipped by many to become the Reds future star.
Besides that, Rodgers will also pick up positives from his side’s performances against Manchester City and Sunderland. In both the games, the Anfield outfit were unlucky not to secure all three points, despite dominating their opponents.
Newcomers http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nuri-Sahin-c28251 and Joe Allen have already gotten into their stride, and the team’s midfield seems to be in good hands in the near future.
In nutshell, it was expected of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 to take time to come to grips with their manager’s new playing philosophy. However, Rodgers needs to quickly sort out his troubles upfront, as he is clearly losing ground in the table to his rival clubs.
It is still too early to predict whether the Reds will be able to meet their goals this term or not. But one thing is for sure; Anfield will witness a lot of changes throughout the course of the season. For good or bad, that is yet to be seen.
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