Club Profile: Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C. is based in Liverpool, England, and was established in 1892 by John Houlding. Liverpool, also known by their nickname ‘The Reds’, are the most successful team in the history of English football with a joint-record 18 league titles, 7 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 3 UEFA Cups and an English record 5 European Cups. The Club have been less successful in recent years, with the famous chant of "you won the league in black and white" particularly painful for the supporters.
Until very recently, the club was managed by Rafa Benitez. Under his guidance, Liverpool won their 5th European Cup, defeating AC Milan in one of the most memorable Champions League finals in the history of the competition. 3-0 down at half time, Liverpool came back to beat their illustrious opponents and make history. During Rafa's tenure, Liverpool won only one other trophy, which was the FA Cup. After last season’s 7th place finish in the Premier League, Benitez was dismissed and has since been replaced by the experienced former boss of Fulham, Roy Hodgson.
Liverpool are captained by Steven Gerrard, who also captained England in the absence of Rio Ferdinand. Gerrard has come through the Liverpool academy, and along with Jamie Carragher, he has been the central figure at the club for almost a decade. Liverpool have failed to win the league since the inception of the Premier League; their best finish being 2nd place, which they achieved in the 2008/2009 season.
Liverpool have two major rivals, one being Everton, who play just down the road at Goodison Park. The Merseyside derby is one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season for both Everton and Liverpool fans alike. Their other major rivalry is with Manchester United due to the shift in power from Liverpool to Manchester over the years. For a very long time, Liverpool dominated the English football scene, but when Sir Alex Ferguson took over at United, he set about creating a revolution to dislodge Liverpool from their 'perch'. As it stands, both Manchester United and Liverpool have won 18 league titles and had it not been for Chelsea, Manchester United would have taken over the record from Liverpool last season.
Liverpool's dismal performance last season was down as much to the tactical failures of Rafa Benitez as it was due to the performances of key players such as Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Jamie Carragher. These three players form the spine of the side and they went missing far too many times last season. After an exit in the group stages of the Champions League, Liverpool couldn't even manage to perform well in the Europa League. On the domestic front, they failed to finish in the top 4, something that is taken as a given at all the other big clubs, and so will not be playing in the Champions League next year.
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has yet to make any major changes to the squad, and so their prospects for next year don't appear too bright. Players like Gerrard and Torres have stressed the need for quality additions to the squad in order to challenge for titles next year, but since the club is struggling financially, it appears that no major changes will take place. This means that Liverpool will just be looking to get 4th place next year, something that is surprising for a club of their stature.
However, in football no one can predict the outcome of a season on the basis of past performances, and memories of Istanbul will empower both the players and the fans to help the club through this difficult period and come out fighting next season and continue to move upwards, rather than downwards.
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