Liverpool will have to make a decision; sacrifice this season for the next?
After all they have gone through it sadly does not seem that Liverpool will be having an ideal campaign for the rejuvenation of their lost glory. They have produced funds to rebuild a squad out of nowhere, they have signed in some amazing players, they have even managed to convince their star players who were on the verge of leaving the club to stay and have even hit the jackpot of getting players before other clubs got them.
Now, however a disappointed Roy Hodgson has revealed that the club will have to decide their road just in case lady luck refuses to accompany them on their journey. He has commented that the Reds will be in a “lose, lose situation” when it comes to the competitions in Europe. Liverpool has yet to qualify for the challenges ahead because of a draw with the Macedonian club Rabotnicki.
Experts have cautioned Hodgson, if uses the players that have just returned from the World Cup then he will ultimately be risking the chances of his team prospering in the Barclays Premier League. A lot of the key players in the team have just made their comeback in the last week after their World Cup vacations while Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina and Dirk Kuyt still have to make their return.
The preseason training had started some time ago while Liverpool have even started with their friendlies. They just had a draw with the Grasshoppers and are currently training in Switzerland. Joe Cole has joined the squad there and the same is the situation of Steven Gerrard who after Cole’s signing announced that his heart is still loyal to his boyhood club, Liverpool.
Now Hodgson has 3 major problems with Liverpool; The first of course would be the lack of funds he has as the club is in debts of more than 350 million pounds but he cannot do much about that except to improve the club’s performance and hence ratings.
The second and third will be his position about his star Spanish striker Fernando Torres and the decision if Liverpool has to concentrate on the European Championship or the Premier League to attain a position in the top 4 and re-enter the Champions League.
However, Hodgson has shocked everyone by saying that it will not be his decision that will be the final word of where the club will target most of their energy.
While talking to the media Hodgson has stated, “I worry a lot about not having enough players for next week”. He emphasized the fact that the club does not have enough star players in the team and therefore if they participate in the European Championships they risk of injuring and exhausting their players and in that scenario they will not be able to compete in the Premier League.
Hodgson also stated on the subject, “These will be two unbelievably difficult games at this stage of the season but it depends where we put the Europa League in the grand scheme of things”.
He explained that he has been given advice to use the players he has wisely, “The sports scientists tell me it would be wrong if I use the World Cup players this early, if we want to use them throughout the season. But if we don't throw them in, then we don't have the players with experience to play these games, so it is a cleft stick”.
He clarified his stance on his decision making saying that the team will be involved in the decision making process as he had to win their trust if they were to progress and reinvent themselves. Hodgson elucidated, “It is a balance that I cannot sort out on my own. It will be a decision for the club to take on. Where in the list of priorities does the Europa League come?”
Hodgson also admitted that his squad could still not be considered as one of the best and if he gets funds he has to invest in all departments of the team. He informed that he will be in touch with Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish who is operating as the head of their youth academy. He also announced that he was hopeful that the few young players he had signed were going to take the club to new heights.
He also told that he had his eyes on a couple of youngsters from the academy and will try to give them a chance too.
The former Fulham manger who led the club to a historic campaign while the club was in similar difficulties such as Liverpool emphasized, “We need to strengthen at both ends and we need to have some very good young players that are really worth working with for the future. Then hopefully we can start producing a few more Gerrards, Carraghers, Owens and Fowlers”.
He added to that saying, “But we need to strengthen at the top end as well and someone like Joe Cole is very important in that respect. I hope he won't be the last one and we can get at least a couple more in before the season starts”.
Tags: