Premier League preview: Liverpool
Right then, where were we?
An awful lot has changed since Liverpool’s last kick of a Premier League football at Hull City’s KC Stadium on May 9th – Steven Gerrard hit the post with it – and now the Reds embark upon probably their most important season since they last won the league title an almost improbable 20 years ago.
After the summer departure of Rafael Benitez, they’ll do it under the tutelage of Roy Hodgson, about as unflappable and sensible a character as they could wish to find anywhere, and how those qualities have been welcomed at Anfield, for they were in short supply before the ex-Fulham boss walked through the Shankly Gates.
A shambolic 2009/10 featured unhappy players, a stubborn manager, warring fans and chaotic owners – a “horror” said Gerrard – and all combined to create the perfect storm for Liverpool.
All of that is now in the past though, and the green shoots of recovery have started sprouting around Anfield – tiny, slow-growing shoots, but shoots nonetheless.
Off the field, things appear to be finally gathering pace.
The penny has dropped for co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett – if they’ve even got that much left these days – and the much-longed for takeover appears imminent, with two interested parties battling it out. A huge sum of money could become available to Hodgson should a deal be done in the final weeks of the transfer window, but don’t expect the Reds to be splashing their cash á la Manchester City any time soon. The new boss is far too wily for that, and besides, he’s already snapped up the best signing of the summer on a free transfer anyway.
There was widespread suspicion when Joe Cole snubbed both Arsenal and Tottenham in favour of a move to Liverpool.
Why would Cole abandon Champions League football and the city he’s lived in all his life to move to a club with an uncertain future and a decidedly unclear present? While many felt that money was the motivating factor, the answer lies on the Anfield stage.
Cole is a real student of the game, and the chance to work with Hodgson as a key player in his Liverpool revolution was the deciding factor in his move. Far from what he often was at Chelsea, he will be a 90-minute man on Merseyside, and the impact that he could have on the Reds’ game could be huge, especially when you consider who he’ll be playing with.
Yes, Gerrard and Fernando Torres are still Liverpool players, proving that football’s rumour mill is about as reliable as, well, most rumour mills.
The pair have bought into Hodgson’s vision for the future as, no doubt helped by the imminent arrival of new owners, they believe that he can pick Liverpool up off the canvas and restore them towards some sort of recognisable force.
Not everyone agrees with the Roy revolution though, and the sale of the unhappy Javier Mascherano is now best for all parties, as the money raised from the sale is needed for reinforcements elsewhere, with left-back still a priority and another striker needed to take the goalscoring burden off Torres, who, it goes without saying, simply has to stay fit.
Despite appearances last season, there is still quality throughout the squad.
The likes of Pepe Reina, Glen Johnson, Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez would get into most teams in the world, while this promises to be a big season for Alberto Aquilani, Ryan Babel, Lucas and newly bulked-up David Ngog, all of whom have their qualities but haven’t yet produced on a consistent basis. Perhaps playing for a new manager will inspire them.
So believe it or not, there is cause for optimism at Anfield, and whereas 12 months ago such a statement could be followed with the dreaded statement of “this could be their year”, standards and expectations have now lowered.
No-one is expecting a title challenge, but no-one is expecting the abjectness that was witnessed in 2009/10 either.
Hodgson enters with much to do, but with much goodwill on his side to do it.
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