Roy Hodgson keeping a level head
New Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson, is urging caution ahead of the new Premier League season after the arrival of Joe Cole to the club.
Liverpool fans and members are expecting big things next season after the arrival of Hodgson at the club who is expected to push Liverpool back towards the Champions League places at the end of next season.
However, the boss has already said that it will take time for him to develop his management style in the club and get the team playing the way he wants. This is perfectly reasonable but contradicts the immediate demands for success often wanted in Premier League football.
It's necessary to examine the sort of philosophy that Hodgson wants to work at the club. It's also important to look at the other pending dangers at the club that would set them back a step as opposed to taking them forward.
It Takes Time
There is no harm at all in Hodgson urging caution. He has only just joined the club and will be learning about a range of different things after moving from Fulham where he had been the manager for a number of years.
He also has to keep in mind that Liverpool is a very pro-Spanish club after the number of Spanish players that were brought in by previous manager, Rafa Benitez. This means that if he wants to switch from the way that Liverpool previously played then it will take a few matches.
The boss may still have one or two players in mind that he wants to bring in to the club. This will mean time spent off of the training field and time spent in the office. Deals do not happen instantly and any player Hodgson is trying to sign means time taken away from training the team.
He said: "There's a lot more work to do, a lot more players are needed and we as a football team have got to make certain that when we take to the field the supporters will see there is something different and that we are making the biggest effort we can make."
Pending Dangers
Liverpool are still sweating over the fitness of Steven Gerrard and one or two other players in the squad ahead of the new season. This could shape the team that Hodgson is likely to play during the first few games of Liverpool's season.
The future of striker, Fernando Torres, is still not clear. Rumours are constantly circulating that he could be on his way out of the club but Hodgson clearly wants him to stay because of his undoubted talent and skill.
The manager added: "We have to get a good atmosphere back into the club, the Liverpool atmosphere that I've known and seen and experienced - often to my cost - over the years. We have to get away from the feeling that everything's not right and the club is going downhill because that isn't the case at all."
Advice
The best way to approach Liverpool this year is to do exactly as Hodgson says and proceed with caution. They are very unpredictable and if it does take the manager time to brand his style on the team then they are less likely to hit the ground running.
Any chances of success are dependant on Fernando Torres staying at the club. Torres has the ability to be the top scorer at the club and the Premier League. If he goes then there will be pressure all over the rest of the team and they could suffer because of it.
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