Everyone will agree that we've massively underperformed last season. Even Luis Suarez, who is undoubtedly Liverpool biggest asset at the moment, had a poor season by his standards. Not to mention, the big money signings like Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson. This is by no means a playing "bashing" post. This is about the potential of our squad and what they can achieve. Here are the five most important players for next season, if Liverpool are to succeed with their quest for a higher finish.
Lucas Leiva
Last season when Lucas got injured, Liverpool fans knew they were in deep trouble with Spearing as the only back up for defensive midfield. His performances against Manchester City and Chelsea right before his injury has cemented him a place as one of the fan favourites; so much so that a poll last year revealed that Liverpool fans would rather have Lucas back from injury before Gerrard (who was also injured at that time). We all know the importance of Lucas. His tackling statistics showed him to be the Europe's best tackler, as he completed the most tackles in the 2010/2011 season. He allows the attackers to do their job and more importantly he allows the likes to Glen Johnson, Jose Enrique and Steven Gerrard to burst forward. One thing Brendan Rodgers will be pleased with is Lucas's passing statistics. He fits perfectly into the new system, Rodgers is keen on using. Liverpool will want him match fit quickly for the start of the season and back to his very best.
Steven Gerrard
The man has carried the club on his shoulders for the past ten years. After last season people were beginning to ask the question "Has Stevie G lost it?". Can he still pull a "rabbit out of a hat" and "take the game by the scruff of its neck"? If anything he was very inconsistent last season. He went missing in certain matches and in others like the Merseyside derby, he scored a hat-trick and tormented the oppositions. I wouldn't say he's lost it completely. If we've learnt anything in the Euro's, it's that Gerrard is still the best English player around. With Gerrard, it only takes a shot or one of those fantastic crosses to score. Similar performances next season will be expected from him.
Pepe Reina
In my opinion, Reina was one of the biggest disappointments last season. A couple of years ago, he was lauded as one of the best in the world, but his recent slump in form has brought his consistency into question. Last season he managed to save 69% of shots aimed at the Liverpool goal, which is the league average for goalkeepers. Has he become an average keeper over night?
This shows a steady decline in Pepe Reina's shot stopping abilities over his time at Liverpool. He is more than capable of great performances as he's proven in the past, but his form has to improve if Liverpool are to keep more clean sheets next season. A club like Liverpool should expect their keeper to save at least 75-80% of the shots; so Reina will have to do better next season. Perhaps a change in goalkeeping coach is required. His slump has coincided with Xavi Valero leaving the club. Maybe our current goalkeeping coach is misleading him?
Martin Skrtel
There has been a lot of speculation on him leaving Anfield this summer, but he has stated his intentions to stay and possibly extending his contract as soon as possible. He was voted Liverpool's best performer last season and rightly so in my opinion. His strong tackling and aggressiveness made him a bit of a reckless player in the past. But now it seems that he has matured in to a very intelligent defender and has formed a great partnership with Daniel Agger. This partnership is extremely important for Liverpool's defence next season, especially if Brendan Rodgers plans to play a high pressing game.
Luis Suarez
Yes, he is one of the most controversial players in the premier league (barring Balotelli and Tevez), but the man can play some serious football. He loves nothing more than to play football, every minute of every game and works tirelessly for the full 90 minutes. He has also completed an average of two successful "nutmegs" per game. It's safe to say that he possesses amazing footballing ability and creates chances for himself and for others. Liverpool fans now would love to see his finishing ability. We have seen glimpses last season, but he hasn't reached his Ajax or Uruguay form. In my opinion he was the most unluckiest player last season, hitting the woodwork seven times all season. A change of luck for him would help Liverpool greatly in their quest for champions league football.
Of course, at the end of the day, football is a team sport and Brendan Rodgers will need all his men performing at a certain level. These five players will however form Liverpool's spine next season and they will undoubtedly be detrimental to Liverpool's success or failure. If these players hit form at the same time, I would be worried about our opposition. We could definitely see some "cricket scores", if that happened!
No comments:
Post a Comment