In the wake of last week's defeat in the Champions League semi-final, Liverpool-Kop writer Tim Ellis examines where Liverpool have gone wrong this season and considers what needs to be improved for next season.
1. Steven Gerrard consistently goes missing against the big teams.
2. Resting players does NOT accomplish anything, and I can’t think of any greater argument against squad rotation than this season. Out of the League Cup and FA Cup; failing to challenge for the Premier League; knocked out the Champions League in EXTRA TIME, by a team challenging for the Premier League and consistently playing its strongest squad.
In the CL semi, which team looked tired and jaded in extra time - Liverpool or Chelsea? Which team looked like it had been rested for the two weeks preceding the game? Which team looked the more match sharp? Which team has consistently played its best players all through the season?
I’m not saying that we should have played our strongest teams in the recent League games where the result didn’t matter, but I submit that the notion of “saving” players for the end of the season so that they’re match-sharp has proven to be a load of rubbish.
There is no point having fresh and rested players if you have nothing left for which to challenge! And the match against Chelsea proves that our players were no fresher or rested than their unrotated opposition.
3. John Arne Riise has the mental strength of a baby deer. After his calamitous and avoidable own-goal in the first leg, the Chelsea fans cheered and jeered Riise’s name.
If I was Riise, this would inspire me to have the best game of my life and shove the mickey-taking down the throats of the Chelsea fans. Instead, Riise was completely ineffective for most of the night; and when his big chance came to throw himself in front of Didier Drogba’s shot, he trotted lamely over and just about mustered enough interest to attempt a sliding tackle.
Riise has had some great moments for Liverpool, but if he leaves this summer I won’t shed any tears. Compare our left back(s) to those of the big three, and you can see why he needs to go.
4.When taking a direct free kick at goal with a ten yard run-up, DON’T SWITCH THE BALL! This is one of Liverpool’s perennial mistakes. Do our players realise that in the time it takes to run to the switched ball, the defending players can do the same?! If you want to have a shot at goal from a direct free kick, just have a shot! How many free kicks do we waste in this manner?
5. Why do Liverpool play wingers without a target man? For that matter, when we do play a target man we invariably don’t play with proper wingers!
6. When chasing a goal, having two sitting midfielders who offer nothing going forward is a mistake. Xabi Alonso could be more effective if his strengths were played to.
Javier Mascherano is very good at tackling and breaking up play – he offers absolutely nothing creatively or offensively. To still have him on the pitch in the last minute of extra time with Crouch on the bench was ridiculous.
7. Liverpool yet again reaching the semi finals of the Champions League is a great achievement. Clearly this squad saves it best for Europe. What we are yet to understand is why they can’t raise reproduce their European form in the Premier League.
8. Rafa has had four years to assemble a squad capable of challenging for the League. We have over 60 players on our books. SIXTY! And how many of them are anywhere near good enough to play in our first team? An even more worrying thought is how many of our first team would even make the squads of our rivals?!
Compare the money spent to that of Arsene Wenger. Granted, Chelsea and United have spent more than us, but look at their players. Only Fernando Torres can be deemed a resounding success. The rest of Rafa’s big money signings are defensive midfielders or flairless uncreative non-scoring “attackers”, like Dirk Kuyt and Jermaine Pennant.
9. Liverpool need even more money to be spent in the summer in order to challenge for the League. However, that’s only because so much of it has already been wasted.
It’s true that Rafa has made a lot of money back, but what realistically do we have to show for it? No Liverpool fan can claim that Rafa has not been backed in the transfer market! David Moores even coughed up £10million of his own money so Rafa could buy...Dirk Kuyt.
Again, look at the flair players of our rivals (especially Arsenal) – you don’t necessarily have to spend fortunes. Even the best player in the world (who we had a chance to sign), Christiano Ronaldo, cost just over £12m - the same as Ryan Babel and far less than Mascherano.
10. Liverpool need creative technically proficient flair players. Lack of skill, guile, and pace permeates our squad like a disease. Fernando Torres is the only consistently world class player we have in this regard.
11. When did it become acceptable for Liverpool to play boring unattractive football? The following teams pride themselves on playing good football, whatever the price: Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, West Ham, Arsenal, Manchester United – to name just a few.
Yet ever since the days of Houllier, Liverpool fans have become accustomed to seeing defensive negative “compact” reserved football. Can you imagine Arsenal or Manchester United tolerating the style of play that Liverpool consistently produce?
Remember, Liverpool is the club that put the word “total” into “total football” – for the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s, we played brilliant beautiful football. When did we start to accept the dross we regularly see now?
In the end, the technical ALWAYS triumphs over the tactical. ALWAYS. Because football is a beautiful game of skill – it is NOT a chess match.
Unfortunately, we will not learn these lessons and I predict next season will be very much like this one.
1. Steven Gerrard consistently goes missing against the big teams.
2. Resting players does NOT accomplish anything, and I can’t think of any greater argument against squad rotation than this season. Out of the League Cup and FA Cup; failing to challenge for the Premier League; knocked out the Champions League in EXTRA TIME, by a team challenging for the Premier League and consistently playing its strongest squad.
In the CL semi, which team looked tired and jaded in extra time - Liverpool or Chelsea? Which team looked like it had been rested for the two weeks preceding the game? Which team looked the more match sharp? Which team has consistently played its best players all through the season?
I’m not saying that we should have played our strongest teams in the recent League games where the result didn’t matter, but I submit that the notion of “saving” players for the end of the season so that they’re match-sharp has proven to be a load of rubbish.
There is no point having fresh and rested players if you have nothing left for which to challenge! And the match against Chelsea proves that our players were no fresher or rested than their unrotated opposition.
3. John Arne Riise has the mental strength of a baby deer. After his calamitous and avoidable own-goal in the first leg, the Chelsea fans cheered and jeered Riise’s name.
If I was Riise, this would inspire me to have the best game of my life and shove the mickey-taking down the throats of the Chelsea fans. Instead, Riise was completely ineffective for most of the night; and when his big chance came to throw himself in front of Didier Drogba’s shot, he trotted lamely over and just about mustered enough interest to attempt a sliding tackle.
Riise has had some great moments for Liverpool, but if he leaves this summer I won’t shed any tears. Compare our left back(s) to those of the big three, and you can see why he needs to go.
4.When taking a direct free kick at goal with a ten yard run-up, DON’T SWITCH THE BALL! This is one of Liverpool’s perennial mistakes. Do our players realise that in the time it takes to run to the switched ball, the defending players can do the same?! If you want to have a shot at goal from a direct free kick, just have a shot! How many free kicks do we waste in this manner?
5. Why do Liverpool play wingers without a target man? For that matter, when we do play a target man we invariably don’t play with proper wingers!
6. When chasing a goal, having two sitting midfielders who offer nothing going forward is a mistake. Xabi Alonso could be more effective if his strengths were played to.
Javier Mascherano is very good at tackling and breaking up play – he offers absolutely nothing creatively or offensively. To still have him on the pitch in the last minute of extra time with Crouch on the bench was ridiculous.
7. Liverpool yet again reaching the semi finals of the Champions League is a great achievement. Clearly this squad saves it best for Europe. What we are yet to understand is why they can’t raise reproduce their European form in the Premier League.
8. Rafa has had four years to assemble a squad capable of challenging for the League. We have over 60 players on our books. SIXTY! And how many of them are anywhere near good enough to play in our first team? An even more worrying thought is how many of our first team would even make the squads of our rivals?!
Compare the money spent to that of Arsene Wenger. Granted, Chelsea and United have spent more than us, but look at their players. Only Fernando Torres can be deemed a resounding success. The rest of Rafa’s big money signings are defensive midfielders or flairless uncreative non-scoring “attackers”, like Dirk Kuyt and Jermaine Pennant.
9. Liverpool need even more money to be spent in the summer in order to challenge for the League. However, that’s only because so much of it has already been wasted.
It’s true that Rafa has made a lot of money back, but what realistically do we have to show for it? No Liverpool fan can claim that Rafa has not been backed in the transfer market! David Moores even coughed up £10million of his own money so Rafa could buy...Dirk Kuyt.
Again, look at the flair players of our rivals (especially Arsenal) – you don’t necessarily have to spend fortunes. Even the best player in the world (who we had a chance to sign), Christiano Ronaldo, cost just over £12m - the same as Ryan Babel and far less than Mascherano.
10. Liverpool need creative technically proficient flair players. Lack of skill, guile, and pace permeates our squad like a disease. Fernando Torres is the only consistently world class player we have in this regard.
11. When did it become acceptable for Liverpool to play boring unattractive football? The following teams pride themselves on playing good football, whatever the price: Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, West Ham, Arsenal, Manchester United – to name just a few.
Yet ever since the days of Houllier, Liverpool fans have become accustomed to seeing defensive negative “compact” reserved football. Can you imagine Arsenal or Manchester United tolerating the style of play that Liverpool consistently produce?
Remember, Liverpool is the club that put the word “total” into “total football” – for the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s, we played brilliant beautiful football. When did we start to accept the dross we regularly see now?
In the end, the technical ALWAYS triumphs over the tactical. ALWAYS. Because football is a beautiful game of skill – it is NOT a chess match.
Unfortunately, we will not learn these lessons and I predict next season will be very much like this one.






