As Vincent Kompany lifted the English Premier League trophy, draped in light-blue-and-white ribbons to signify the Citizens’ success, Steven Gerrard was busy applauding the Anfield fans in a subdued, beaten manner.
Despite winning 3-1 against Newcastle United on the final day of the season, Liverpool ended the season a point shy of City in second place. UEFA Champions League football is back and that’s huge for the club, but it comes with a bitter aftertaste following a dramatic title collapse.
Three weeks ago the Reds were in pole position to pull in the trophy, yet somehow let it slip through their fingers. What were the key factors in their demise? Discount Football Kits take a look.
Full-backs
The first thing Brendan Rodgers should have done in both preseason and on January 1 was to fix the dire full-back situation at Liverpool.
Aly Cissokho was a nice idea, but he’s more an enthusiastic prize-winner than an actual real-life footballer, while Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique house big flaws in their games.
That Jon Flanagan—no disrespect to the Red Cafu—was far and away their best full-back this season is damning on the current squad. “Flani Alves” is a good player, no doubt, but he should be their third-choice rotational for the 2014-15 campaign.
Going for a reckless six at Crystal Palace
With Liverpool 3-0 up at Selhurst Park, the title challenge was back on. Loss to Chelsea be damned, the title is winnable on goal difference; anything can happen with this Reds team.
But Brendan Rodgers got greedy, and as the away fans shouted “attack! attack! attack!,” the Ulsterman’s impressive offensive strategy strayed into the naive spectrum of football.
Going for six at Palace? fine, but don’t commit five or six men to each through-ball in such reckless fashion, and temper your full-backs’ positioning so as not to expose your defence to razor-sharp counterattacks. A disastrous final 20 minutes for the Reds.
Mamadou Sakho’s Injury Issues
Mamadou Sakho is an excellent defender, but injury issues this season prevented him from breaching the 20-game mark despite signing for the club in August.
It was clear from the off that Rodgers wasn’t happy with his central defensive corps—Kolo Toure, Tiago Ilori and Sakho himself came through the door last summer—but he was unable to field his preferred pairing for long stretches of the season.
Now, Daniel Agger looks to be on his way out and if a big bid comes in for Martin Skrtel, the club could well sell.
Jordan Henderson’s Suspension
Luis Suarez’s brilliance, Daniel Sturridge’s goal tally and Gerrard’s remarkable leadership are the three key talking points in Liverpool’s season, but it’s arguable Jordan Henderson matched all three performance-wise.
The Reds’ vital 3-2 victory over Manchester City was soured badly by the midfielder’s reckless red card, and it’s no coincidence that the club’s winning streak halted the game after he became unavailable for selection.
He was back in for the final-day victory, playing well once more. His absence was so, so noticeable against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Norwich City.
none of those above are the cause of Liverpool collapse but surely the absence of a rich arab owner is,so simple.