A Serious Challenge Or Another False Dawn?

It's been 18 long years since we last won the League Title. None of us need reminding of that fact, and none of us need anyone else to point out that we really need to put in a serious challenge this season, at the very least. It's our ball and chain.

A massive weight on our shoulders, and only a serious challenge this season can take that burden from around our necks. But can we actually sustain a challenge well into April and be in with a shout as we roll into May?

The League Title is the bread and butter, as Bill Shankly once said. The European Cup is the undoubted pinnacle of club football, the holy grail; but the League Title is the aim every season to cement your place as the best side in the land. It's been far too long since we've done that, and it hurts. There's no point hiding from the fact it hurts. Seeing a side like ourselves, dominant for two decades, slowly slip away into also rans, picking up only two domestic cups throughout the 90's while Man United galloped to league title after league title. We had the near misses of the 1997 season, where David James flapped at two crosses late on against Coventry, turning a 1-0 lead and table topping victory into a 2-1 defeat in the time it takes to say "Dion Dublin".

We were bottlers. The football played during the mid 90's was a joy to behold at times. The likes of McManaman, Fowler and Collymore tearing teams apart; yet we were always suspect at the back and a bag of nerves when the pressure cranked up a notch.

All promise and no end product. The FA Cup run of 1996 being a prime example and typical of that era; playing some brilliant stuff on the way to Wembley, yet freezing in the headlights of the Twin Towers and crumbling to a 1-0 defeat to the great enemy, dragging our feet back up the M1 in our tear sodden cream suits. The Spice Boys flattered to deceive once again.

Towards the end of that era, Gerard Houllier was enticed from France, tasked with taking the club in a different direction. We'd spent the entire decade clinging onto the bootroom philosophy, with Roy "too nice" Evans, the last remaining of the old guard, being asked to make way for the new revolutionary, continental Liverpool. We had to move with the modern day and play catch up.

The infamous "5 year plan" of Houllier was put into place, and we set about transforming the club from top to bottom. Training was no longer just a kick about and a laugh, it was serious. The new manager was serious, and some didn't like it. Read Robbie Fowler's autobiography for an insight. Players had to grow up fast and start to justify their inflated salaries, and justify the responsibility they had as representatives of Liverpool Football Club. Roy Evans let them get away with it, Gerard Houllier wouldn't. Some players adapted, some left, and the club began to move in a new direction.

Gerard Houllier may be remembered by some as a failure, mainly due to the way his tenure came to an end; and whilst his last two years in charge did result in a backwards step, he dragged this club into the modern era, and came a lot closer to bringing home the league title than a lot of people seem to think. As well as the historic treble of 2001, he took us to second place in the league and looking more likely than ever to bring home the bread and butter.

Finshing 5th, 4th, 3rd then 2nd in successive seasons in charge, the following season, if continuing that trend, was to be the one we reclaimed our title as Champions of England. Various circumstances and poor signings meant that never happened, and we plummeted at an alarming rate. So much so Houllier was relieved of his duties and the tangled up reigns were handed to Rafael Benitez in the summer of 2004. Yet another attempt required to overhaul the club and reinstate ourselves as the dominant force on these shores.

In his first season in charge, Benitez was left with a squad consisting of the like of Milan Baros, Igor Biscan and Vladimir Smicer performing key roles within the side. No disrespect to those players, but they are hardly world beaters. A squad consisting of Danny Murphy, Salif Diao, Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama Pongolle et al. We were far from being in a position to challenge the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal for the title. Benitez was brought into to overhaul the financial super powers of Manchester United and Chelsea on a comparitively limited budget, just as he had done in Spain with Valencia, taking on and defeating the muscle of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Did people seriously expect him to deliver the title over night?

While United and Chelsea already had top quality squads in place, needing only to go out every summer and buy a few £20m-£30m players to top up the squad, we had to go about rebuilding with free transfers and the odd £10m signings like Dirk Kuyt and Xabi Alonso. Litter that with low budget signings like Antonio Nunez to act as a stop gap, and it's easy to see why we haven't yet challenged. The manager having to play the role of a Del Boy, wheeling and dealing in the lower end of the market to make ends meet. No money for Daniel Alves, so make do with Jermaine Pennant. Even this summer, having to sell Peter Crouch, John Arne Riise and Scott Carson to finance the deal for Robbie Keane. Having to sell before he buys meant it was always going to take time to build a squad capable of challenging for the League Title.

The media love to reel off the figures of "Benitez has spent over £200m", yet fail to consider the amount he has brought back into the club to be able to spend that money. They'll mention the £20m spent on Fernando Torres (often incorrectly reporting it as £26m), but fail to mention the £19m recouped on the sales of Cisse, Bellamy and Garica to make that deal happen. He hasn't actually spent that much money. When you look at what Chelsea had to spend to take them from a 4th place side to Champions, it's chicken feed.

The media love to mention "rotation", when the statistics show that Benitez has rotated no more than Wenger, Ferguson or Mourinho and Grant. The difference being that those other managers had established squads to rotate with, we never. It is only now we're being able to rotate quality with quality. Instead of bringing in a Pellegrino to replace a Hyypia, we're able to bring in an Agger to replace a Skrtel. We can bring in Ryan Babel to replace Albert Riera. People notice rotation less when quality is being replaced with quality.

Without that rotation of players, we'd never have witnessed Istanbul. We wouldn't have reached the final in Athens. Benitez knew he never had a squad capable of winning the league. He might have had a first 11 to have a good go, but would ultimately fail, and have nothing left to give in Europe or the FA Cup. Instead, he rotated the side to achieve the maximum possible with the players at his disposal. Resting key players in league games on the run in to Istanbul while trying to maintain that lucrative 4th spot. A position we failed to achieve that season, dropping to 5th behind Everton, but bringing home the holy grail more than overshadowed that slip. His whole philosophy thus far, to me, has been about ensuring that top 4 finish every season, while being as successful as possible in the cup competitions. As case of juggling the players at his disposal to achieve the best possible finish in all competitions. A European Cup, an FA Cup, a European Cup Final and another semi final pay testament to his juggling skills, all while maintaining that all important top 4 league position.

It can be argued we should have been pushing for the league title for the past two seasons, but at what cost? I don't believe we've had the players capable of winning the league, and think the manager has been of the same mindset. Last season we were closer than we had been for a long time, with the results in and around the Klinsmann saga really costing us. The chaos behind the scenes affecting the manager and the players. Pretty much sacrificing the away game at Reading to ensure we remained in the Champions League by beating Marseille a few days later. All over the pressure placed on the manager by the clowns that now own our club.

This year I get the feeling that Benitez has belief in his players. A belief that he finally feels confident enough in the squad at his disposal to have a real go at the league. He's still making small changes to the side, a player here or there, and seems to have a different attitude in Europe as well. Ensuring we qualify as soon as possible, presumably to be able to rest players in Europe and save them for league games by qualifying from the group as early as possible. Does he eventually have enough faith in the players he's assembled to have a firm assault on the league title?

We've had many false dawns over the past decade or so. How many final pieces of the jigsaw are we going to hear about? I'm not firmly of the mindset of sitting back and seeing what comes next. Not getting too excited, not getting to downbeat. Just sit back and see what each game brings. I'll start getting excited if we're within touching distance going into April, not before. Fingers have been burnt too many times now.

Last season we finished 11 points behind Man United. They beat us home and away. Reverse those results and we'd have finished a point ahead of them; meaning against the other 18 sides in the league, we actually had a better record than the actual champions. Are we really that far behind? That statistic says no. And having already beaten United at Anfield this season, who knows what lies around the corner.

Serious Challenge? Another false dawn? I've no idea, but intend to enjoy finding out.

Paul Jones

Comments

[Neil]

I am sorry to say that I haven't seen anything in the present Liverpool side to think they'll finish top this season. Far too many missed chances !

[quinn lennon]

Enjoyed the initial article first of all, not so much the grasp of maths from some :-0

I hate to say it but I think we've already seen the first chink in the armour with the great win at Chelsea followed up with the defeat at Spurs.

Yes we beat West Brom but all the top four will beat West Brom at home.

Chelsea under Abramhovic have raised the bar in recent years meaning the top team will win, win, win and win again and if you don't follow suit you'll lose ground fast!

We have put great runs together under Benitez; last season and also 2005-06 spring to mind but this time it's different. We're (joint) top and the pressure will become even more severe as we move in to 2009.

I'm not convinced we can handle it.

[Martin Harrison]

Your maths is wrong. Excluding games against each other Liverpool did not do better than Man U. Even without the 6 points we got off you, you would still have been 5 points behind.

[Conan]

Liverpool will struggle to win until they form a line up not relying only on two or three players. They will crumble as soon as they encounter some injuries.

[Bud]

i understand what your saying about last year beating us home and away 1 point ahead blah blah blah but that don't mean your going to win this year coz everything could go different all teams aren't going to have exactly the same wins and loses as last year manu might have 90 points this year or liverpool might have only 60 everything changes every year

[alan]

You can write a million words on this subject but it wont change the outcome! Chelsea will win the Premiership this season and United will come a distant second with Liverpool likely to be in third place. There have only been a handful of games played so far, we are only mid October yet people are rediculously promoting the idea of a team winning the title that hasn't won the thing for years? And this after some very suspect performances and results i.e. Middlesborough!
Look at the players that Chelsea are likely to have missing this weekend through injury...Drogba, Essien, Deco, Ballack, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Alex, Carvalho, Terry, Petr Cech! Yet what is the betting they take 3 deserved points off of Middlesborough in their own back yard! Can ANYONE tell me that Liverpool could lose the backbone of their first team like that and still expect them to get the result.
Not until Liverpool, Arsenal or for that matter Man City come up with a quality, in depth SQUAD of players will they realistically be in with a shout of the Premiership title!
Liverpool will be playing Chelsea in the Premiership in a few weeks time at Stamford Bridge, it should be a great game and give a better direct comparison between two sides with title ambitions this term.

[Dave N]

Oh dear Mohammed: "2nd best where they belong?"
Having won the league 2 years in a row, and countless times since you last came 2nd, let alone won it, does that make Liverpool, perennial 4th placers, an insignificant blip on the footballing landscape?
I don't normally comment, and disappointingly I do think Liverpool have improved again this year and are in with a shout. But i have a feeling that things might be determined by who keeps their strikers fit for the longest. UTD, with Rooney, Tevez, berba and Ronaldo, can probably afford an injury here more than Arsenal (Adebayor, V.Persie, Theo), Chelsea (Anelka & Drogba) and even liverpool. I really think you'll struggle if Torres misses even a few games.
Still too over reliant on 2 players. Best of luck though. Really. You have sucked for years so its nice to see you getting all excited again. You'll be crying over your cars on bricks by Xmas.

[Paul T]

On the whole a nice balanced article although the emphasis on the financial restrictions being a key reason for Liverpool not winning the league in some cases may be misplaced. Is the net spend between Liverpool and Man Utd THAT different since the PL was formed? I think its almost identical (or certainly not a big difference).

The away match to ourselves, Chelsea, will certainly be interesting although we do have a lot of injuries at the moment so I´m not sure just how much of a barometer it will be - we currently have the following out or doubtful:

Cech

Carvalho Terry Alex A Cole

Ballack Deco Essien

Drogba Anelka J Cole

[Stopshank]

Did everyone live in Leeds back in 1996?

[Mohammed_Khan 77]

The start is promising. The result against City was probably a key sign that the team has maybe the fight to challenge this season. We still have many challenges. However, an time you beat the Mancs its a good result.

The pattern of the team looks better and slowly the team seems to be playing together with more understanding. Reira has been a massive plus. Keane will improve and will have a big say in how we perform.

Sometimes it takes team for players to click and for a team to play in a certain way. I really hope Rafa gives Babel a chance on the right to give the side a real balance.

We can only hope to see the mancs "knocked off their perch", and consign Manchester United and their group of numpty supporters to where they belong, as 2nd best. We've had a enough of listening to ferguson's utter rubbish so its time for a change, and a decrease in their far eastern shirt sales !!!!

[Cook]

I think we would definitely need to buy at least 1 more player during the January transfer period.

We have an extremely strong strike force, spearheaded by Torres, supported by Keane and fast-improving Ngog. In the midfield, we have the Steven Gerrard who is recognized by Patrick Vieira as the world's best midfielder. We have superb passers, Lucas and Alonso. Alonso might not be a fast player, and he is found disappearing in Away games, but he is a master in terms of ball distribution. With the addition of Mascherano, who has gained his fame for man-marking Kaka during the Champion leg finals, Liverpool seems formidable in the midfield.

At the back, we have Hyypia. He might be slow, but he is wise, he is an experienced game reader. We have Jamie, who makes up the trunk of the penalty area with his dominance. And not to forget, we have Agger and Skrtel, who are touted as the future of Liverpool's centre backs. On the left, we have Riera, Babel, and Dossena. I think there's little to debate about their impact on the team after witnessing Babel's impressive performance during ManU's match, and Riera and Dossena's contribution during the ManCity match.

However, we seem vulnerable on the right. Arbeloa seems to be doing a good job. However, strong offense is still the best defense. We need to bring in a legitimate strong right winger (like Shaun Wright-Phillips) who can provide more width, who can penetrate the defense of the opposition, who can dribble past his opponent and create more opportunities. Kuyt may have a high work rate, but he simply doesn't suit liverpool's current flow of attack. I think rafa should put more faith in pennant. Pennant has improved tremendously ever since the day he joined liverpool and many has noticed his growing maturity during the last ten games of the Premiership last season. Either that, or rafa has to buy another winger so that the team would be more complete.

[Sam]

Woah!! As an Arsenal fan I know only too well the pain of a failed league challenge.

Last year I told myself I would begin to believe we would win the league if we were top New Year's Day (after tough away trips to Everton and Villa). On New Year's day we led by a point and then went on to win our next 4 matches.

I was at least 85% confident of winning the league. Then things ground to a halt.

Liverpool have a long way too go but I do believe they have the spine in place. However, as much as it hurts to say I think Chelski will be too strong.

P.S. I cannot believe Mascherano has not been mentioned in the comments or the article. Beieve it or not he is your most important player if you want to challenge for the league.

[Dave Paton]

Fair comment but it's a long road
and the squad players have to not just cover but world class.
I think it's the best league Liverpool side I've seen of late
and they are a definate threat to
Chelsea and Man United.
Don't think they have to worry about
Arsenal this season as they are lacking at least two mature midfielders to orchestrate things.
If Fabregas(mature beyond his years)
was to sustain an injury then I think they would struggle to get
Champions League next season.
Never should have sold Edu or Gilberto.

[Tony Russell]

Well summed up Paul Jones.
I think the upcoming games against Chelsea and arsenal will have a huge bearing on the push for this elusive title challenge, but so far, especially against Man Utd and moreso Man City, the spirit seems to be greater than it ever has to dig deep and come back from behind to win.
Going a goal or even two down against decent teams doesn't have to signal the end of it, as the Liverpool team that came back onto the pitch for the 2nd half of a Champions League final in Istanbul proved a few years back.
Transferring THAT spirit to every week and in games against the less fashionable sides (Middlesborough for starters) could well give Liverpool every chance of winning the Premiership.

Paul also makes one other very valid point - the Klinnsman saga.
Liverpool don't need any off the pitch dramas to interfere with the main objective - and then just maybe it'll all come good for them at last.
What price Carra would retire after that though?

[Matt Pomroy]

Good piece, but this is worth point out when considering Benitez.

He was, as Paul says, brought in to replace Houllier because the Spaniard won La Liga with Valencia on a budget comparatively smaller than his rivals, notably Barca and Real Madrid.

It’s easy to make the direct comparison with Liverpool up against their financially stronger rivals of Man United and Chelsea.

But in the year that Benitez won the title with Valencia he accumulated 75 points from a 38 game season. The same year in England Houllier’s Liverpool won 80 points from a 38 game season and came second to Arsenal.

[Bob]

To spell the maths out for you:

For Liverpool to have a better record against the other teams you have to ignore the results between Man U & Liverpool.

That means you take away 6 points from Man U, but you don't add 6 points for Liverpool because those games are being ignored.

So we would still be behind, but maybe we can change that this season..

[Justafan]

Good article. Great response from the readers. Lots of "if my auntie had ....she'd be my uncle" from you scousers. The games were played, you got beat, you finished where you did because thats all the points you actually earned in the real games. Stop trying to win the league without winning the games.
p.s.
Gallagher and Gerrard are worth a nod of respect.
Yours truly
A United Fan :-)

[Ben]

Superb article paul-you've echoed my views to a tee. LFC

[Andy**]

Good article laddy. There is a different feel to the atmosphere at Anfield this season. Maybe, having turned more corners than Lewis Hamilton, we could possibly bring back that elusive title. But lets not get to giddy at this point in time. Rafa is a fantastic manager and if you take into the equation what he was left interms of players in 2004, you can see what he's done at the club. Not only the first team but we have to also remember that the reserves won the league last year. We finally have strengh running through the club, the only weakness being at board level. Let's just hope we can finally win it whilst Sir Alex is still at the elm. To knock him off his perch would be a joy to behold for every Liverpool fan.

[Supa1878]

Of course all the Red Sh1te supporteres think it's a good article 'cos it brings false hope about yous winning the league.

How can in one sentence you say that Houlier was a grat manager and then in the next say that Beneathus was left with a crap team?

Houler was actually a good manager but yousll never win anyhting with the fat spanish waiter in charge.

[Mohammed Islam]

I would be a a special season to win the Champions League and Premier League this season, why not ??

The mancs did it in the aniversary of the Munich disaster, it would be a special season if, after 20 years of Hillsborough we could mark the season by returning to the top level.

Many would argue that 20 years ago, as well as the terrible events at Hillsborough, the 88-89 season marked the end of our dominance. The Arsenal defeat was a key event. Much as I loved King Kenny it marked the final moments of the his reign, when the team became tired, old and in need of fresh input.

While we have had a good start the mancs are move than capable of winning 6-7 games on a trot. I am not convinced that why can still do this. Also we still have to play Arsenal and Chelsea. Only after those games can we really judge.

The team are without doubt the strongest probably since the treble winning season, so I hope just for a challenge.

Mind due if we can't win it I would settle for seeing Manchester United get stuffed in the league and knocked out of Europe by Jose's Inter. That would be brilliant :)

[gerald brown]

Great article Paul - it's nice to see more analysis than emotion in a newspaper article about football.

As a Liverpool supporter I agree with your analysis - of course I would, wouldn't I. But the football Liverpool are playing looks "more right" than I have seen for a long time. Not great, not Arsenal - but more like Liverpool.

You never know ?

[John Wilson]

really interesting article with some new perspectives that seems to make a lot of sense. It would be easy to be pesimistic at this point considering last season we hadn't lost a game also until November. However this years team has had a fit Torres and I am really impressed with Riera. It just feels more right but by no means certain.

Somebody made comments about other teams improving at the same time as we are. We are much better going forward and always strong at the back with Jamie Carrager (who will hopefully be remember just as well in 25 years as Steven Gerrard). I think that the top 4 teams are so strong (just look at the Champions League last year) that any of them can beat each other on any day. It's who wants it most now.

If Gerrard, Carrager and Torres believe then its on. If any of them are out for too long or they lose faith then i'll be less confident too.

Come on you Reds!

[Geoff Banks]

They have a chance but every team in the prem has improved not just the top 4 it has become harder to go to the likes of wigan and sunderland and get three points!

Liverpool - Chelsea - Man utd will all be very close at the end of the season!

[steg]

rafa is goin to do this.Istanbul turned because we stood together and kept hope in our heart this is our year.