Destiny is a tool of the inactive. Fate a driving force for those who are uncomfortable in taking a central role, even during events in which they are the star. There are certain situations that arise that – once taken advantage of – appear almost preordained; but it is the active process of grasping that opportunity which will eventually determine success and failure.
In a team setting, where a collection of people must pool their talents together in order to achieve a common goal, there will always be a disparity between how much each individual can contribute. Those that are truly gifted can appear to defy any number of fates. No matter how dire the circumstances, they act as a balancing force. Their role is to be that initial platform. To establish a base and make sure that at the very least, there will be a chance to accomplish whatever objectives had already been set out. Some don’t even stop there.
No single contribution matters more than the next. Ultimately, in spite of how small or large they may be, so long as there is an active addition toward the end result, every effort counts. The talented, by their very definition, give more in any kind of collaborative project but the outcome would vary dramatically with no other input at all. The best conductor in the world can do nothing with those that do not know how to play instruments. Luis Suarez is right now playing beautiful music whenever he steps out onto the pitch. To play on the biggest stage however, this virtuoso is going to need some help.
Football isn’t as simple as being able to split the team into four separate groups like you would an orchestra, because certain personnel have to perform dual roles. Imagine asking someone to play two different things at any given time during a performance and that’s the equivalent of someone like Henderson having to deliver on both ends of the pitch. Instead of focusing on the instrument itself, focus on their contribution to the overall sound. Something like an violin or piano is going to add more than say a triangle.
Within that depiction there are a few distinct categories. Those whose sound will feature prominently; the aforementioned Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, whose movements on the pitch it can be said are of the effortless glide with which a pianist will slide his fingers along the keys and Steven Gerrard, still leading the horn section despite claims that he’s too old to do it. Whatever type of song it is that these players play will be the overall theme of the season. It’s possible that they alone could be enough to earn Liverpool a standing ovation at the end of the season but it’s incredibly unlikely.
At the other end of the scale there are touches of subtlety. Depth to a piece as it moves through its peaks and troughs. They are bridges; and though they will never grab the same attention as their more grandiose partners still there is a purpose – however deceptively tiny – to be served. Brad Smith and Jordan Ibe fit into this category perfectly. Though there aren’t as many opportunities for them to play as perhaps they’d like, nobody expects them to be the star of the show. At the moment they’re just getting used to their seats in the main amphitheater. Raheem Sterling and Jon Flanagan have shown what can happen once you become comfortable.
Lastly a group who appear throughout and are necessary to complete the composition. The drum beat that sets the rhythm while all around there are fantastical solo performances. It is how this group performs that will ultimately decide how far Liverpool can go this season. Within this cross section there is a handful of players who have make a step up. If they continue in this manner then anything is possible.
It matters that within the team, the best players reach their potential. They are the ones who set the ceiling for which everyone else can aim for. But the likes of Gerrard and Suarez were always going to have a large say in proceedings. It’s when the progression of someone such as Jordan Henderson propels him from background noise to front and center that the whole unit becomes elevated. In such an open season where anything seems possible, it’s within these outsiders that lies the key to a top four finish; or even more.
Beyond simply those that will play a regular part, there are others that will be looked upon to make a contribution. Understudies that have a chance and every right to make a name for themselves. Everyone that arrived in the summer barring Simon Mignolet – arguably Mamadou Sakho – and all those who will be acquired over this coming window; it could very well be down to one of them to make the difference. On a day when one of the headliners cannot reach a high note, it will be down to everyone else to make sure it goes unheard.
The difference can be summed up in two players. While Victor Moses appears to have the blues and is forever blowing raspberries into his own trumpet, Iago Aspas has suddenly made some noise of his own. Nobody has any clue what kind of instrument he’s playing (perhaps it’s Dion Dublin’s dube) or even whether it will ever mesh with the rest of the team but at least he’s making himself heard right now for the right reasons.
At some point in the season there will be a crescendo. A moment – or series of – which cannot be allowed to pass by quietly. If there are only a few able to reach the level of performance required, everything else that has gone before will fall flat. Brendan Rodgers has conducted things wonderfully so far but the tempo and intensity is about to rise inexorably. Perhaps at the end of it all, his Liverpool philharmonic will be touring the bright spots of Europe next season.
