Reverse Engineering The Title

With disappointment comes introspection. It's usually preceded by an interminable amount of anger and sadness but eventually the trail will lead inward. Sometimes it's unwarranted. Even after having exhausted every avenue and strained every sinew, thoughts turn inevitably to what could have been.

Hindsight can sometimes be nothing more than arrogance dressed in more appropriate clothes. Someone's own ego in formal wear. There are times when minor adjustments lead to obvious conclusions but when it comes to the unforeseen circumstances of a complex problem, the after the fact solution takes everything for granted.

A lot can happen in ninety minutes. Less so if you're watching the MLS. Every league game comes with a dissection and latterly entire seasons are given a thorough inspection. Within that scrutiny emerges a narrative that will then be pulled apart. Highs and lows are categorised into negatives and positives and while it's important to learn from the past in order to shape the future.

It happens frequently. Usually it hinges on refereeing decisions be they legitimate call or poor decision. On Tuesday night against Manchester United, Milton Keynes had a very good penalty shout turned down when the game was still in the balance. Had they gone on to lose that game it would no doubt have been dubbed the turning point, even though there was no guarantee of any spot kick being scored. Whenever a corner is given erroneously and subsequently scored, fingers often point toward the official rather than the defending. Again, the outcome determines the script from which we all work off.

The moment that a game – or even a season – potentially hinges isn't all-encompassing. It only exists at all because of that which preceded it and is only important because of what followed. To focus on it alone is to shut one eye. It will allow for closer inspection but ultimately prohibit any real depth. Fixating on the failure itself ignores everything that led up to getting close to success in the first place. Becoming infatuated with a winning goal may overlook the fact that it was fortunate. Without the scope for both, there will be no way to get anywhere near whatever ambitions that may be set.

Had Steven Gerrard not slipped, Liverpool would have been crowned Premier League champions last season. A fair assumption, if not a common consensus. It's not the act itself that needed changing but rather the response to it. Learning from the past is just that. Whatever repairs that are needed must take place in the present. Improvement cannot be made retroactively, it must come in the hereafter. Rodgers isn't coaching his players not to make mistakes but to be good enough to correct them.

We forget sometimes that the role of an opponent is to force defeat as much as it is to win. In order for a forward to do his job well, someone at the other end is very likely to be in the wrong. As much as anyone would like to eliminate deficiency completely, in sport it is an inevitability. Talent is not an equivalency and as such there will be an imbalance. Simply making those bad times vanish doesn't work.

When it's not singular instances that get scrubbed, results do. Remove all context completely and just change history altogether. “If only”. The ultimate in wishful thinking. Swapping two (very specific) scorelines around gives Arsenal the title last year, it's that easy. Only it isn't. One outcome affects the next and you very quickly enter a world of pure speculation. Had Sunderland beaten Manchester City, do they then go on to beat Chelsea that weekend? That one week, those two fixtures alone, a whole table thrown into chaos.

Southampton and Aston Villa at Anfield. Hull and West Brom away from home. Those the games in which Liverpool failed to win which they would have been favourites for. Visits to St. James Park and The Liberty Stadium could also have yielded more. Is it possible that the title could have been lost in October? In terms of pure mathematics, yes. In actual terms, no. Setback in those early games may have given Rodgers the catalyst to things on the training ground which led to the victories that were to come.

While it ultimately leads to nowhere, the theory is sound. More points gained on any season represents some improvement and in this case it would at the very least grant the Reds a shot at the title. In the tentative start already made, the opening day victory over Southampton already allows for a three point advantage over 2013-14. Getting to a greater total than last year is about being able to maintain the standard which saw so many victories, rather than micro managing those instances where it wasn't possible.

Ten from the first fifteen available. It's a more than creditable way to begin the Premier League toil. Seven from the next three is more than feasible and could also do more in terms of bettering past results when Aston Villa come to Anfield. In amassing enough points to be successful over the course of the next nine months some will always slip through our fingers. When that happens we just have to collect some from elsewhere.

That which will define this year is still far in the distance. The game to be dissected from every angle won't be played for some time. Any kind of real endeavour must be taken as a whole, which is why they say that the journey is more important than the destination. This trip has barely even started and already there's been a bump in the road. Spurs loom large on Sunday, waiting to make our passage even more difficult. We can't pick and choose what happens in a season any more than sections of a path can be skipped. Obstacles may seem immovable and we cannot close our eyes and ignore them. They have to be gotten through or around. Brendan Rodgers needs to find a way.

Begins. Falls. Rises.

Familiarity can sometimes be a trick of the mind. Know something for long enough and it's capacity to surprise seems to disappear while never vanishing completely. The capacity to change for the better is always there and while the challenge to simply maintain becomes ever greater, let the rest of them be duped into underestimating again.

In emerging from nowhere they became larger than life. Expectations were exceeded in a way that went above what most would have ever dreamt of. No longer was the idea of a nineteenth title consigned to the shadows. Challenging for the title wasn't new for this team but it was new for this team. This is all part of a story that's been told over and over. An old story for a new generation.

So how do you reignite the fire for a conflict that everyone seems to known inside and out? For most it won't take much. Off the field there has already been a lot of work in trying to breathe new life into that which we think we already know while maintaining that which worked so well. With the right attention to detail, a vision can be made reality. Only then can you take the kind of heritage that comes with LFC and make it your own.

Some interpretations don't work at all. When you have an entity that is so ingrained into popular culture that it becomes very clearly defined – by those who like it and those who don't – then there are parameters to work within. Even in those circumstances it's possible to be unique while maintaining that which people know. In certain hands however, these marks can be missed so much so that the end result then becomes like a parody of that which it once stood for. Roy Hodgson did for Liverpool what Batman and Robin did for cinema. In this instance, Brendan Rodgers has a little more of the Christopher Nolan about him.

Legacies are defined by what's left behind, long after the aspects that established it are gone. If everything crumbles to dust the moment that it's architect is gone, then the foundations weren't quite strong enough in the first place. The truly great can stand the test of time. At Anfield, those foundations have been rocked to the core over the last decade. At last there appears to be something with which we can build greatness upon.

Tomorrow will see the start of a new chapter. The third part of Brendan Rodgers' tenure at the helm. Year one gave us an introduction to this new incarnation, then came the much lauded sequel. Does the closing chapter of this trilogy end with Steven Gerrard lifting the Premier League trophy? We'll are thirty eight games and another emotional roller-coaster ride away from finding out.

Early previews suggest that hope is lost. More will have to be found. The stakes are higher now. There's a storm coming. Isn't that always the way? A resurgent Manchester United and a buoyant Arsenal; coupled with Chelsea and Manchester City whom Liverpool fought so hard last year and suddenly the rogues gallery appears very full.

Also, this time the battle will be as much internal as it is external. History doesn't get rewritten all that often. Every miskick and every dropped point will summon forth his name. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. He was once was the bane of Premier League defenders up and down the country; this time he will be Liverpool's reckoning.

For those on the outside looking in, Luis Suarez's departure will cast a great shadow over the club. He was born in the darkness after all, we merely adopted him. With that also comes the idea that last year was a fluke. Steven Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers won't be wallowing in a pit of despair, looking on as all their hard work is destroyed. There are bigger challenges that inevitably await, that must be met head on.

“Why do we fall?” asks Michael Caine's Alfred, in a voice just the right side of parody. “So that we can learn to pick ourselves up” comes the self supplied answer. It's a theme that echoes not just on the screen but as we strive to come up against whatever problems there are in our daily lives. A nice sentiment definitely - but also massively incorrect.

Ultimately there has to be a reason behind that fall in the first place. Simply continuing to stand isn't enough. Avoiding mistakes is as advantageous as learning from them. As far as Liverpool are concerned, such sentiments serve a dual purpose. Standing up in the face of adversity is more than honorable enough but this time around it's more about not letting anyone push them to the ground in the first place.

Whatever story there is left to tell and whatever ending we have yet to arrive at, everything looks much different now than when it started. In football it's often said that it's the hope that kills you. On the screen it was said that “there can be no true despair without hope”. That might be the way it felt in the immediate aftermath of the Chelsea and Crystal Palace games, but certainly not what those on Matthew Street would have said at 2am after the Newcastle game.

Faith can be poisonous when it is blind and unwarranted. But placed in the right hands and it will be rewarded. This team has just given us a season that even without a defining piece of silverware is unlikely to fade into the memory. Continuing in the same manor and trophies will not be far behind. There were not only incredible victories but the sheer scale and method of them, the likes of which we'll be looking forward to seeing again this year.

Maybe we've seen it all. Maybe we just think we have. Maybe the best is yet to come. Maybe they've given us everything. Well, not everything. Not yet.

Devil In The Details: Stop Telling Us What We Already Know

Little things make a big difference. For instance if you were to put the word modern in front of both football and art, it conjures up very specific imagery. Flocks of people gathered into overbearing, soulless hives; all looking to fill a void. Not all galleries are bad though.

Really honing a craft takes many hours of painstaking effort. Whether it be on the canvass or on the training ground, attention to detail is key. Everything that works well is there for a reason, so retroactively speaking it makes sense to assume that what's not there is just as important. Because the line between success and failure in sport is so incredibly small it can appear as though what would be needed to sway the balance is blindingly obvious.

From the outside looking in, even those of us that are well versed in footballing theory are only capable of reading any given scenario in a limited number of ways. Those with hands on experience and the physical ability to effect change get the full picture and there is no need for interpretation. Then again, the idea that someone watching from the stands can see something the manager can't isn't exactly a new one.

With more eyes on more of the game than ever before, with that comes more critics. Simply knowing – about any given subject – isn't enough for some people. Their insight has to be commended or opinions have to be validated. It's not enough to be right any more, it has to be illustrated and reiterated on a regular basis. Nothing happens on the football field with a hundred percent certainty.

There is very little that goes untracked these days. Mention a player and immediately there is a digital compendium available regarding every conceivable aspect. Judgements are made by both those on and off the pitch, after which only one group makes decisions. This process is too much for some, who will try and prove all sorts of things before the ink is dry on his contract. The reasons why we like or dislike a player don't have to be rational but when it comes to Liverpool, the very least they should be given is courtesy and respect. No-one ever knows for certain prior to a ball being kicked and regardless of any labels they may have, there won't be a consensus on anyone that isn't either lazy or too obvious.

The difference between players at the highest level are so small that when true quality shines through, that gap is large enough so that it doesn't need pointing out. Also, because of the minutiae involved in a single game, let alone a whole season; failure does not instantly validate any pre conceived notions. Look at the difference in Luis Suarez playing alongside Andy Carroll as opposed to Daniel Sturridge. In both scenarios the ability of everyone involved doesn't alter but they are regularly used to substantiate all sorts of claims. In the case of the former, it was once argued that Suarez would never be a prolific goalscorer at the top level.

Only over an elongated period of time – when a negative has been shown to be truly consistent – does the point have any real weight behind it. The problem now is that these valid arguments are being taken and manipulated into something else. Driven home to the point where conformation bias comes into play and all objectivity is lost. Glen Johnson is the easiest current example to use. For the purposes of this, it's only worth taking into account the time since Brendan Rodgers took over.

The statsheet reads like a horror story. One league goal and six assists in sixty five out of seventy two possible games. It would be cynical and easy to suggest that if he were playing for another club, under no circumstances would he be wanted here. That's understandable but Rodgers clearly does; for now at least.

Is it because of the sheer weight of information that someone will make the right choices or does it matter what is then done with that data? Coaches can know the game of football like the back of their hand but if they don't know how to effectively communicate these ideas then they are effectively sterile.

While in Johnson's case there may be enough evidence to suggest immediate exile from Anfield, whatever can be seen Rodgers is unlikely blind to it. Because of his history with the player and a lack of viable alternatives both in house and elsewhere, in the immediate future he will be a part of this team. Spending the following twelve months – after which he is likely to leave anyway – pointing out his flaws would be as valuable as alerting everyone to the colour of his shorts.

This also applies in reverse. Making a stand against popular opinion because it's widely regarded is very peculiar but not uncommon. A handful of good games and there will be calls of a “return to form” as well as other people reaching out, cherry picking numbers and passages of play that make it appear as though Liverpool suddenly have Phillip Lahm, Javier Zanetti and Lillian Thuram all rolled into one. Warts and all, he will always be Glen Johnson. If the manager doesn't know what he does or doesn't bring by now, this is a completely different conversation.

With the new season rapidly approaching, lines already being drawn. Dots being connected. Lovren, Sakho and Skrtel will each be both hero and villain every week. Every moment Rickie Lambert makes – from the dressing room onward – will be charted. It's not that these things are being said blindly but the idea that they're the only one noticing is. So many of us standing in front of a picture that Brendan Rodgers had made look so good last year, all arguing about subtext and conjecture. If we stop arguing, we may be able to appreciate the art of it all once again.

Points Make Prizes: Tackling The Anfield Wrap's 84 Point Question

Foresight tends to be as punctual as it is inaccurate. If something is to be proven right, chances are it will be too late. Seeing into the future is nigh on impossible and yet it's attempted with great regularity. The satisfaction that comes with knowing something – or at least perceiving to – in advance is very much part of the allure that comes with gambling and subsequently being rewarded for it. It doesn't matter whether they are long shots or dead certs, people can't get enough of being right.

To speak hypothetically about events that haven't occurred yet, is to flirt with fantasy. Even the most grounded and rational of responses bear only a passing semblance to reality for there are always dictating circumstances and unforeseen intangibles. These kind of scenarios are asked more because of their insight to a person's thinking as opposed to the accuracy or legitimacy of their answer.

The question – offered up by Neil Atkinson of The Anfield Wrap - that has been laid before everyone over the summer has been whether or not to duplicate last seasons net result. Nothing else, just a guaranteed eighty four points. The gamble being that it would probably guarantee Champions League football for the following campaign but potentially forfeit a title challenge in favour of stability. But before you place any bets, lets have a look at the odds.

First of all lets look at the minimum requirements. To finish in the top four next season and keep the wheels turning, over the last five seasons you would need an average of 71.8 (we'll call it 72 and from here on in, any decimal number will be rounded up). This is well below the established threshold and further proof that taking it keeps Liverpool in the Champions League for next season.

The established method of getting there was hitting the benchmark of two points per game. Win your home games, draw the aways; it was like a mantra. Since there have been quadruple places available, it would have done the job every single time until last season (Liverpool did hit this mark exactly in 06/07 so there may be an issue on goal difference but the point still stands). Over the last few years the Premier League has changed dramatically. The places that were on offer in Europe's elite competition used to be enough. Not any more.

Sky's baptised “Big four” were a glass ceiling for so long. There was very little chance of any side having the quality to break into that group and they had to be content with being better than most but nowhere near good enough. Liverpool have since fallen and risen at the same time as Manchester City's financially backed ascension. Even without looking at a resurgent United there's still Everton and Tottenham who can at least believe that they can crack into that category now. The belief is there and especially after what we've all collectively witnessed it cannot be ignored. Whatever the legitimacy of the claim, six into four doesn't work.

A decade ago the gap between third and fifth was nineteen points. It was the same the following campaign and seventeen after that. There was a definite chasm there. Two years ago Tottenham recorded their best ever Premier League haul and it wasn't good enough. Last season was the first in five in which third was double figures above fifth and even then Everton's tally was above the aforementioned average needed to qualify. It's become a whole lot harder simply to miss out entirely.

Simultaneously the quality at the front of the league has evened out a little or that the rest of it has become so bad that simply by dispatching of it consistently it's possible to bridge a gap in quality. Liverpool have done exactly that over the last twelve months and in spite of everything else, there's no reason for it to change. As such, while it's gotten harder to break into the top tier in English football; to win it has actually become easier.

Given that Brendan Rodgers' team earned enough last season to be runner up six out of the last ten, it's safe to say that any kind of repeat would be enough to put Liverpool in contention. From needing to accrue over ninety, the last five times the trophy has been lifted have all been under that mark. Over that space of time, eighty six would be enough and coincidentally that's exactly the number that was required by Manchester City. Quite simply, if there is any improvement at all, it could very well do the trick.

Even with all the prior knowledge in the world, football is never as easy as it seems on paper. A figment of my imagination playing out an alternate reality doesn't behave in quite the same way the real thing does, despite the amount of times they've been seen before. They look and feel very familiar but when the smallest detail can make the biggest difference, any kind of forecast disappears into the wind.

When the margin is so small between having the kind of success we've all waited so long for in winning the league and what would represent a massive backward step in finishing fifth or below, it's very easy to understand taking certain things for granted. Guarantees of anything – let alone a number of points – are very hard to come by in football.

Whether playing it safe or taking a chance at further glory, it has to be said that getting to the same mark again in the first place would be an achievement. Unshakable proof to the few doubters that remain that this team isn't just a flash in the pan. There are doubts that without Suarez, simply repeating isn't possible. With him in our ranks it wouldn't have been that straightforward. Easier perhaps, but who knows. When it comes to being underestimated, this team loves defying those kind of predictions.  

Football By Numbers: Why Stats Are No Fun.

On their very brightest day, facts and figures are encouraging. Nobody truly gets excited and punches the air in delight after discovering a particularly pleasing conversion rate, the reaction you're more likely to come across is one of mild appeasement. The emotional equivalent of being at a party with barely anyone you know only to discover an old acquaintance. Life isn't suddenly inexplicably perfect but it's better than it was a moment ago.

That's not to say that I'm some kind of Hodgeasaurus who doesn't believe that stats have any relevance, far from it. What can be gleamed from them is useful but no conversion rate discussion captures the excitement of Daniel Sturridge when he's through on goal. The problem is that by and large, numbers are cold and unfeeling. Mourinho-esque in their rigidity. They're a slap to the face of ambiguity, with the ability to instruct and inform but very little else.

Football is a deluge of numbers. Because of their importance, they're forever in the top left corner of the minds eye. After a period of very clearly defined seconds and minutes, all that matters is for one side of a hyphen to be greater than the other. Those on the pitch - the people we put all our faith and hope in – once they cross that line all at once lose their identity and assume that of something greater. There was a time – feels like an eternity now – when Fernando Torres' name was sung with pride. Anfield would bounce along in honour of Liverpool's number nine and while it may seem that it may now forever be the height of his fame, there was no real magic in that fabric.

That shirt has a lineage which makes it coveted, so much so that it's current occupant spoke of his pride in adorning it for the first time on Saturday against Preston. Having been associated with players of the calibre of Rush, Fowler and Heighway mean that there is expectation. Whether or not Rickie Lambert will live up to that at Liverpool is still up for grabs. One thing is for sure. He's much more worthy of such a label than El Hadji Diouf ever was. Iago Aspas' decision to take that shirt last year looked brave and endeared him somewhat but ultimately only ever added a pressure his ability wasn't able to cope with. I doubt he'd make that same choice twice.

It goes even further than that. People generate their favourite figure by any number of frivolous means. Sometimes they're even capable of wielding some kind of magic. I'm not sure quite how a symbol used to represent quantity was somehow conferred these powers but thirteen in particular has a reputation. For better or worse, our strive for individuality leads to this. Fondness can be found because of any remote connection. The reason that Liverpool have a relationship with the number five is not because of our collective worship of terrible boy bands from the nineties. Similarly United love 1999 because they're all massive Prince fans. Obviously.

I've been told that they never lie, but Shakira's hips tell me they're not telling the whole truth. A last minute winner numerically speaking is the same as any other goal. It's simply one more to the tally. There's no way what happened in the dying moments at Craven Cottage in February can be described as trivially as that. Three points may be all that were awarded that day, same as any other victory. The manner in which they were obtained and the momentum that followed will never be represented.

Brendan Rodgers and his team have over the last twelve months kept the scoreboard ticking impressively. Over a hundred goals. Eighty four points. In the end however, it didn't quite add up. Looking at the table at the end of the season made for joyless reading, if you focus solely on the numbers. What'll raise a smile in years to come will not be sums and tallys, but headers and volleys.

Endings are the perspective from which all history is written. Those that triumph – have and always will set the narrative. The final score becomes the point from which the story is told. Any previous events that do not fit that mould are either bent into shape or discarded altogether. Spain were moments away from going into their encounter with the Netherlands in Salvador. David Silva probably should have doubled that lead moments before Daley Blind's cross field ball and Van Persie's incredible leap. Five-one doesn't care about all that. The result will even gloss over the epic nature of the goal which ultimately turned the tide. Five-one remains unmoved.

As languages go, binary does not have the capacity to convey Coutinho's goal against Manchester City. It was a feeling that can barely be quantified into words, let alone digits. There was something very Shakespearian about last year. Old Bill at his uppermost grandiose. Often baffling, defying all convention and eventually turning to tragedy. To address it simply in ones and twos would be to ignore what joy there remains in football.

Only one team can ultimately be crowned Champions of England and just because Liverpool slipped on their way to the throne does not invalidate everything that went before it. A sequence of incredible adventures that stir the heart, not a series of complex equations that tax the mind. Last season wasn't about an upward gradient. It was poetry in motion.

(H) West Ham - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 7th April 2013
                                                Anfield

                                  Liverpool VS West Ham

Another Sunday afternoon kick off, another encounter with a team that plays in claret and blue.  Following up on victory over Aston Villa last week, this one doesn't have quite the same edge.  For starters there is no need to look for any immediate redemption in that Villa may have beaten us at Anfield but our record against the Hammers makes much more pleasant reading.  Secondly, with the fact that they're perched in a relatively safe midtable slot there is no real danger of them coming to Anfield desperate for a point.  That's not to say they won't make it hard for us.  We only have to look to their manager for proof of that.

It would take a miracle or some other unforseen sign of the apocalypse, but I sense that we'll have a lot of the ball this afternoon.  Allardyce's men tend to take a hot potato approach to the game of football and if any of them hold onto it any period of time it will inevitably be followed by a demand to kick it high and long.  The middle of the park will need to be claimed as quickly as possible and I would be shocked if Henderson wasn't included to assist with that.  We saw in the game at Upton Park earlier on in the season how they can over run us if we back off, Diame in particular was spectacular that day and part of the reason why we got back into it was that he was forced off via injury.

More than anything we need to keep West Ham on the back foot as the precise thing they're very good at is our Achilles heel right now.  Defending set plays will be key and Carlton Cole will no doubt be looking to rough up our centre halves much as he did in the reverse fixture.  Hopefully Jamie Carragher's calming influence as of late will limit these moments to an absolute minimum.  Looking out alongside Carra in defence, it could be a good day for Glen Johnson to find some form again.  He was almost on a par with Luis Suarez in terms of effectiveness at one point - and let's be fair, no-one was ever really going to get close to him so that's a compliment in itself - but has cooled off as of late.  Johnson has scored against West Ham in our last three encounters with them.  Hopefully that's a trend which will continue today.

In terms of shape, because we're almost certain to be afforded a lot more space, I'm wondering whether Rodgers will opt to put Sturridge in there and go with the two in midfield.  If that were the case, it would require one of Coutinho or Downing to be benched to work properly - Lucas and Gerrard in a flat midfield could get outmanoeuvred very quickly - and it would be unfortunate if either one had to miss out.  Certainly the temptation would be there to go with the same team that won at Villa Park last week and given that I'm not sure how well Sturridge's injury is coming along then it's tough to gage.  I can certainly see the need for added attacking threat given how they'll sit deep and require a lot of work to break down but would hate to see it come at the expense of our shape in the middle of the park.

The temptation is there to say that with Everton playing Spurs, there are points to be dropped for those above us.  Truth is, that doesn't matter any more.  We simply have to get as many points as possible and whatever wants to align in front of us we will have to accept.  Even though this is likely to be a very attritional game of football and at times very uneasy on the eye - Allardyce will do that to you - I think we're doubly fortunate in that West Ham don't have that much to play for either and Andy Carroll isn't playing.  He would have something to prove and has been in decent form for them as of late.  Joe Cole meanwhile will try to come back and haunt us but I have a feeling this may be just one in a catalogue of limp performances at Anfield for him.  Some games have a lot riding on them or a multitude of angles that at any time could spark the match into life.  This isn't one of them.  Get the points and move on.

(A) Aston Villa - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 31st March 2013
                                                Villa Park

                                  Aston Villa VS Liverpool

It's been far too long since we last stepped off the pitch having been sorely brought back down to earth against Southampton.  Champions League football is all but mathematically ruled out and it's looking more complex than ever as to whether we'll be able to make European football at all.  It could come down to having to root for a some variation of an all English Europa League final.  I've even started looking at the fair play table!

Whatever run we were hoping to make had been blocked off before we could get into any sort of stride.  The international break has seen us have to stew over the fact that the season is more or less over with eight games to go.  That's no excuse for letting this one go today.  After what happened at Anfield in December, we owe them one.

Things may not have gone according to plan for Brendan Rodgers in his first season in charge but that's nothing compared to what Paul Lambert has had to endure.  Having taken the Premier League by storm last season with Norwich it was only natural that some of the shine would come off this season (the same can be said for Rodgers) but nobody would have expected Villa to be in quite as much trouble as they have been.  Having been dragged firmly into a relegation battle, at one point it looked like the League Cup was to be their salvation but even that turned into a morale sapping loss at the hands of Bradford.

They may be down at the wrong end of the table but have found themselves some form having beaten relegation rivals QPR and Reading in successive games.  Their victory at Anfield - which still rankles - will also give them the confidence to know that they can beat us.  As such it will be vital that we look after Benteke far better than we did that day.  We're likely to have a lot of the ball as despite being at home I expect they'll set up something like the away side.  If Rodgers has been trying to work on our vulnerability at set pieces this will be the perfect test to see whether any of it is paying off.

For once there is good news following an international break in that not only has no-one comeback with an injury but that it's given allowed Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher some much needed recovery time.  I'm hopeful in that Jordan Henderson will be able to inject some energy into the midfield now Joe Allen has finally been ruled out for the season with the club having actually opted to have the operation he needed.  No doubt when it's all over we'll look to certain games which became the fine line that prevented us from finishing even higher; the 3-1 defeat at Anfield being on top of that list.  If Villa are allowed to complete the double over us and we do go on holiday now that everything appears to have been lost, we may be looking far higher up the table than anyone would like.

(A) Southampton - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Saturday 16th March 2013
                                                St Mary's

                                  Southampton VS Liverpool


Tottenham was the platform. The stepping stone from which we could find our way to having a successful end to the season.  It's a game that could be remembered for years to come if it counts for something at the end of the season.  In that regard we cannot let that effort go to waste today.

Despite the joy and relief last Sunday, we've not really got anything to celebrate as of yet  and with the FA Cup semi final draw placing together Man City and the winner of Man United versus Chelsea, our route back into Europe just got a little bit harder.  At the moment fifth spot is the only guarantee of continental football. So while we're gunning for that, we may as well make a run at fourth.

Of all the teams down in the scrap for survival, Southampton are the one making the least amount of noise. They made their move in swapping Nigel Adkins for Mauricio Pochettino and are now seemingly calm enough to deal with the situation without grand proclamations having to be made about their end of season run in like Aston Villa or QPR.  The former Espanyol manager had and initial boost that saw them beat Manchester City but as of late has seen them only pick up one point in their last three.  It's a perfect collision of a team in great confidence meeting a team looking to find some.  Here's hoping Southampton are still looking at 5pm today.

If he does come back into the squad today, I'm hoping Pepe Reina is in the kind of form he showed in our last away game, although I'd like to hope he's not called upon to make as many saves, in spite of how good they all were.  The make up of the midfield will be interesting to see and with no sense of how Allen or Henderson will be used from here on in, I'd like to hope we get the energy from Jordan but would understand if we went for the same team that dealt with Wigan a fortnight ago under similar circumstances.  Just like in that game I'm really excited to see more from Coutinho. What he has shown so far is very encouraging and the longer he can keep contributing something, the more it will underline just how class he is.  Certainly Pochettino will know all about that, having had him on loan in Spain last year and was also keen on getting him to come to St. Mary's while we were after him.  Thankfully he'll be wearing the Liverbird today.

It's strange to be far less confident in this game than I was last week. I had this sense that it had been far too long since we had beaten Spurs and really felt like the game was ours to win.  Equally, I know that Southampton are desperate for the points and it would be just like us to fall at this hurdle.  We've won three in a row now and this would be a step forward in terms of continuity to get ourselves a fourth.  Today could be the day where we break the shackles of our inconsistency these last few years.  If we stay chained to them, European football will disappear over the horizon very quickly.

(H) Tottenham - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 10th March 2013
                                                  Anfield

                            Liverpool VS Tottenham Hotspur


This is an occasion for football fans, not just those who follow the fortunes of either Tottenham or Liverpool. If you enjoy football then on show today are two of the Premier League's best players. Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez have respectively done wonders for their clubs and are always at the top of any defenders primary concerns. It's unfortunate in a way that they aren't going up against each other directly but it's safe to say that the team who deals with them better will be the one who comes out on top. They are both players who can change a game in an instant and as such it will require full focus for ninety minutes from whichever defenders that Brendan Rodgers decides to put out there.

After the emphatic victory over Wigan which now feels like an age ago, we're settling down to make the final push for the end of the season.  The good news is that Daniel Sturridge has been passed fit (and I never thought I'd be saying this) but it may come at the cost of Stewart Downing, who would be unlucky to find himself out of the line up after last week.  Sturridge may not be the only change as Martin Skrtel is fit again and I've a funny feeling he'll play as well as Jordan Henderson, whom I erroneously focused on last week only for him to not even make the starting line up.  Whoever does take to the field, we're in good spirits and - West Brom aside - great form at home.  This one would be far sweeter than any of those previous wins, three points against a top side in the league.  Both against Spurs and in terms of someone above us, we're due one.

While it's true that we will certainly have to be on our toes regarding Gareth Bale, ignoring the rest of the team could prove to be very costly indeed.  Today could very well be the day that will make a fringe player very happy. From Assou-Ekotto to Sebastian Bassong and Erik Edman, some of Spurs' lesser lights have a habit of saving their wonder strikes for games against Liverpool. I'm nervous enough as it is that Emmanuel Adebayor will awaken from his seasonal slumber and suddenly look like a world beater.

Spurs have played two full games over the last seven days and while their emphatic win over Inter Milan wasn't quite as tiring for them as I'd hoped it would be it's still very difficult for any side to win three games in a week.  Whatever tiredness is there will certainly help us in trying to keep them quiet, especially on the break where their pace can be deadly.

Defeat today would all but officially extinguish whatever faint hope there lingered in terms of finishing in the top four. If we do manage to win however, confidence will soar and the impossible may have got a little easier.  Away from home Spurs seem to have some kind of hold over us and managed to win in the last three seasons while we've not managed to inflict any damage on them whatsoever   This time has to be different, we have to show that even though we're unlikely to join them in the Champions League next year, we are still capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

Three Hundred and Sixty Degrees of Viciousness

Both in football and in life, there is no fixed point to which we might one day arrive at. There are differing levels of joy and accomplishment that everybody hopes to attain, and though it takes great perseverance to get there, it can all disappear in an instant.

Those that remain constantly successful must change and adapt as circumstances dictate over time. For the many that are not yet where they want to be, the journey is even harder.

Progress isn’t something that can be measured in a straight line.

Liverpool are at a point where right now where the attacking areas look to be finally firing and suddenly the defence is as leaky as it has been in years. Complications rise up from unexpected areas and solutions can be just as fortuitous.

On the field and in terms of the standing in English football, these are the worst of times that Liverpool Football Club has faced for many a year. That’s not meant to sound critical, but rather establish how things are right now. Champions League football – once a minimum requirement – is now all but a feint possibility.

We must learn to accept our position, but never accept it as our fate.

Liverpool Football Club didn’t fall away from greatness, it was held over the edge and then finally pushed.

Rafa Benitez did his best to dig his heels in and prevent this descent, Kenny Dalglish and FSG re-established some footing, so at the very least nobody is staring down at the abyss we were confronted with a couple of years ago.

Still, there now remains a mountain to climb simply in order to return to where Liverpool was but five years back. In an industry where a week is a long time in football, think how much damage can be done in that length of time.

Watching the way teams react to conceding a goal tells you a lot about the individual and team mentality. When there’s nothing left to lose Liverpool often come roaring back. Hulk’s goal at Anfield last week should have been enough to completely kill the tie but that was never going to happen. The problems occur against a team which has no business taking the lead in the first place. For years now, Liverpool have had this flaw with which they allow underdogs to dictate terms to them; it’s one of the reasons they’re so good when they are in that role.

Though it’s loathsome to hold them up as the perfect model, whenever someone scores against Man United the players are downright indignant. There’s an immediate backlash, which almost inevitably leads to them being level if not even leading before long.

Because this has been a concern for some time, however, both our players and fans as well as the opposition are fully aware of it. Coupled with the long-standing profligacy issue and you have the perfect storm.

Both identifying and acknowledging weakness is healthy and important for those that want to become better.

Unfortunately, right now Liverpool – both on the pitch and in the stands – are caught in a holding pattern. Whenever the signs are recognised, there is panic. West Brom at Anfield is the perfect example. The way things played out in the mind transmitted themselves onto the pitch like a horrifying self-fulfilling prophecy.

Right now, the problem isn’t so much that things can go wrong, it’s the acceptance that when there are a few indicators it then becomes inevitable. To win, sometimes a team or an individual has to be defiant, even in the face of what is in their very nature. Only then will these struggles with fragility start to become addressed.

For John W. Henry and Brendan Rodgers, the plan was to start again.

“Year zero”, it had been christened, and most fans bought into the idea of having a completely clean slate and starting again. The problem is that as a concept it’s completely untrue. It would have particular resonance were the playing staff entirely new but for the most part it was the same faces that had underachieved last season.

Discarding the last two years is to ignore all that which worked in the previous regime and much more importantly forget about the problems that so badly needed fixing. You can’t go into a situation with the same components and expect a completely different result, no matter how well they are put together.

In spite of the longing disappointment that surrounded Liverpool in the league last season, Kenny Dalglish did a better job with the team than he’ll ever likely get credit for. Even with that being said, the reminders of a once great footballing empire can be seen all over his face.

What Liverpool needed was something new.

The need for a fresh start, to forget how far the club had fallen, that was much more important in terms of managing short and long term expectation. However this current incarnation of Liverpool FC will be judged, it would do more harm than good to hold it up against the ghosts of the past.

Times change and people move on.

Steven Gerrard, Pepe Reina, Martin Skrtel, Jamie Carragher and Lucas Leiva were all present in the 4-1 victory over Manchester United. On the flip side, Jonjo Shelvey, Martin Kelly, Daniel Agger and Lucas again all played some part of the team that was dumped out of the League Cup at Anfield to Northampton Town. Those two games represent both the apex and nadir of Liverpool’s recent past.

The Northampton game is now over two years old. Year zero may have had a nasty side-effect in papering over the cracks from last season but it was necessary to lay down a marker and move on from the turmoil and in-fighting that’s gone on over the last few years.

Brendan Rodgers has come in and put his individual stamp on the team, yet the goal is so that a few years down the line a collective identity will be so strong that that the presence – or absence – of one man will not imbalance the team.

Last year, Lucas Leiva’s disappearance led to an almighty collapse in form, and there’s something to be said of the Liverpool team that contains Daniel Sturridge and the one that does not.

Wherever the club ends up finishing in the league, there is much hard work still to do.

Many believe that the quality of players Champions League football would attract to Anfield will help with the problems in consistency. If anything it’s the other way around. If Liverpool can find that consistency, top four football will not be far behind.

(A) Wigan - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Saturday 2nd March 2013
                                               DW Stadium 

                                  Wigan Athletic VS Liverpool

For days we have been stewing. It has been a long wait since the last time we stepped off the picth, having just fallen at the last hurdle against Zenit. It was a mammoth comeback that just fell short. Today Wigan will feel the brunt of that bottled up frustration.

Wigan are a very difficult side to gauge. At times they look dead and buried but towards the end of the season always appear to rise up and pick up enough results that will see them remain in the Premier League for another season. They're hardly the most alluring of teams and will never attract any of the worlds top talent and so the spotting of a talent like Figueroa and before that Valencia & N'Zogbia as well as the nurturing and resurgence of someone like Franco Di Santo, who has gone from a joke figure to a fully capped Argentine international.

In spite of both the location and Dave Whelan - who is probably as loathsome a figure as there is in football - I do have a certain respect for them. Most of that is down to Roberto Martinez, who has proved in a industry filled with faux-loyalty that some people are still capable of sticking with a club that has given them a chance. Also, the style of football with which he has instilled into his team and stubbornly stuck to at times is very admirable. Wigan's perennial survival is primarily down to the nous of their manager and his ability to bring in the right kind of player.

With Daniel Sturridge ruled out, our task has gotten infinitely harder due to the fact that in such a short space of time he has added so much to our attack. I'd certainly like to see Coutinho play but other than that the majority of the side will be the one that came so close to overturning Zenit. Suarez will be once again the focal point but in a game where most of the action will be in the middle third of the park I'm looking for a massive contribution from the midfield. Jordan Henderson will be the one with the impetus to go forward and this could be another important game in terms of his continuing growth as a player.


It sounds unlikely and there are bound to be bumps along the way but from here on in we need perfection. Picking up maximum points from our remaining games is the tallest of orders for a team that has such problems with consistency but at the very least we can give ourselves a chance with victory today. It's not about winning them all but rather winning enough to hang around in the race for Europe while other teams play each other. If a gap opens, the only chance we'll have to take advantage of the points that will inevitably be dropped is if we build up a head of steam. The later we leave it to get going, the more unlikely it will be to effect anything.

(H) Swansea - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                 Sunday 17th February 2013

                                                  Anfield

                                      Liverpool VS Swansea

Football never ceases to surprise. Whether you're talking of evolution or revolution, both take a large amount of time. Right now however we've gone from being on the cusp of getting everything in working order to being completely broken and in need of major surgery again in the space of seven days.  Hopefully this will be the start of the rebuilding process.


Our capitulations have cost us dear this year. After having played well enough against Zenit to have something, once again mentality becomes an issue that rears it's head. Things have now reached almost epidemic proportions and for the first time in a long time questions have to be asked right throughout the squad. The last time I felt like this was walking out of Anfield in November last year after having been dumped out of the league cup by Swansea.

The away could be forgiven for looking down on us with a little contempt today. Their previous manager - having left them for greener pastures - going through difficult times while they prepare for Wembley next week.  Unfortunately - as far as this game is concerned - that might just work in our favour today. There's every chance even if Laudrup puts out all those that are likely to play next week in the League Cup final that their minds are elsewhere. Whether or not we face a reserve side or not, there will need to be some reaction to events as of late from the men in red. Even if it really is too late to save our season, they still need to fight.

If you asked me to explain it or even suggested the idea to me a short while ago, I wouldn't be able to and would have discarded it. However, Daniel Sturridge has come into this Liverpool team and suddenly made us a vastly superior side. Having had enough time on the sideline to recover and not being under any pressure to play on Thursday, Sturridge can come back into the team and hopefully we'll pick up as a unit where he left off against Norwich.

It's clear now that consistency will elude us for a while yet. Even a win today would prove little on it's own, which is not to say it's not needed or worthwhile. One thing is for sure, going into the must win game with Zenit on Thursday on the back of anything less than a win today will make the confidence around Anfield dip even lower.  Despite the performances against City and Arsenal, we need wins and if nothing more, we need to avoid going another game without victory. It's probably not going to be the three points that will get us into the top four at the end of the season, but without them we can forget going anywhere at all, other than backward.

(A) Zenit St Petersburg - Pre Match Thoughts

Europa League

                                          Thursday 14th February 2013

                                         Petrovsky Stadium 

                             Zenit St Petersburg VS Liverpool


It seems like a lifetime ago now. The images are still relatively clear. A smiling, rueful Antionio Di Natale, having just missed the chance to knock Liverpool out of Europe. Jordan Henderson and Brendan Rodgers embraced and the midfielder applauded those that had made the trip. It had been a battle but was by no means Liverpool's best ever victory on the continent but it didn't matter. We had won and with it claimed top spot in the group. Our reward? A trip to Russia in winter. Great.

It may not be at the top of everybody's wishlist but the fact remains that realistically, this is our only chance of even a glimmer of success  That being said I would be surprised if there weren't a couple of changes made, both in the wake of what happened on Monday and with another game on Sunday to follow. Daniel Agger has been left at home and Martin Skrtel will be given an opportunity to balance out his performance in the Oldham game against his former club.

The first leg of any tie is usually quite defensive and tight with neither side wanting to give anything away. In recent years things have swayed in that direction even more with home teams have become more accepting of a goalless draw and the focus being on preventing the travelling side from any away goals. Without Sturridge to call upon there will likely be changes in the attacking areas also, Fabio Borini the likeliest to get the nod given that he didn't play against West Brom. Scoring at any point in this game will could be pivotal to the entire tie.

Zenit are quite possibly the most difficult opponent we could have been drawn against in terms of quality, let alone the fact that we've had to travel so far. Hulk is someone that was touted to be one of the top strikers in Europe and we'll do very well to keep him quiet. If we can do that then with Suarez at the other end there's always a chance we could make something happen.

Playing in Europe is always something to cherish. The chance to match up with sides all across the continent and tonight we really have to be on our game against a side that is packed with talent. Whatever happens we have to make sure that the tie is still alive and well for the second leg next week. Just because Anfield is a place where special things happen in Europe - and I always feel confident about a tie when that is the case - we shouldn't be relying on it. 

(H) West Bromwich Albion - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                 Monday 11th February 2013

                                               Anfield

                       Liverpool VS West Bromwich Albion


Almost as if by design, all the pieces have been put into place perfectly. We're looking for revenge, following an opening day defeat which started our season on a sour note. Taking part in the very kind of game which we've notoriously had difficulty with in recent times. How typical would it be after the performances against City and Arsenal to let this one slip through our fingers. Now is the time for the team to go on a run. It needs to. We have to.

As far as the cast is concerned, there will be a familiar face in the opposition dugout as Steve Clarke returns to Anfield for the looking to put a halt to his own struggles as well as getting one over on his previous employers. Following an awful run that spanned about two decades during which they didn't even score against us, Albion have enjoyed a decent run of form which included a win at Anfield last season. They're having a horrible time of things lately and could - much as they Hodged us out of the game last year - get everyone behind the ball and hoping to catch us on the break.

Squashing the lower midtable teams has been something we've done very well this season. Our last three at home (Norwich, Sunderland and Fulham) have saw three wins, a total of twelve goals scored and zero conceded. This is something that will need to continue for some time before teams start to be afraid of coming to Anfield again, coupled with our profligacy will always give them hope but if we can get an early goal then that will settle what nerves do remain.

With a heavy duty excursion to Russia in between this and our next game, there is going to be some indication as to who'll be taking part in that one with the team that is selected tonight. As such the temptation to start with Coutinho will be a strong one, especially if Sturridge isn't passed fit. Personally I'd like to see him held back just a little and integrate him into Premier League life slowly. The last twenty or so minutes would be fine, maybe even a little sooner if the game is all wrapped up.

Talk of late has been of consistency, the run of "easier" fixtures and the potential that this team has to go very far.  It's time for all that talking to stop. Now we have to go out on the pitch and do it. Today marks only the beginning. Despite having done so well in recent weeks there is still a massive amount of work we need to do in trying to catch those above us. Failing to do so may see them out of reach for this season. Failure is not an option.

Under The Microscope

People like to think of change as a series of bold – era defining – moments, with virtually nothing in between. In actuality they happen far more gradually over the course of time, by a series of events that may not seem like very much but collectively push things forward. Ultimately it all depends on how and when things come together. Alteration occurs beneath the surface before anything of any real note can happen. After all, the difference between the lead in a pencil and a diamond is simply a matter of arrangement.  In football nobody has everything. No pattern of play will triumph every week and no amount of skill will frequently bail out inferior tactics. Teams that lack natural talent will find a competitive edge any way they can and harness that to it’s fullest potential, just for the sake of having some kind of threat. One way of playing isn't enough for those who want to win consistently. There has to be a variety.

For all that we are undeniably similar, it is the ways in which we are not that make everyone unique and separate the great from the good. They may be tiny or exaggerated but new people bring with them fresh ideas, regardless of how suited or similar they are to what is already established. Differences in personality, even with a common goal in mind, sometimes lead to unexpected consequences. Things can be found that were once lost while new avenues of opportunity may open up.

With all the variations that Liverpool now possess in and around the final third, the problems defensively have highlighted the one thing that is missing in that regard; a physical presence. Sturridge has more of that than he’s been given credit for and in addition to his pace make him a very difficult prospect to handle, not least factoring in the perpetual movement of Suarez and Henderson around him. If there were even a modicum of that in the middle of the park (or should that be Momo-dicum) then the team would be much better balanced. That’s not to say someone – even the aforementioned Sissoko – could or should have been signed based on his strength alone. While it is true that more authority is needed in this aspect, there’s no point putting anyone in there for the sake of it. As with the issue with creativity and the forward line at the end of September after Carroll moved to West Ham and the way that appears to have been addressed, those at the club now what there is a need for and have a period of time between now and the end of the season to locate it.

One strange benefit of the transfers that were recently made is that over the next couple of weeks – pending results it could be more – both Coutinho and Sturridge will have a clear defined role to play in the Premier League. Certainly the burgeoning partnership between Suarez and Sturridge will need as much time as ever to flourish but with the balance between climbing the table and the final chance of a trophy Brendan Rodgers is helped in having his resources split. Whether or not he’ll be fully unleashed on Monday against West Brom, the games against Zenit St Petersburg and how much of a spectacle European nights at Anfield are, he might just slip under the radar.

As with the transfer window having just closed, it is the acquisition of new players into the squad that affect it’s diversity. Players develop and grow within that dynamic but usually at such a pace that teams equally learn to adapt to them as they mature. The new partnerships that then form are usually comprised of players who aren’t alike in terms of their style but their understanding and approach to the game is similar. It’s that which then helps the team, not simply having someone new to try different things with.

Having such diametrically opposed lines of offence can be counter productive. It may not have worked out but the transfer of Andy Carroll and Liverpool is a clear example of trying to dramatically change the way a side is capable of attacking. On a much larger scale, the same could be said of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s transfer to Barcelona. The theory was simple, add a dimension to the team that they don’t already possess, which is fine but there still needs to be some kind of balance. Regardless of quality, if the main thrust of the attack is so diverse, the supply will be mixed, as will the end result. What you need is something similar and different.

At the time it turned out to be nothing more than scant consolation. A goal – and a route back into a game Liverpool had been second best in for long periods – that saw Daniel Sturridge do something no Liverpool player has shown the ability to do for far too long. He followed up. It may just be coincidence that Gerrard has since then started displaying his talents from long range but maybe the realization that someone will actually be there to pick up the pieces allows him to concentrate on simply hitting the target and as such making it easier for his natural talent to take over.

In terms of the less complex routes to goal (long balls, crosses, long shots) Liverpool have a range of players who are gifted in one area. So much so is the extent to which technique is preferred over physique, you only have to look at set plays, where a number are hung out to the edge of the box for Johnson or Gerrard. In addition to that both Suarez and Sturridge are more than capable of putting one away from distance, Daniel Agger has a powerful shot on him and the hope will be that Henderson’s effort against Norwich wasn’t a one off. Either way, opposition players can ill afford to give them the kind of room in front of the back four. That in turn potentially leaves room in behind. Defenders will quite literally not know which way to turn.

Both individually and collectively, the final part of this season will all come down to reactions. Whether that be reacting to an injury or to the realization that a storied career is coming to an end. Some will have to come back from criticism and possibly even play for their place within the future of the club. The whole team will face be tested with it’s ability to consistently and ruthlessly put away those at the lower end of the table. At the end of the season it may be something completely minuscule that separates Liverpool from where they are from where they want to be. They might even get there by the smallest of margins. Even the most subtle of differences could change everything.

(A) Manchester City - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                  Sunday 3rd February 2013

                                              The Emirates

                                Manchester City VS Liverpool

Nothing to lose, everything to gain. Having spurned the opportunity to steal a march on our opponents with what happened late on Wednesday night against Arsenal, normally I'd be looking for an immediate response. Failing to win makes victory in the next game that much more important. Unfortunately this game is being played at the home of the champions.

Things are by no means rosy for Manchester City and there's far more of a case to be made - in terms of form - that we're capable of getting a result today than there was against Arsenal. I just feel like we had our chance for the big win and it's incredibly unlikely even given our proclivity for playing well in the big games.  A couple of factors to contend with in this game, primarily the fact that there is no way City will defend quite as badly as Arsenal did. They will be missing Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure which is a massive boost for us as they are by far their best to players but I do wonder just how much that performance at the Emirates took out of us, especially given the fact that the same eleven are more or less who will be playing.

Despite it having seemed to have paid off, I hope Brendan Rodgers decides to play Suarez in a more central role today. His workrate as ever was noteworthy but with the players that Man City are missing we'll need him down the middle to take advantage.  Daniel Sturridge could be switched with him on the flank but I'd rather play the way we set up against Norwich as it will help having as much of a threat as possible without going gung ho and having no control of the middle of the park like we did at Oldham. 

Things could have been so different if Martin Skrtel hadn't had that horrible moment earlier on in the season against Manchester City. Who knows what would have happened in the aftermath of that game, whether we'dve gone on to greater things and be right in amongst it all or it would have been another in a long list of false dawns. For better or worse, it would have been victory over a top side, which is becoming something of a monkey Brendan Rodgers is having trouble shaking off.  Any chance we could go one further then this time? Stranger things have happened.

(A) Arsenal - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                  Wednesday 30th January 2013

                                               The Emirates

                                       Arsenal VS Liverpool

There is no time whatsoever for anyone to dwell on what happened at Oldham as we go to Arsenal for potentially one of the defining fixtures of the season. The next two games are arguably our most difficult and if we can get through them without any real damage then we'll be set up to make a run at the top four. Losing tonight would all but put an end to that.

If nothing else, what should have happened after our FA Cup defeat is that everyone should be completely focused on this game and getting back to winning ways as quickly as possible. There's a tendency to take Arsenal too lightly - especially by me - but the truth is that until we can oust them, they are above us for a reason. Their degree of mental instability might be far and above any of the problems we have right now but that doesn't discount the sheer quality that they have at their disposal. The Gunners are a side as likely to give a game to you as anything else but tonight I don't want us to give them that chance. We must take it from them right at the start.

The signing of Coutinho now complete, albeit far too late for any part in this game - which is a shame, I think it would have been a good one for him to make a late cameo in - we're going to have to go back to what we know works best in order to get something from this game. That means three rather than four attackers and a midfield headed by Jordan Henderson so he is able to get in their faces. This will be a game where space will be at an absolute premium so we cannot allow Arsenal the room that we afforded Manchester United.

Most importantly tonight, I'm really hoping that Rodgers gets it right from the start. Regardless of scoreline, every match we've played away from home against a team above us so far this season it's involved a major shake up at half time. While it's a positive thing that Rodgers has it in him to be bold enough to make those changes, I think tonight we need to be brave enough in our approach so that they aren't necessary.

As is ever the case with a high profile encounter, this one result will change the complexion of Brendan Rodgers and our season thus far. Sometimes that's not entirely fair or accurate but the difference between being potentially four points off fourth and level with Arsenal and being ten with Manchester City still to play on Sunday is huge. I'm expecting a massive reaction from the players after an embarrassing performance against Oldham. Prior to that things were really starting to look up, a team that could seemingly score at will and had bags of potential. I really hope we see that Liverpool tonight.