Am I the only Liverpool fan who sees this as a blessing in disguise?
Football FanCast guest columnist Dan Richards wonders if Liverpool’s plight will ultimately prove a blessing in disguise for them.
As Liverpool’s title hopes all but ended with the 2-2 draw on Monday and their Champions League hopes now resting in the hands of others, it is fair to say Rafa Benitez’s, as well as the supporters’ ambitions have changed somewhat towards this season. It appears that a top four finish and a crack at the FA Cup and Europa League is set to be the level of the club’s ambitions this season; it is not what the club’s supporter wanted for sure, but I wonder as to whether it could perhaps prove a blessing in disguise.
Don’t get me wrong dropping down a level like we have this season is not something that pleases me, but at the same time it does offer the club an opportunity to settle itself down and get various issues, both on and off the pitch resolved. I felt that despite our incredible achievements in the Premier League that Rafa was running the club on empty and therefore we were always vulnerable to injury or players dips in form, as this season has more than highlighted. Unfortunately the strength in depth isn’t there for whatever reason, and it was always going to cost us.
Fortunately giant strides have been made this summer in an attempt to address this and to make sure going forward that Benitez has everything he needs. Christian Purslow is working wonders behind the scenes commercially to generate as much income as possible, while the owners are actively seeking investment elsewhere to take the club forward. Rafa Benitez has addressed the academy set-up and paved the way for player’s development to be a lot smoother than has previously been. The Spaniard has overseen a massive recruitment drive to bring some of the cream of Europe’s top talent, to improve the pool of quality, so the club can follow the trend of the Arsenal and United’s of this world.
Obviously this is going to have an effect overnight and we may have to wait another season to see the real benefits of it, but being out of the major comps this campaign does give Rafa Benitez a chance to sort through his squad, perhaps experiment with a few of the youngsters and playing different systems in order to sort the good from the bad. Where before we have always been challenging, especially in Europe, Benitez hasn’t had the luxury or freedom to experiment, such has been the need to get results. Rafa now has this opportunity to switch the team around, find out what works, so not only going into next season will we have a decent Plan B so we are not so reliant on Torres and Gerrard, but with the increase in revenues, which will undoubtedly bolster Rafa’s transfer kitty, he is in a position to know which areas of his squad are in desperate need of improving, as well as knowing which players could be shipped out. A Spring clean of the club has been long overdue and that is why I believe that perhaps our struggles this season will prove a blessing, especially for the club going forward.
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Spitting the dummy on the league already. Unbelievable. Have some belief in your team and get behind them, 11 points behind chelsea is well within in our reach if we can go on a run. As for “experiment with a few of the youngsters and playing different systems in order to sort the good from the bad.” You haven’t got a clue. Sound like an out of towner to me. Try supporting your local team, preferably your local pub team, were you can use your “knowledge” of football.
Well, it could be. Liverpool certainly needs to shapen up!
BTW Check out a new site about Football. There is a nice Premier League section. Click on link above: SportsFootballSports.com
Mikis
Vinney get a life with your out of towner crack its the out of towners that put money in to your local ticket tout pockets that dont even go to the games but always seem to get the tickets to rip supporters and the club off.
Sycophant Andy do you need any tickets for the man city game?
The only “blessing in disguise” is that the recent problems highlight the lack of depth and, therefore, put into stark relief the obvious need to invest big time in the January transfer window. Meanwhile, don’t give up on anything until it is mathematically impossible. That’s what being a supporter is all about – local or international!
Personally I think we have blown the chance of the league now
The best we can hope for now is a good run to get us into the top four
Not to be in next seasons Champions League would be unimaginable not to mention the much needed revenue the Champions League generates