Liverpool-A New Era

Roy Hodgson. Even the name now makes me shudder. Despite being initially pleased with the man who masterminded Fulham to Europe taking charge of the Reds. I can not even begin to think of anything apart from his reign as a shambles. When Liverpool needed a savior along came Kenny Dalglish, the perfect man for the job. Now we find ourselves in September with a new look squad and an impressive start to the season. 3 wins and an undeserved loss to Stoke later Liverpool find themselves 6th and very much in contention. Dalglish has made an impact with strong signings and employing a strong team spirit.

Jordan Henderson, Luiz Suarez and Stewart Downing are just a few of the high profile players signed by Liverpool under Dalglish and the future of Liverpool suddenly looks bright again. The pesky Suarez is a menace in front of goal and is happy assisting as well as scoring goals for fun. Jordan Henderson has formed a solid partnership in midfield with Charlie Adam and has started his Liverpool career strongly. Bring in the addition of an out and out winger in Stewart Downing and a man who can grab goals with powerful headers in Andy Carroll and you have a team that looks stronger both in depth and on the starting 11. A much needed left back was also bought in by Dalglish, shelling out for the impressive Jose Enrique from Newcastle to add some defensive stability. Then there is the wildcard that is Craig Bellamy. What his second stint at Liverpool will consist of nobody knows, all that is guaranteed is it will not be a boring one. Controversy seems to follow the striker wherever he goes however the fiery striker will be a strong backup for Suarez and Carroll.

The problem was with Liverpool that there was not enough match winners in the squad. Games were often lost if Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres didn’t perform. The need for matchwinners was huge and Dalglish immediately answered that with the acquisition of Suarez and Carroll in the wake of Fernando Torres jumping ship to Chelsea. The need for a midfielder to break up play and distribute passes was needed after the crushing loss of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. Dalglish bought in Charlie Adam, a player with a very similar style and a superb left foot that can unlock defences and even chip in with goals.

The point I am trying to make is that the holes Liverpool had have mostly been filled in. Now at Liverpool there is a strong structure and strength in depth that allows Kenny to rotate and still field strong sides every week. The fact that Carroll has rarely appeared in the opening games just goes to highlight the point that as a side Liverpool are now a lot stronger. I’m not trying to claim anything outrageous and say that Liverpool will immediately win the title and storm the champions league the following season. However I will say that Liverpool are on the up and with a few more signings, particularly in defence, they can push on and make a real title challenge next year. A return to champions league football this year would be satisfactory enough for most fans this year and a decent cup run would also help boost spirits.

Twitter: @NathanLeePrice