The Importance of the Europa League to Liverpool's season

With Liverpool’s chances of securing an unlikely Champions League spot even slimmer following their disappointing draw with Wigan, it could be their Europa League campaign that saves Liverpool’s season.

Liverpool are performing much better in the league, but unless both Chelsea and Tottenham collapse in spectacular fashion, Liverpool will again play in the Europa League next term. FSG’s decision to sack Hodgson so late may end up costing the Reds a place in Europe’s most prestigious competition for the second year running.

The Reds continued their unbeaten European form last night in a dour contest with Sparta Prague. The match was far from a classic, with Prague having not played a competitive match in three months (as the Channel 5 commentary team continually reminded us) and Liverpool without Daniel Agger, Steven Gerrard, Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll. Liverpool will take a decent result into the home clash next week and will have every confidence in progressing into the next round. Should they progress, Liverpool will face either Lech Poznan or Braga in the next round, with Poznan the most likely after a 1-0 victory over the Portuguese last night.

After January’s headline-making transfer window, the club will undoubtedly aim to add a few more quality additions to a squad lacking in both depth and quality. But without Champions League football to attract the quality of player necessary to challenge for the top 4 next season, Liverpool’s best bet may be to win the Europa League.

Lifting the Europa League may be just what Liverpool need; it will be five years in May since the last time the Reds won a trophy. With Fernando Torres departing last month in search of silverware, there are concerns Pepe Reina may follow suit. Reina has seen compatriots Torres, Xabi Alonso, Albert Riera and Álvaro Arbeloa, as well as manager Rafa Benítez, leave in the last eighteen months and may also be considering a future away from Anfield.

The type of personnel needed to catapult Liverpool into the top four will be highly sought after across Europe. Eden Hazard, Ashley Young, Simon Kjær and Juan Mata will have Europe’s biggest clubs chasing their signature and Champions League football to offer.

For Liverpool to compete for such players, they need to be seen to be competing for trophies. The Reds fell at the first hurdle in both the FA Cup and League Cup, and the Europa League represents Liverpool’s only chance of silverware this season. As one of the better sides left in the competition, Liverpool will be hoping to progress all the way to the final in Dublin.

It could be quite the turnaround for a team struggling in the bottom half of the table under former manager Roy Hodgson. Liverpool are unbeaten in seven matches and currently sit in sixth place in the Premier League. Should their form continue and the Reds secure a top-6 finish as well as progress to the latter stages of the Europa League, Kenny Dalglish will almost certainly be handed the manager’s position on a permanent basis.

There is a renewed sense of optimism around Anfield since Dalglish has returned. Liverpool play better football and are achieving better results; they sit higher in the table and the fans believe they are going in the right direction.

The squad, though, is still in need of an overhaul, with players such as Dirk Kuyt and Joe Cole arguably past their best, whilst Christian Poulsen and Milan Jovanović were never good enough in the first place. The summer will be an important time for the club, with a number of quality additions needed.

The Academy and Reserves players are getting rave reviews; Raheem Sterling, John Flanagan, Jack Robinson and Conor Coady have all put in fantastic performances this season and were all in the match squad for last night's game. The fans will be hoping that the youngsters will be involved in the first team sooner rather than later.

But additions are needed for now, and not just the future. John W Henry and Tom Werner have indicated they will be looking at bringing in the world’s best young players; players that can give upwards of five years’ service at the highest level. It is expected that Liverpool will be spending money in the summer in order to bring such players to Anfield. Liverpool will have a better chance at competing with Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City should they lift the Europa League in May, and it may provide the perfect platform to launch their assault on the top four next season.

As Kenny Dalglish said in his pre-match press conference, the Europa League is only unimportant to those who aren’t in it, and you would imagine Dalglish is very keen to lift his first European trophy as Liverpool manager.

Liverpool's draw with Wigan confirms the need for squad investment

Liverpool’s winning streak came to end on Saturday in a turgid draw with Wigan Athletic at Anfield. Liverpool had won the last four matches and were hoping to make it five out of five against the Latics.

Kenny Dalglish’s side looked lethargic after the mid-week international fixtures and were unable to do enough against a decent Wigan side. The Liverpool manager cited the international break as reason for his side’s subpar performance. "You can see the legacy of the midweek friendly internationals on a lot of the players," said Dalglish. "There was that little bit of an edge missing. We're unhappy we've drawn but we went out there and tried the best we could."

In the end, a draw was a fair result. Liverpool played well in patches and hit the woodwork twice through new signing Luis Suárez, but Wigan held their own in a match deserving of a draw. Man of the moment Raul Meireles made it five goals in six games with another great volley, but Wigan pulled one back through Steve Gohouri, although replays indicate the goal shouldn’t have stood due to it being offside.

Suárez, making his full debut, played very well at times and proved difficult for the Wigan defence to handle. Another referee would have saw fit to send off Gary Caldwell for persistent fouling on the Uruguayan, although Kevin Friend allowed the Wigan captain to finish the game. The Reds should have done better than a point, but thirteen from fifteen is not a poor return in the grand scheme of things.

The Reds were missing Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger through injury, and players Raul Meireles (80), Lucas Leiva (90), Glen Johnson (90), and Dirk Kuyt (75) all played for more than hour in midweek. The result again proved that the squad simply isn’t big enough to cope in the long term. Dalglish only had one training session with the majority of his squad, and players such as Fabio Aurelio and Milan Jovanović just aren’t good enough to step up in the absence of first team regulars. Whilst Manchester United were able to bring on Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick in the Manchester derby, almost £50m worth of talent, Liverpool could only bring on David N’Gog and Jovanović against Wigan, at a cost of £1.5m for the pair.

It is a problem that has dogged Liverpool for a number of years now; whilst their first XI when fit and on form is perfectly good enough to challenge for a European place, their squad simply is not. A combination of a lack of funds and the misuse of what funds have been made available has left the Reds relying on substandard or inexperienced players. However disappointing Alberto Aquilani may have been last season, and whether or not it was a poor decision to spend such a lot of money on an injured player, surely the Italian would be a better option to have on the bench than Christian Poulsen or an inexperienced Dani Pacheco? It is another big challenge for Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group to take on in the summer; if Liverpool are again to compete at the top of the table, they must improve their on-field personnel.

The signings of Suárez and Andy Carroll are certainly a step in the right direction. The new number seven has already begun to impress the Anfield faithful, and should get even better when settled in and match fit. Carroll started light training last week, and should be fit in time for the game with Manchester United in March. Liverpool, though, still need a number of reinforcements. The squad is devoid of creativity from the wide positions; Maxi has improved this season but simply isn’t consistent enough, particularly away from home, and Milan Jovanović hasn’t shown anything in a red shirt, albeit in a small number of appearances. Ryan Babel, a frustrating player at the best of times, has not been replaced and Dirk Kuyt has shown recently how much better he is as a striker rather than as a wide player. Liverpool also suffer a chronic lack of pace all over the field. The sales of Fernando Torres and Babel have left Liverpool even slower. Steven Gerrard, who turns 31 in May, just doesn’t have the same burst of speed as he used to, and whilst Glen Johnson has pace, he often seems reluctant to use it.

Liverpool also have problems in defence. Whilst Jamie Carragher had an excellent game against Chelsea last week, his performances have deteriorated significantly over the last two years, and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to play two matches a week at such a high standard. There are doubts over Daniel Agger and Martin Škrtel’s fitness and form respectively, and as such neither can be relied on. Martin Kelly has been a revelation at fullback, although his natural position is in the centre, and it will be interesting to see when, if ever, he is moved there. Johnson has been wildly inconsistent at right back, so much so that he has been moved to the left, where, to his credit, he has been very solid. It is unlikely though, that he will be considered for the left in the long term. There have been calls from fans and pundits alike to try him in midfield, although seeing that Liverpool’s last three managers have not seen fit to try him there, it looks unlikely that he will be given a chance there, either. With both Emiliano Insua and Paul Konchesky out on loan and unlikely to return to Anfield in the summer, and with Fabio Aurelio’s fitness a constant concern, it would be prudent to sign a left-back in the summer. 

Liverpool should have quite the extensive shopping list come June, and with targets such as Eden Hazard, Ashley Young, Alex Oxdale-Chamberlain and Charles N’Zogbia likely to be available, it should be yet another fascinating transfer window for Liverpool Football Club.

In the meantime, Liverpool do not play a league game for two weeks and can now turn their attentions to the Europa League and fixtures against Czech league champions Sparta Prague. The game in Prague on Thursday will see Dalglish take control of his first European game for Liverpool. He will be without the cup-tied Suárez, the injured Joe Cole, Carroll and Shelvey, and with doubts over the fitness of Gerrard, Agger, Jay Spearing and Meireles, having been taken off on Sunday with a stomach bug, it remains to be seen which players will be involved.

Liverpool vs. Wigan Athletic - Match Preview

Liverpool take on Wigan on Saturday aiming to make it five wins out of five and continue their unlikely assault on fourth place. Only two months ago, the Reds were considered potential relegation candidates following a dreadful six months under Roy Hodgson, and now the Anfield club sit in sixth place, six points off fourth place. With Spurs away at Sunderland and Chelsea not playing until Monday, the Wigan game provides an excellent opportunity for Liverpool to make ground on fourth place.

Steven Gerrard will be hoping he can shake off the knock that kept him out of England’s victory over Denmark in midweek, and the only other injury news for the Reds is record signing Andy Carroll, who is still a few weeks away, and youngster Jonjo Shelvey missing the next three months with a knee injury. It’s disappointing for the midfielder who had experienced increasing playing time under Dalglish. It may prove an opportunity for Christian Poulsen who played well against England midweek, or Spanish starlet Dani Pacheco who had seen himself frozen out under Hodgson. Pacheco, the Golden Ball winner for Spain at the under-19 European Championship in July, has only played seven minutes of league football this season, way back in August at the City of Manchester Stadium in a 3-0 defeat for the Reds. Wigan have no real injury problems and will be hoping that in-form Charles N’Zogbia and James McCarthy, both Liverpool targets in January, can show the Reds what they missed out on.

Liverpool will be hoping that Luis Suarez is fit enough to make his first start in a Red shirt and add to the goal he scored against Stoke, although whether manager Kenny Dalglish will see fit to break up the side that started the Chelsea match is another question. The much maligned Lucas Leiva is set to make his 100^th Premier League appearance for Liverpool should he start as expected tomorrow. It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Brazilian. Often used as a stick with which to beat former manager Rafael Benítez, Lucas has arguably been Liverpool’s best player over the last eighteen months and is continuing to improve under Dalglish.

Wigan do not have the best record at Anfield, losing four of their five league matches there since gaining promotion to the Premier League in 2005. Wigan have struggled away from home in the Premier League this season, scoring the second fewest goals in their away fixtures. Anfield has been the second most difficult place to visit after Old Trafford, with Liverpool having the second best defensive record and second best points total at home.

Liverpool’s one point at the DW Stadium earlier this season was just one of five points picked up away from home under Roy Hodgson. Under Kenny Dalglish, the Reds have turned their season around; scoring seven and conceding none in their last four matches, taking a maximum of twelve points. With Liverpool not due to play a league fixture for another two weeks after tomorrow’s game, Dalglish will be hoping his side can make it five wins out of five before concentrating on two Europa League knockout fixtures against Sparta Prague.

Why Martin Kelly is a sign of good things to come for Liverpool

Even though he is just twenty years of age, Martin Kelly is proving to be a key player in Kenny Dalglish’s new look Liverpool side. Compared in many quarters to a young Jamie Carragher, it is easy to forget just how young the Whiston-born defender is. He certainly shares the same self-assuredness and commitment as the Liverpool vice-captain, looking at home at the back in a resurgent Liverpool team. Playing as part of a back four and a back five, Kelly has rarely put a foot wrong.

Kelly made his first Liverpool appearance as a substitute against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in December 2008. Soon after, he went on loan to Huddersfield Town where he made seven appearances towards the end of the season, securing a top-half finish for the Terriers.

Kelly’s first start in a red shirt was in Liverpool’s ill-fated Champions League campaign last season, against Olympique Lyonnais. In a match where the senior players failed to perform, Kelly was voted Man of the Match in an excellent debut performance. Sadly for Kelly and for Liverpool, he was taken off injured midway through the second half and didn’t return to action until four months later.

It has been this season however, that Kelly has really impressed. Kelly made his twentieth appearance of the season at Stamford Bridge and has made the right back slot his own. Glen Johnson has been shifted to left back in order to accommodate them both. Starting nine out of Liverpool’s ten Europa League fixtures under Roy Hodgson, Kelly has taken the opportunities afforded to him.

The team have recorded four wins on the bounce without conceding a goal, and this is in no small part down to Kelly’s performances at the back. He has started all seven fixtures since Kenny Dalglish took charge in January. A centre-back by trade, Kelly has fit in seamlessly at full-back. His distribution is excellent; it was his through ball to Gerrard in the build up to Raul Meireles’ goal at Chelsea last week, and he is confidence on the ball, which will serve him well under Dalglish, who, unlike his predecessor, has his defenders play their way out of trouble and build from the back.

Kelly has turned in good performances at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, and seems to be handling the pressure well. Alongside a rejuvenated Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger, a fully fit Jamie Carragher, and Johnson at left back, Liverpool are looking a lot meaner at the back. Following their 2-0 defeat of Stoke City, Liverpool recorded a positive goal difference for the first time this season.

Kelly has been a regular for the England youth teams, making his under-21 debut in August. Already there have been calls in the media for a senior international call-up, having ousted Johnson from the right back slot at club level, why shouldn’t he be able to do the same for his country? Should all go well, it shouldn’t be too long before Kelly can call himself a Liverpool and England regular.

For Liverpool, the future is bright. Other Academy graduates Connor Coady, Suso and Reheem Sterling are getting rave reviews for the Reserves, and with players such as Kelly, Jonjo Shelvey and Jay Spearing all getting increased playing time under Dalglish, Liverpool may be in a position to have a young player finally make the step up in a way not seen since Steven Gerrard in 1998.

With Dalglish back at the helm, supported by a progressive ownership, the record breaking transfers of Andy Carroll and Luis Suárez, as well as the promise of many more Academy graduates breaking through; it is only a matter of time before the Reds start to compete for top honours once more.

Fernando Torres: Chelsea's Number Nine

Fernando Torres has now been a Chelsea player for over a week. It has been quite the turbulent affair, with Torres making his full debut for Chelsea against former club Liverpool on Sunday. He will be hoping that even though Chelsea lost Sunday’s battle, they will still win the war.

El Niño has come under criticism for the manner in which he left the club and the fans who adored him. John Aldridge last week labelled Torres a “fraud” for the manner in which he drew to a close three and a half years on Merseyside. Liverpool fans were angry; their idol had defected to rivals Chelsea after handing in a transfer request three days before the close of the transfer window. The modest young man from Madrid, who had endeared himself so successfully to the Kop, had “betrayed” those who had loved him most.

It is one of Britain’s most publicised and expensive transfers, and as far as Liverpool fans were concerned, it couldn’t have come at a more peculiar time. After a tumultuous two years under previous owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, things on and off the pitch were finally looking up for Liverpool. New England Sports Ventures bought the club in October and within two and half months had installed club legend Kenny Dalglish as manager and Damian Comolli as Director of Football Strategy.

And yet it was January 2011 and not Summer 2010 when Torres decided to leave Anfield. He started the season with Liverpool when few expected him to. The squad that had finished second only a year ago was merely a memory. Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa and Sami Hyypia, key men in the 2009 title push, had left for pastures new. Liverpool had subsequently finished seventh, finishing outside of the Champions League qualifying places, resulting in the man who had brought Torres to Anfield, Rafael Benítez, being sacked. Following the euphoria of winning Spain’s first ever World Cup, Torres returned to Melwood to find that Albert Riera, Yossi Benayoun, Emiliano Insua, Alberto Aquilani and Javier Mascherano had departed, whilst Paul Konchesky, Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic and Raul Meireles had arrived. For the fourth transfer window running, Liverpool had made a profit, without improving the squad. How were Liverpool to improve on seventh without any investment into the team? Yet Torres stayed. Temporary Managing Director Christian Purslow convinced Torres to stay put as he was key to the ongoing sales process. Liverpool Football Club was a more attractive acquisition with one of the most talented and marketable footballers in the world than without him. Torres had experienced international success, winning the World Cup and the European Championship with Spain, yet his quest for club glory continued.

Roy Hodgson, Benítez’ successor, struggled to improve performances and results, and was relieved of his duties following Liverpool’s defeat to Blackburn Rovers in January. The Liverpool board sought fit to replace Hodgson with Dalglish, who was criminally overlooked for the role in the summer. NESV have an impressive record in baseball with the Boston Red Sox, yet having only been in charge at Anfield for a few months, hadn’t had the opportunity to shake things up in the manner they maybe would have liked. Following Dalglish’s arrival, Torres declared his intention to stay at the club and honour his contract. Less than three weeks later, however, he had handed in a transfer request in an attempt at securing a move to Chelsea. So what changed?

Torres, a boyhood Atletico Madrid fan, left for Liverpool in 2007 in search of silverware. Liverpool had been in two Champions League finals in the previous three years, famously lifting the title in Istanbul in 2005. Upon arriving, he declared his respect for the people of Liverpool and the city itself, whilst drawing comparisons between his new club and the one he had left behind. It’s fair to say that the Kop took to their new striker – he went on to score 81 goals in 142 matches, including important goals in memorable wins over Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United, as well as scoring regularly against rivals Chelsea and Everton. In 2009, he dedicated his autobiography to the “best fans in the world”.

Liverpool in 2011 are not the same club he joined in 2007, Torres has said as much himself. The promise of silverware is further away than ever. Whilst FSG are taking the right steps in rebuilding the club, it will take time to rectify the damage done by Hicks, Gillett and Purslow. The 2009 Premier League runners-up are no more – the squad had been dismantled in an asset-stripping exercise by way of paying off interest payments.

Torres weighed up his options. There was no guarantee Liverpool would win trophies in the next three seasons. Manchester City, whilst impressive at times this season, are still yet to qualify for the Champions League, let alone challenge for the title. With the capture of Edin Dzeko earlier this month, there was little interest in Torres from Eastlands. For all of the criticism he has received in the last ten days, it is highly doubtful Torres would have moved to either Real Madrid or Manchester United, out of respect for the fans of Atlético and Liverpool. At any rate, with neither club likely to stump up the £50m necessary to acquire him from Anfield, neither destination was entirely plausible. Barcelona would seem the most probable fit. Yet with Barҫa declaring financial losses over the summer, seeing the Catalan club don shirt sponsors for the first time in their history, they were never going to pay the necessary transfer fee. And so to, to Chelsea. The London outfit were the only club able to pay the transfer fee and able to challenge for trophies in the immediate future. Torres’ hand was forced by own short-termism.

Torres knows that he won’t garner the same support from Chelsea fans as he did the Liverpool faithful. He understands the club he has joined isn’t steeped in the same traditions as Liverpool, and before that, Atlético. But as Torres has maintained, he has moved to win trophies. In the short-term, he is more likely to win with Chelsea than Liverpool. Should FSG replicate their success in baseball with Liverpool sooner rather than later, then Torres may yet live to regret his decision to leave the “best fans in the world”.

Football: A funny old game

A little over a month ago, Liverpool had just lost convincingly to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Blackburn had parted company with manager Sam Allaydyce a few weeks earlier, whilst prior to kick-off, both sides sat equal on points in the Premier League.

Liverpool were awful that evening. It was their ninth league defeat of the season and epitomised their unenviable away form; five points from 30 following their outing at Blackburn. Hodgson, the man deemed fit to replace the outgoing Rafael Benitez, was struggling. He had failed to connect with the Liverpool support and the results were worse than those that had resulted in Benitez’s sacking just six months earlier.

The media, who had championed Hodgson’s cause, lay the blame at the door of Benitez. He had left too poor a squad, the players weren’t good enough, he had wasted too much money. Yet they could not see the flaw in their argument. If Benitez was rightly sacked (as they claimed) it was because he had underachieved the season before, when finishing seventh. So if he had underachieved with a squad better than seventh, shouldn’t Hodgson, a proven man-manager who understood the Premier League, be doing much better with virtually the same squad of players? Either Benitez did well to finish seventh with such a mediocre group of players, or Hodgson was failing in the bottom half of the table?

Hodgson didn’t get the time to correct his mistakes. Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s new American owners, replaced him with fan favourite Kenny Dalglish on a short-term contract. Dalglish, overlooked for the job in the summer, was brought in on the eve of the FA Cup clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Not the easiest first match at the best of times, and Dalglish hadn’t had any preparation time with his new team prior to meeting them in the team hotel the night before the game.

Liverpool lost. Yet had it not been for two controversial key decisions by Referee Howard Webb, Liverpool may yet have won the tie. The match was certainly an even one, even without captain Steven Gerrard for the best part of an hour. There were signs of improvement; the tempo was much quicker, the players closed down the opposition more often and appeared to be more keen to get stuck in.

Dalglish then had an away trip to Blackpool and a home derby with Everton to contend with. Whilst they still struggled at Bloomfield Road, again there were positives to take from the match. The derby was Dalglish’s first home match as Liverpool manager for twenty years. The atmosphere was unlike anything Anfield had to offer for over a year. Liverpool started strongly, Raul Meireles opening the scoring with an excellent strike. Yet Liverpool failed to take their chances in the first half, and Everton scored a quick double after the restart, and the doubts set in again. Dirk Kuyt, another Liverpool player who has struggled for form the last twelve months, has a knack of scoring in the Merseyside derby, slotted home a penalty to confirm Dalglish’s first points on the board.

And so to Molineux, which would prove to be Dalglish’s first win as Liverpool manager, part II. The flashes of attacking play and confidence that had been evident from the previous three matches were developed into a convincing away victory for the Reds. Fernando Torres, a peripheral figure for Liverpool this season, scored a brace and looked better and more interested than at any point this season, whilst Meireles, who prior to the derby had failed to find the net, made it two goals in two games with a certain Goal of the Season contender. Meireles, arguably Hodgson’s best contribution to the club, had struggled under the current LMA Manager of the Year. Shifted out wide, he had little impact on proceedings in his first months and seemingly lacked in confidence. It was clear the Portuguese had talent; it was merely a case of getting the best out of him.

Dalglish was bringing a bit of happiness back to Liverpool fans. The last eighteen months had seen Benitez’s last torrid season, and a poor six months under Hodgson, as well as a trip to the High Court to rid the club of previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Liverpool beat Fulham at Anfield to record two wins and two clean sheets on the bounce, in a game that would prove Fernando Torres’ last for Liverpool. A turbulent last week of the January transfer window saw Liverpool’s idol hand in a transfer request in a quest to win club trophies, a feat that has so far, evaded the World Cup winner. Dalglish wouldn’t be drawn on the affair, repeating that no player is bigger than the club. Liverpool saw fit to replace Torres with Luis Suarez from Ajax for €25m and Newcastle’s Andy Carroll for £35m. 

Suarez, an exciting young player who was key for Uruguay during their impressive World Cup run, has a more impressive goal scoring record for Ajax than record-breaking Torres does for Liverpool. And whilst there are concerns over Carroll’s temperament and off-field behaviour, there are no doubts as to the potential the young player could have. Whilst spending £55m on two young players relatively unproven in the Premier League could be considered a gamble, Dalglish and FSG think otherwise. In theory, the two players could dovetail fantastically, and offer Liverpool two genuinely threatening strikers for a long time. 

As Torres is keen to point out, Liverpool won nothing in his time at Anfield. At Manchester United, whilst Ruud van Nistelrooy had an incredible goalscoring record at Old Trafford, United were more effective and successful without him. The same could be true of Fernando Torres.

With victory yesterday at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool have now won four consecutive matches without conceding a goal. They are six points off a Champions League place with their two new record signings to come. The feel-good factor is back at Anfield, the team are playing confident attacking football and getting results. Dalglish, arguably Liverpool’s best and most popular player, is a manager the fans are united behind and will certainly get the job full-time come the summer.

Since Dalglish has taken the reins at Anfield, no team has accrued more points in the Premier League than Liverpool.

Football’s a funny old game – from relegation candidates to fourth place contenders in four weeks.