A Year on the Liverpool Offside: Failing to Finish

By: Noel | December 29th, 2011

It wasn’t all bad in the early going for Liverpool. The club was comfortably in the top ten in spite of the various struggles and unanswered questions, and there was a win in the derby over Everton despite Dirk Kuyt’s first ever penalty miss for Liverpool to boost spirits. It might not have been the start fans had been hoping for after the way the previous season had ended, but it also wasn’t the end of the world.

Jamie Carragher even had his moment to shine against Everton, reminding people he could still be of use in the big games after a start to the season that had left many suggesting it was well past time for him to be shuffled down the depth chart. And most importantly for those following the club, there finally seemed to be real movement on Hillsborough.

However, while the first signs of the club moving on from its particular brand of early season struggle may have been surfacing alongside some long-awaiting good news, so too were a pair of new story-lines that would come to dominate proceedings as the year worked towards its close. One of the narratives that got its start in the middle of October was Liverpool’s ongoing battle against the press and FA, which began in earnest when Ian Ayre’s suggested that the club could seek to broker its own foreign television rights, preventing the likes of Stoke from riding on their financial coattails. It was a suggestion that left the London press in quite the self-righteous stink—even though Manchester United had previously led a successful campaign to keep their entire home gate receipt in the days when that source of revenue was divvied up similarly to television revenue.

And while that was going on off the pitch, on it Liverpool were quickly following up their less than inspiring victory over Everton with a draw against Manchester United in a match that by all rights they deserved to win. To make matters worse, Patrice Evra then accused Luis Suarez of levelling a racial slur at him over ten times while United’s manager talked of Suarez being a diver and a cheat. The change was instant, both in the press where the Suarez stories aligned with negative feelings about Liverpool engendered by the earlier revenue suggestion and also during games, where suddenly it was open season on Liverpool’s striker, with opponents free to kick at the Uruguayan in a manner that would have more often than not seen a foul called in earlier weeks.

Still, at least Jose Enrique looked like the best left back in the league, and in spite of all the problems surrounding the club the football had begun to seem more fluid than at the start of the season. The problem there was the second major narrative that would develop over the next few months, as no matter how much better the team might look at times, they still couldn’t manage to do the one thing any side wanting to win games consistently needed to do: They couldn’t score goals.

Despite signs that some of the new players had begun to settle, Liverpool went into the mid-November international break having been passed—and bypassed—to ineffectiveness by Swansea, wasting their chances against Norwich, and with Steven Gerrard back on the trainer’s table after a brief moment of fitness. They may not have been completely out of touch with the top four and with it a finishing position that would make the season a success, and there may have been reason to hope that players like Adam and Henderson who had seemed so out of place at the start of the year could at least bring something to the table, but the end product just wasn’t there. Mostly, what was there was one post after another and one disappointing result after another.

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Category: Miscellaneous, Premier League, Season Review, Team News

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Tony

I think we should stop whining about the missed chances. Other teams miss chances too. Spurs fans are the most conspicuous cry babies over "goals", not chances, that didn't go in, or sulking getting one penalty i/o 5 vs Stoke. We missed so many chances because of one simple painful fact - our roster is not good enough in par with the other 5. The hard fact is that we are 6th today. It is a good 6th IMHO since we have been struggling on the pitch. But we are 6th...only if we win or tie tonight.

The future is not this season. As far as I know, FSG is a patient owner, and a very prudent one. FSG certainly knows that this game they call soccer wins with money before the acquisition. So I believe that if FSG is sold on the team's progress, even not a 4th spot, we will see some serious summer purchases. Comparing the rosters in the league, 6th is what we deserve - better than the rest but inferior to the other 5. That is why I am losing whatever's left on top of my head over the King's stubborness to stick & start with some inferior players.
Scotty

According to opta stats we are # 1 for goal attempts (season to date) but we have the lowest chance conversion ratio of any team in the EPL.

Lack of composure in front of goal is costing us dearly. Chief culprit - Louis Suarez. I almost hate stating that given his other tremendous qualities and incredible never-say-die attitude. But anxiety in front of goal has spread to every striker. Kuyt missed 2 sitters against Wigan, Bellamy missed the best chance of the game against Fulham (when put through by Johnson) and Downing's inability to score in a red shirt speaks for itself.

Overall, I think we are playing very well. Defense is rock-solid, Skertel has improved greatly, Agger is finally fit and even Glenn Johnson looks like a defender. Enrique is proving to be one of the best buys of the season by anybody.

In midfield over recent weeks Henderson seems to have gone forward while Adam has gone backwards. I think a lot of that can be explained by the absence of Lucas.

Most importantly Kenny Dalglish's team take a positive attitude into every game. For the first time in ages we play in a similar way home and away. Like many great teams we defend and attack in packs. The fact that we have finished most games looking like the stronger team indicates our fitness levels and mentality is right. Again for the first time in ages we have players on the bench who can make a positive impact.

As it consider this season I remember what Danny Murphy said after we have out 5 past Fulham at Craven Cottage in April or May. He stated that Liverpool might find such performances harder when playing under the pressure of greater expectations. Sadly his words turned out to be prophetic.

That said the base is there for improvement. Beyond this season there can be little doubt that there is a permanent top six as opposed to a permanent top four. The unity and team spirit that Kenny has reintroduced is going to be critically important over the next few months and the next few years.

Thanks for this blog. It's an oasis of quality analysis and insight in the desert of online cross.
Mbaez913

I discovered this blog around the beginning of last year. Being a recent convert to soccer (I'm American, and i need sports to have different names), it's impossible to really show exactly how much being a regular reader of this blog has improved my enjoyment of the beautiful game and LFC itself. In a little over a year's time LFC games have gone from a passing interest to the sporting event i look forward to most every week.
Much thanks to Noel, Ed, and the folks in the comments for making this year the one in which i became a lifelong Red. And I'm grateful to be a part of the club with one of the strongest internet presence in the world. The one-touch compilations alone, put everyone else to shame. Great year from The Offside, and i look forward to some more of the best sportswriting on the net. Cheers to all!
Ed

Appreciate the comments and glad you've stuck around!
Noel

Glad to have you aboard—we'll try not to screw things up too badly in the new year.
Bgurakan

Lots of positives this year. Hodgeson and his band of merry men have left. Great businessmen at the helm looking to boost revenues to ensure we are still a huge buying club, Attractive football, great defence just like under Rafa, semi finals of a cup and 3 points off fourth place. Best of all Gerard is back. Supporting Liverpool since 1982 but even in the lean years we have won more than many many clubs
Waiting for Sterling

These are tough times.
purify_the_body

I'll take this year's August to December over last year's any time. That said, I read somewhere LFC hasn't scored this few goals but once since 1927 or something...
Reba

Despite that, we are only 3 points off 4th. Liverpool is shooting blanks and can't buy a goal at the moment, yet we are still nipping at the heels of Arsenal and Chelsea. Just get us someone - anyone - who can score a goal, and we're golden
FalloniusMaximus

I agree with both sentiments, but I am also encouraged by the small signs of progress. Such as: a bench this past weekend consisting of Bellamy, Gerrard, Carragher, Coates, Kuyt rather than the drivel that was there in past seasons; having only been outplayed in a handful of matches; being able to weather the storm without Gerrard for long periods of time; having only conceded 14 goals. I admit, I am an eternal optimist, but the signs of moving forward are there and they certainly were not at this point last season.
purify_the_body

Optimism is good. We only lost once in the last 15-16 games, right? The platform for bigger success is there.
Suarez from the car park...

Given we're very fine margins away from being firmly fighting for 3rd place I have to conclude that the summer's work has been a success - for all the criticism of CHAD.

However, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that both Arsenal and Chelski are hardly having typical seasons, and that is a big part of us being in touching distance of 4th place, though in reality they're wouldn't both be huge numbers of points ahead of where they are now.

We have to finish from the 10-15 chances on target we're creating.

If it means one or two more signings to manage this then the project must be considered very successful and the mgt team will deserve plaudits, but if we're not careful, the others will sort themselves out before us and leave us behind.
purify_the_body

Honestly, I know you are eager to paint things in a positive light, and I'm fine with that. I don't mean to sound overly negative. But it's not 'very successful' to spend 50m in the summer and stay in the exact same place in the table, nor to sign a striker for a British record and then get 2 goals in half a season -- twice. That's not 'very successful', sorry.

For that money, you are looking to get some players like Bale, Gerrard, or Lampard -- top players who will carry your team season after season. But the ones we bought were openly laughed at by supporters of other teams. Not good.

Anyway, more signings. Yes. We need them. Carry on.
Suarez from the car park...

Well, I can happily criticise our purchases (though I don't know who we wanted that wouldn't come to us other than Jones and Young, and I guess that list is longer), but all I'm doing is looking at where we are.

It's partly down to Arsenal/Chelski not getting their act together (Chelsea clearly will spend and this might change quickly) but even in our games we are very fine margins from having a bunch more points. You can't deny that!

That's why I say, if a couple more signings make the difference then the overall package /squad works - more so if players [that we criticise] are prepared to stay to give us that squad.

What you can't say is we're a million miles from winning those drawn games.