How do Liverpool return to the top?

Brendan Rodgers - Liverpool manager

Sunday 24th April 2014 was the day. Liverpool had just beaten Norwich City away 2-3 thanks to goals from Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling, opening up a 5 point lead at the top. A year later Liverpool sit fifth, destined for the Europa League and supposedly destined for mediocrity. To sum up this season in a word for reds fans would be rather difficult - abysmal, underwhelming, mediocre, there are even shouts of this being a 'Moyes-esque' season at Anfield - all these words fit the bill perfectly; Liverpool have been utterly disappointing this season - a side who finished 2nd last season, inches away from the Premier League title, Brendan Rodgers was at his third season with the club and despite selling their best player last summer, the club spent £100 million + on incoming transfers. Surely this was the set up for a side set to compete for the Premier League title as Brendan Rodgers had said of Tottenham the previous season with their extortionate spending. Fact is Liverpool are now in a position which is in stark contrast to the end of last season, but does not mean that a return to the top is impossible.

Liverpool fans are united on many things, but one topic which currently divides the fans is Brendan Rodgers - should he stay or should he go? Some argue that this is a 'transitional' period for the club and that rival teams have vast resources which are difficult to compete with, whilst others argue that Liverpool have failed to progress from last season and Rodgers' failure to win a trophy in three years is enough to boot him out. Both are valid arguments but the reality is that the fans and owners at Anfield will achieve nothing if Rodgers is sacked; surely one thing they have learnt from the past is that sacking managers will only hinder their development as a club - with the sackings of Rafa, Roy and Kenny, Liverpool failed to make any significant progress. Despite this disappointing season, one thing Rodgers holds above his two predecessors is that Liverpool have progressed under his management - they got in to Europe again allbeit going out disappointingly and the quality of the team has improved under the northern Irishman in comparison to Dalglish and Hodgson's teams, but have Liverpool improved on the scale of Chelsea and Manchester City? No. But what this upcoming summer gives for the red half of Merseyside is an opportunity; an opportunity to rebuild and rethink, Liverpool are out of the Champions League which makes it difficult to attract top players but what is absolutely imperative is that the owners of the club must give Brendan Rodgers the full financial backing he so desperately needs which will be difficult given last summer's expenditure but, given the dire situation here, surely the owners will need to cough up. So to sum up, no, Brendan Rodgers should not leave, he should be given the summer to see who he can attract and only if he fails to attract any of the much needed quality Liverpool fans are yearning for, only then should his position as manager be under scrutiny.

Another topic which has divided Liverpool fans is the potential sale of Raheem Sterling - should the club do more to keep him or should he go? To be quite honest, whilst it may be argued that Sterling is being a 'money-grabbing 20 year old', I think the manager here has himself to blame to an extent as well. Back in December, the Liverpool gaffer gave Raheem Sterling time off to go on holiday whilst the rest of the team had to work and train hard - this is preferential treatment and to be quite frank, a poor piece of management. By giving an individual preferential treatment, they will be under the false illusion that they can defy the manager's authority and Brendan Rodgers let his authority slip here, moreover it is bad for the mentality of a team by treating one individual differently to the others. Raheem Sterling now quite clearly thinks that he is able to do what he pleases as seen with his untimely request to leave, all the best football managers will emphasize that letting your authority slip (Liverpool have let a few things slip you know...) as a manager is the worst thing that can happen - Sir Alex Ferguson dedicated most of his autobiography on maintaining a sense of authority. So to answer the earlier question of whether Liverpool should keep or sell Sterling, I think they should sell him - if the hierarchy pander to the 20 year old's wage demands and force him to stay, it will only have a detrimental impact on the manager and the rest of the team. Liverpool need to cash in on Raheem Sterling - his market value has grown significantly and Rodgers needs to sell him to somewhat maintain his sense of authority over the team. If Sterling does go to another English club, then it will be difficult to see if he will be a key member of a team's starting eleven like he is with Liverpool. As far as I am concerned, Raheem Sterling will regret leaving if he does but the manager must call his bluff and get rid of him.  

The issue of attracting top quality players is important but it cannot just be any random form of quality - last summer, Manchester United purchased Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao at high prices, both are talented players but ask yourself this - have they really had a significant impact on Manchester United's season? In my opinion, Ander Herrera and Daley Blind have proved to be more effective purchases. What Liverpool need to address this summer is the core of their team, two weeks ago on MNF, Gary Neville said about Arsenal "the small ornaments of the living room are there, they just need the hard long-lasting furniture" - the same analogy must be applied at Anfield as well. Liverpool have the talented likes of Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge but they need to purchase players which will form a strong spine for the starting eleven, they need to obtain a world class goalkeeper, defender, holding midfielder and striker. Sure, it will be difficult given that the demand for these players is very high and the fact that there is no European football at Anfield to attract these players (to those who are saying Liverpool are set for Europa, get real will ya), however it does not mean it is impossible - like I said before, the upcoming transfer window is an opportunity for Brendan Rodgers, there will be doubters but doubters are there to be proved wrong.

So from 'trophy-lacking managers' and 'money-grabbing 20 year olds', the Anfield hierarchy have one hell of a job to do in the coming months, but this idea that the Reds are finished as a club is as true as Arsene Wenger is about the supposed renowned quality of Abou Diaby. Liverpool are, like all great clubs have been, in a bad situation, but, like all great clubs, Liverpool will rise again. 

    

  

   

Chelsea are boring to watch but the 'purists' Arsenal are learning from them.

With three games of the league season left and thirteen points clear of second place, Jose Mourinho's tactically astute Chelsea side look set to lift the Premier League title in what would be the fifth of the club's league title successes. It has been far from difficult for the West London outfit with the current champions Manchester City faltering in their bid to retain the title and Arsenal only starting to come in to the fold in the latter stages of the season - apparently too little, too late for Arsene Wenger's men.

Last Sunday, Chelsea, in textbook Mourinho style, went to the Emirates in what was a fascinating tactical battle. Arsenal, as per usual at home, dominated the possession, however this was without their usual pizzazz they have in the final third - why? Because Mourinho's men came with a plan and stuck to it. 'Boring, boring Chelsea' were the cries of the home crowd as Chelsea shut up shop against Olivier Giroud and co. As an Arsenal fan, it was agonisingly frustrating, but as a football fan, you can only admire and respect what Mourinho does in big games, particularly against Arsenal.

Boring though it was for an Arsenal fan, the facts speak for themselves; Chelsea in these last two months have been dreadful to watch - there was none of the early season style and suave we saw from Fabregas and co. But here we are, with three games to go, and the blues still remain top with quite a margin - what this highlights is above all is that this team, and in particular, Mourinho are winners. Their track record speaks for itself; in his first spell at Chelsea, Jose lifted the title successively in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge playing with his usual pragmatic style and 6 years later, Roman Abrahamovic finally got his hands on the coveted Champions League with Chelsea once again playing in a pragmatic manner under Robert di Matteo. In that same period (I hate to say it), Arsenal have only achieved success in the form of one FA Cup last season.

I absolutely love and admire Arsene Wenger for what he has done for our club, he is a living legend and a purist of football. But the facts, I'm afraid, do not lie - whilst we always have been and will be the best team to watch in England, we have not maintained that level of success that our West London counterparts have; one FA Cup in nine years compared to eleven honours in that same period for Chelsea (sigh). Chelsea have been and always will be boring to watch, but their boring brand of football guarantees success - something which we as Arsenal fans have had a small taste though. I most definitely do not want us to completely abandon this 'tika-taka' brand that Arsene Wenger has brought to the club (it is part of what defines Arsenal as a club) but I feel we just need to adapt our style at times, especially on the big stage in Europe.

Despite this, it is not all doom and gloom for Arsenal, I certainly do not want Wenger to leave. This season, particularly in the second half, I have seen a tactical change in this Arsenal side and no more is this evident than in the game away at Manchester City, the home of the champions. We were disciplined, resolute and all the other adjectives you would use to describe a team that was, quite simply, parking a bus. Whilst doing this, Arsenal have not abandoned the fluidity in their game, the following week, we hammered Villa at home 5-0 playing in our most recognised, fluid style. What I believe this signifies is that we do have the ability to adapt, especially on the big stage, whilst sticking to our philosophy as a certain Mr van Gaal would say.

The last ten years have not been great for me and Arsenal fans alike as Mourinho so heart-thumpingly reminded us last week. But I remain optimistic, we are in the final of an FA Cup yet again - a chance to maintain success, and we are on course to finish second - would be the first time in ten years which would be a significant mark of progress. We have shown that we can go away to big teams and dig out a result - our visits to the respective Manchester clubs being the prime examples whilst maintaining that fluidity in our game. Whisper it quietly, but like Chelsea, we are becoming more pragmatic in the way we play which can only be a good sign in my opinion. This is exactly why next season, I am confident, as an Arsenal fan, that the Gunners can really mount a title challenge and hopefully claim their first league title in what would be twelve years. But crucially I feel this can all be done with Arsene Wenger at the helm.

Why Manchester City MUST keep hold of Manuel Pellegrini.

Manuel Pellegrini, the Chilean engineer, a man with 9 honours to his name, including the premier league title won last season with the blues of Manchester. But now we are in the crunch time of the season and Pellegrini’s men are out of all cup competitions and now lie in 2^nd place 6 points behind Chelsea who have a game in hand, his future has now come under much scrutiny. Whether Sheikh Mansoor should keep hold the current City gaffer is a topic we are all discussing.

I for one think that when Manchester City decided to part ways with Roberto Mancini back in 2013 was the right decision; he appeared to lack charisma and confidence in most of his press conferences, he could not handle controversy well (Balotelli, Tevez) and despite winning the title in 2012, he could not get Manchester City playing with the swagger they play with now (under Pellegrini). In terms of handling controversy and player issues, whilst Mancini was erratic and miserable, Pellegrini was calm and composed (dropping Joe Hart last season, Mourinho digs, poor referees) – the media and even fans could have made a meal out of this situation but the Chilean’s calm manner kept everything under control – a characteristic that every manager of a top side must have.

In early April of last season, Liverpool had beaten and quite frankly outplayed Manchester City at Anfield; the title appeared to be all but gone for the sky blues. In light of this game, members of the media and fans applied enormous pressure on Pellegrini as to why they supposedly let the title ‘slip’. Some predicted that Liverpool would go on to win their first league title in 24 years, even I did, but whilst Liverpool buckled under pressure, it was Pellegrini’s composure which kept his players on the task of winning almost all of their remaining games and exploiting Liverpool’s slip ups (ha). Great credit must be given to Pellegrini, his team were under huge pressure and he kept everything under control; let’s not forget how easy it is for managers to buckle under pressure (Kevin Keegan in 1997 and Rafael Benitez in 2009).

Finally, let’s not forget the emphatic manner in which Manuel Pellegrini’s men won the title last season, they were a team who scored 102 goals in the league alone – the second highest ever in Premier League history. Manchester City were a team who oozed confidence, even James Milner – much maligned by Mancini played a prominent role in City’s title success. Pellegrini gave his players the confidence and freedom to rip teams apart (City 6-3 Arsenal being one unfortunately), the pace and intensity at which they played was second to none, unlike their time under Roberto Mancini, Man City look like a real team with real cohesion. Manchester City fans must be grateful for what Manuel Pellegrini has done – he has limited controversy, he has not let the pressure get to him and he’s turned Manchester City in to a force to be reckoned with. Although Chelsea look set to win the league this season, I would not be surprised to see Manchester City come back with a bang next season. If Pellegrini were to be sacked, the Man City hierarchy would be taking steps back and effectively undermine all the progress that has been made, this current City team is yearning for consistency and longevity, and sacking Pellegrini would ruin all of that. It is absolutely imperative that Manuel Pellegrini remains at the etihad come the end of the season.  

What would winning the FA Cup mean for the three favourites?

Arsenal winning the trophy in May 2014

FA Cup holders Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United had all passed their respective fifth round tests to progress into the sixth round of the oldest cup competition in football. Liverpool will play Blackburn Rovers whilst there will be a clash of the titans at Old Trafford where Manchester United will host Arsenal - the two most successful teams in FA Cup history with both clubs winning the competition a record eleven times. The possibility of lifting the old trophy in May beckons for all three of these clubs.

The current holders Arsenal had disposed of Championship outfit Middlesbrough quite comfortably with a flowing, typical Arsenal-type move which led to Olivier Giroud tapping in Kieran Gibbs' cross for the first goal. The gunners' forward then doubled his tally with a sumptuous finish from an Alexis Sanchez corner. Arsene Wenger's men then held on to a relaxed 2-0 victory against Aitor Karanka's men. The North London outfit are the favourites to win the competition and rightly so as the holders and on paper with the strongest squad, retaining this trophy would not only result in a record 12th FA Cup for the club but it would resemble successful consistency for this current crop of gunners. If Arsenal hang on to this trophy, it would be a huge statement of intent from Arsene Wenger and his men; the days of jeering for not winning a trophy for nine years would be long forgotten and it would galvanize these players, it would instill the belief that not only are they capable of winning a trophy but they are able to hang on to it and achieve success on a consistent basis. Last season, Arsene Wenger stated "Once Aaron Ramsey starts scoring, he won't stop" and he was spot on. The same analogy could be applied to Arsenal here in the sense that once the gunners win a trophy, they will not stop winning and the FA Cup this season is their best chance to prove that.

Eleven time winners Manchester United edged past Preston North End at Deepdale despite what the 3-1 scoreline suggested, the home side did well to contain the Premier League outfit in the first half with Man United being complacent and lethargic in their play. Preston took a deserved lead early in the second half from a deflected effort by Scott Laird from just inside the area, Louis van Gaal's men responded however with two goals in quick succession; Ander Herrera's scuffed effort led to the equalizer and Marouane Fellaini gave the red devils the lead, tapping in his rebounded effort. Wayne Rooney then earned (perhaps illegally) a penalty for his side late on which he then slotted in to the top left corner confirming Manchester United a 3-1 victory against the League One outfit. If the England captain were to lift the FA Cup in May, it would mark the beginning of what United fans hope to be, a successful reign for Louis van Gaal. This trophy along with a top four finish would eradicate the memories of a painful first season post Fergie, it would mark significant progress after a trophyless (Community Shield does not count) 7th placed finish last season, and it would represent a strong start to his managerial career in English football for United's Dutch gaffer. It would also form the platform for this current United crop that they go on to achieve many things and compete for big honours alongside their noisy neighbours and Chelsea. If Louis van Gaal were to win the FA Cup in his first season in English football, it would certainly point Manchester United in the right direction.

Six time winners Liverpool snatched a 2-1 victory against a revitalized Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, this match being one of only three premier league clashes in the FA Cup fifth round. Fraizer Campbell gave the eagles an early lead with Palace entering half time with a 1-0 lead. It was then Liverpool's English forward, Daniel Sturridge who converted a Jordan Henderson chipped cross four minutes in to the second half to equalize. Adam Lallana then sunk Palace hearts after slotting in Mario Balotelli's rebounded free-kick effort giving Liverpool victory in South London. If Brendan Rodgers were to add the FA Cup to his CV, it would not only be his first major honour as a manager but it would give departing captain, Steven Gerrard the perfect send off. It would also mark a significant moment in the careers of the young Liverpool players, it would give them a taste of success which would make them yearn for more. It also seems time is running out for Brendan Rodgers to win a trophy for Liverpool, three years in to the job, it would be perfect time to lift the trophy in May for him as it would be first of, what Liverpool fans hope, many. The FA Cup this season could be a catalyst for the young Liverpool manager and his young players; similarly to Man United, it would form a launchpad from which Liverpool could compete for more in the near future alongside the sides currently above them in the Premier League. Winning the FA Cup should be the biggest priority for all of those connected with Liverpool.

These three are the standout favourites to win the FA Cup this season and they really must go for it; it's a chance for Arsenal to maintain success, Manchester United need a piece of silverware to mark the beginning of a new era and Liverpool need a trophy in order to provide them with a platform for the future. Liverpool should progress in to the semi-finals with their tie against Blackburn, but it is the tie between Manchester United and Arsenal which will determine just how hungry these respective clubs are for the FA Cup. But we have all experienced the magic of the cup - Bradford City being the clear example this season, we know that not all goes to plan in this wonderful competition and that anyone is capable of anything.       

              

How does Arsene Wenger solve his injury crisis?

Aaron Ramsey

It seems to be another day in the office for Arsene Wenger as the injury list starts to mount; with Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out for two weeks and, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Debuchy fighting off long term injuries. It does make you wonder whether the Arsenal gaffer will ever get to choose from a fully fit squad this season.

The former Wales assistant coach Raymond Verheijen criticized Arsene Wenger's training methods as he believed they were the underlying cause of Aaron Ramsey's recurring injuries. An unfair comment it may be, but it does raise the question on whether Wenger prepares his players well enough for the physical battle of football? Arsene Wenger is a purist of football who always wants to impress spectators with his total football philosophy and we as football fans admire that hugely about him, but I believe he is so focused on delivering passing tika-taka football that he may fail to address the physical aspect of football. I think by not preparing his players for the physical side of football, it makes the likes of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey prone to injury when it comes to physical contact in a football match. I believe, one way Arsene Wenger could rectify this issue is by altering his philosophy slightly so that his players are ready for physical battles, by doing this, his players would not be shocked by the physical onslaught they get by teams such as Stoke City or Chelsea.

Another way, I believe Arsene Wenger could help solve this injury crisis is by changing the type of player he always seems to be after in the transfer window. In transfer windows gone by, the Arsenal manager has replaced the strong and intimidating presences such as Gilberto Silva and Patrick Viera with smaller, more technical players such as Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb, Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, Aaron Ramsey, Andrei Arshavin, Santi Cazorla, Mesut Özil - the list is endless. Yes, the technical quality of a team is important but it must be complimented by a physical presence - Patrick Viera gave Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires the freedom to attack whilst he held the fort for them in that wonderful invincible team of 2004.  Arsene Wenger needs to alter his target market in the transfer window and acquire a player who is more than willing to do the rough and dirty side of football, someone who is willing to break up play of the opposition whilst the likes of Mesut Özil influence things at the other end of the pitch.

Although the players need to prepare well for the physicality of football, there is the question of whether the likes of Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wilshere have a mental stumbling block in regards to injuries that prevent them from playing comfortably? In order to address the potential mental stumbling blocks, I believe that the Arsenal gaffer must instill the confidence that these players yearn for so that they can overcome any stumbling block.

To sum up, if Arsene Wenger wants to keep the injury list as small as possible, then he must do three things: as well as sticking to his admirable footballing philosophy, he has to prepare his players well enough for the physical battles in his training sessions. He must also acknowledge that he has an abundance of small, technical players who are not complimented enough by  physical presences - he needs to purchase an intimidating beast of a player. And finally, he must show his players that they cannot allow their injuries to prevent them from playing with the freedom they want to play with.