Solid Way to End 2014

2014 has seen several highs and lows for Liverpool Football Club.  The year started so well with an incredible run of form last season to begin the year.  The SAS was flying and the first league title for the club this century seemed like it was in sight.  Then the clouds began forming.  Several things did the club in at the end of last season.  A poor showing against Crystal Palace and a massive slip by Steven Gerrard against Chelsea really cost Liverpool and allowed Manchester City to leapfrog the team.

The summer didn't go quite as planned either.  Despite signing their superstar striker to a massive contract just months before, Luis Suarez was sold off to Barcelona, whether by the player's own design or feeling forced due to the player's actions during the World Cup.  The money allowed the club to make several signings in terms of quantity - something the club desperately needed due to their inclusion in the Champions League - but it would be quite some time until fans and supporters would see anything resembling quality from those players.  There was also the failure to sign the desired strikers in the summer window as well.  Those failures, coupled with several attacking players passing Liverpool over in Rodgers' past, raise questions over the manager's ability to bring in striking options.  Whether you blame the manager's inability to sell these players on his ideal or if it is the case of finances or simply too many fingers in the player pool pie, it does cause fans a great deal of discomfort.

Then came the start of the 2014-15 season.  Despite the optimism of finishing in second place the season prior and the hope that the influx of speed and fresh faces would propel the club even further, the team struggled out of the gate.  Nobody looked at ease in any aspect.  Even when the club had its full compliment of players, including Daniel Sturridge on the pitch, the players, the manager and the fans all looked out of sorts.  Fans wanted good performances and tried their best to spur on the team, including the much maligned Mario Balotelli.  Players wanted the team to do well and to do well individually, but often tried too hard.  Brendan Rodgers, for his part as well, often looked lost.  While seemingly every decision he made last season was the right one, the opposite was happening to begin 2014.

Poor results in the league, terrible form in Champions League, no attacking options after Daniel Sturridge's injury, little to no confidence on the pitch and dreadful defending were all a recipe for a disastrous begin to the season that actually saw the storied Liverpool club briefly in the relegation zone.  Many - or at least a very vocal minority - were calling for Rodgers' job all the while too.  It has been a rocky climb back up, but the team has shown sparks and brief flashes of what they could be.  The team is by no means out of the woods and could fall just as quickly, but the stormy seas have at least calmed over the holiday period.

If Liverpool can string together good results and make a climb back to toward the top of the table, we may well look back to a 3-0 loss to Manchester United as the turning point.  While the scoreline was no doubt a bit of embarrassment, the final tally did not fully show the effort and fluidity that Liverpool showed on the field.  They created more chances in that one fixture than perhaps the last month or two combined.  The Reds were not rewarded for their efforts due to sparkling goalkeeping of David De Gea and terrible defending on their own part.  Despite the ugly scoreline, it was perhaps the prettiest defeat of the season.  That confidence in the attack has carried forward to good effect.

The Reds turned those chances into goals in the Capital One League Cup match on December 17 against Bournemouth.  A 3-1 decision over a lowly club from divisions below may often be scoffed at, but when a team has struggled to gel and perform the way Liverpool have, one needs all the confidence you can gain.  A 2-2 draw against Arsenal was, once again, a less than desired result given the way Liverpool played.  The team played inspired football and showed great heart battling back to equalize after going down by a man.  Despite what the pundits shouted from their cushy couches in front of the TV cameras, just because points were dropped, again due to poor defensive work, you cannot say that the team did not perform well and show good signs for the future.

As there is with any growth, there was a bit of pain in the Burnley match.  Again, poor defensive work almost gave the game away.  The goalkeeping situation became a bit of a farce when Brad Jones had to be subbed off due to an injury and that substitution almost came back to bite the club when more fresh legs could've been used later in that match.  But the points were gained in a rather ugly 1-0 win over a possible relegation squad.  However, similar to how Liverpool needed the kind of performance they saw against Manchester United regardless of the outcome, Liverpool needed all three points in that match regardless of how they got them.  It was the kind of win that showed the Reds that every opponent needs to be feared and you have to play better each and every match.  (As an aside, the result looks much better when you see that Burnley poached two points on the road at the Etihad and Liverpool got all three on the road at Burnley.)

Then Liverpool closed out the year in style.  A 4-1 thrashing of a Swansea City side that were ahead of Liverpool in the table was just the way to end 2014.  Not just for the fans, but the players and manager as well.  No, the result of the game was not indicative of the gap in quality of the teams.  Despite Liverpool's dominance for the opening 30 minutes and solid possession in the second half as well, the team showed it's flaws and were not truly a 4-1 decision better than Swansea.  However, it was the culmination of a long and winding road to end a year that could be described as the same.  It was a match that showed this team that great effort as a team out performs anything they could attempt to do as individuals.  It was a culmination of Brendan Rodgers' efforts to get this team believing in itself and his systems again.  While fans have every right to not buy in 100% yet, you can see that the team has and that is at least an encouraging thought.

The new signings are progressing, perhaps slower than anyone anticipated, but nicely.  Adam Lallana's two goals against Swansea may have cemented his place in the side for quite some time.  Excluding his bizarre red card offense in Champions League, Lazar Markovic has turned into a pacey wing option and his touch is much improved.  Javier Manquillo and Alberto Moreno, though still not included in the team as often, have shown improvements as well.  Despite any misgivings you or I or anyone may have with the formation, the 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 formation seems to have placed all these odd pieces in spots on the field that suit them best (for the moment).  Even Mario Balotelli, in his few opportunities, has had several scoring chances and quality ones.

2015 holds more questions than certainty for this Liverpool squad.  A big one is what becomes of the squad and/or the formation when Daniel Sturridge is healthy?  Do we see an attempt at the Balotelli/Sturridge partnership that Rodgers had envisioned in the season's early days?  Do we simply see Sturridge take Sterling's spot at the top of the field and see Raheem drop back a bit?  If that happens, who is the midfielder that gets dropped?  Lallana?  Coutinho?  Gerrard?  What of the defense?  Despite their improvement with the system, they still cause anxiety, especially on set pieces.  Do you hope to score more goals than your opponents like last season or do you seek extra pieces in the January window.  Do you look for another goalkeeping option in January?  Does the team look to bolster the attack with a more true striker as well or do you hold out for Divok Origi in the summer?

We all have our opinions on each and every topic listed there.  Some may like the option of two strikers but want a new keeper.  Some may say defense has to be addressed and let the attack handle iteslf.  There are plenty of combinations.  That said, the inclusion of Daniel Sturridge back to the lineup will probably not be enough on its own to propel this club to championship heights.  Changes will have to be made, whether in January or over the summer.  However, regardless of your feelings on the manager or the players in the current squad, all fans should be able to agree that given the past week the prospects of a good 2015 surely look a lot brighter.  It should be a fun year and it was truly a good result to end 2014.  Health and happiness to all in the New Year.  Walk on.