First-team regulars returning and looking fit and ready to go, versus a disappointing transfer window and talk of Michael Edwards leaving – Dan Morgan asks, what is the mood music at Anfield right now?
WHERE are Liverpool at?
This is a question I’m not sure I’ve ever asked in this context.
I know what a Liverpool on the ascendency looks like; a groundswell of momentum encapsulated by a city that thrives on such endorphins.
I’m fully aware of the middling and meddling Liverpool, which exists in a state of futility to the point that something eventually has to give.
And then there’s the Liverpool who are plummeting – coming down from the dopamine highs of a managerial reign with an Alberto Aquilani personified bang.
Where they are currently, I have no clue. I’m not sure anyone else does – especially supporters – and it could explain a lot of the recent transfer catastrophising.
Liverpool effectively won the Premier League title on June 24, 2020, when they beat Crystal Palace 4-0 at Anfield. Of that entire matchday squad, only Georginio Wijnaldum and Dejan Lovren have now departed.
More to the point, that game was played 436 days ago. Or one year, two months, 10 days. Or 14 months, 10 days.
Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Alcantara remain the only senior players of note over 30 years old, while most of the squad have hit what is thought to be peak age of 27 to 29.
And yet, only yesterday Gary Neville was able to nurture a completely bluffed-up Liverpool narrative out of nowhere, born from nothing other than him having a microphone in his face and needing to sound informed on the question asked:
“You can just feel it and see when something is right. It’s just not there [now], that team has gone a little bit just over the edge. They are not the team they were two years ago. They are a good team by the way – they will win a lot of games. They’ll go close.
“But I don’t think they are there. There is something just not quite right.”
Hold for the crowning glory of this pearl of foresight:
“They are just plateauing. I’m not sure Liverpool can get to first. I don’t think they will get above [United] this year.”
“Gary Neville thinks Liverpool will struggle to win the Premier League.”
Also Gary Neville…pic.twitter.com/0OlvLhIxjO
— Gareth Roberts (@robbohuyton) September 9, 2020
Neville is scratching at something, here. He knows there is unrest around signings at Liverpool. He also is paradoxically predictable in that he could never allow himself to celebrate a club who continue to be – albeit to their perceived detriment – economically cautious.
That is despite his moral crusade and spiteful rhetoric of greed into Sky microphones when a Super League became plausible. He’s since shed that skin to now instead celebrate Manchester United’s latest spending vomit – eternally ignorant of the fact their manager will never make the grade on a coaching or leadership level.
But he prodded Liverpool because nobody can answer the not-so-simple question: Where are they at?
Last season became such an outlier and a vacuum of space and time that we’ve almost condensed it into one minuscule period of our lives. The actuality is it lasted for over a season filled with separation, turmoil, weakening and ultimately determination.
That season flattened our own curve because it was so unidentifiable that trajectory got lost. Moreover, we’re now at the point of feeling life is again normalised. Almost like it didn’t happen. And so if life is back to normal, why aren’t we watching the swashbuckling Liverpool of 2019?
The truth is, we might be, or at least their most natural development. They have taken seven points from nine, the squad looks healthy and they will likely improve further with collective match sharpness. Yet they remain the great unknown of the Premier League.
I’m not interested in giving you transfer waffle. Everyone always wants one more in that sense, myself included. Maybe it’s worth pondering if the very thing driving anxiety isn’t inaction, but the sheer unknown of it all now?
Neville actually proved a very important point this week, in that as frustrating as it is, we inevitably have to wait and see.
To do anything else right now will leave you looking slightly desperate.
Subscribe to TAW Player for more reaction to all the news and events that matter to you…
https://twitter.com/TheAnfieldWrap/status/1433459451286196227?s=20
Recent Posts:
Football is about opinions and he is entitled to his.
He may be right or wrong, all I know is this – as good and as fit as our squad is, it only has the required quality for the first 13-14.
Which means that from now until January we will be sitting and watching out games with not just the nervousness of getting a result but having to have everything crossed to avoid injuries. That’s were we are at now. We have good players, a good portion of which struggle to stand up to the rigours of two games a week. I don’t see that with our rivals. When we won the league we had some boggles but by and large Jurgen was able to put out a steady, consistent 11 with some mild rotation, of players who were bang on it every week. We cannot say the same thing now.
You can look at it and say that we are a Salah injury away from implosion, because in attack, he’s been the most consistent over the last few seasons. If we lose him, we would be in trouble. Which takes you back to the praying for safe passage in every game.
We shouldn’t have to do it, and we shouldn’t have to put up with it. Our manager would be more trusting if some of his words were backed by his actions, such as Origi, Ox and Taki.
As always if we stay fit and on form we can win the league with our starters. If we lose one or two we won’t.
Liverpool are team that will win the majority of games, probably drop 4 points to city, Chelsea and 3 to United. Then we’ll probably have 6 games when we dominate but can’t get past the bus. The rest will be wins.
That gives us 86 points and third / fourth this season
I don’t think a third placed team has ever finished with more than 78 points. Give me 86 points now. City won with 86 points last season.
How many points did chelsea get in 2014