The passage of time allows for apt comparisons on occasion, but we should not jump to conclusions with this modern day Liverpool…
THIS isn’t a comparison piece.
But do me the honour of rewinding back to 1 September 2014, when there remained a cautious optimism that Liverpool could still go one better than the previous season and win the Premier League.
Spirits were high after an impressive 0-3 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane the day before. Mario Balotelli was on the scoresheet, as was Alberto Moreno with a mazy run and finish which had notes of John Arne Riise at Goodison Park.
The signs that all wasn’t well were present in the previous game, a 3-1 away defeat to Manchester City when a clusterfuck of errors and cowardly performances dominated your thoughts in a way 2013-14 hadn’t.
Liverpool were many things in Brendan Rodgers’ nearly season, but meek never entered the vocabulary. They had previously run willingly into the avalanche of sword wielding horsemen and decided they’d take their chances, and it nearly paid off.
They had to do it differently the season after. They had to evolve, rip it up after a campaign of unexpected success. They had to go one better.
Sound familiar?
Looking back, the assembled squad wasn’t title worthy. We hadn’t bought well. A forward line of Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and the returning Fabio Borini is still enough to send shudders down your spine.
Theoretically, you could see how Moreno, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Lazar Markovic fitted profiles of what Liverpool needed. But nothing gelled. Emre Can and Nathaniel Clyne looked like the only ones you could plug in and play. The rest was horrible. Everything was horrible.
This isn’t a comparison piece, although I could make it one on the basis of why Liverpool will ultimately be fine. I could compare players and argue you can’t fail if you’ve signed Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz calibre talent. Liverpool’s fullbacks have proven their competence elsewhere. Hugo Ekitike is excellent. But it’s a reductive take.
Back then, by the time Liverpool were signing Balotelli, some were so content with other business they were happy to take the punt. That’s because people love transfers, we know this.
It explains why failure linked to big spending clubs is adored by the masses and holds a deep sense of shame for those who believed we’d never lose a game of football again.
The fate bestowed on that 2014 squad had as much to do with factors like Rodgers’ micro-management, Steven Gerrard’s future and Daniel Sturridge’s fitness.
Come 14 December 2014, Liverpool had lost seven league games and were out of the Champions League. Qualification looked unlikely. They finished the season sixth having scored 52 league goals and conceded 48. Their expected goals against (xGA) stood at 38.25.
And still, I need to remind you this isn’t a comparison piece. Well, not really but sort of. It could be a reminder that new teams and squads take time to gel, but then you want to remind me of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea between 2004-06.
It’s a reminder that transfers can set you back. Occasionally that sacrifice is necessary. Liverpool aren’t Chelsea, they do this in cycles of, on average, five years as opposed to annually. To do the same thing every summer and expect different results. The definition of madness.
We won’t do this. But in this age of analysis and reactive content. Of thought pieces and watch-alongs and performative anger, patience is no easy ask.
Ultimately, the summer of 2014 should go down as a bad one in isolation. Its legacy is found in the fact Lallana, Lovren, Moreno and Divock Origi went on to win a Champions League, Premier League or both at Liverpool. You could’ve almost certainly added Can to that had he stayed.
Liverpool felt they had to change. They felt the same between 2017-18 and again this summer. There’s no guarantees, but shopping on Savile Row as opposed to the high street creates pressure. As does being defending champions.
Perhaps this is a comparison piece after all. The biggest lesson being there might be some short-term pain, but, ultimately, it will be absolutely fine in the end.
A big one on Sunday. Not too good to fail, but certainly good enough to win.
Time to do our bit.
