LFC Season 2011-2012

LFC Season 2011-2012.

At the time this was written, please bear in mind that Kenny Dalglish was still manager, Rodgers was still Swansea manager and Borini and Allen were no more LFC players than I am. This is an article written shortly after the 'mixed' 2011-2012 season had ended, and is my review of LFC's performance – long before Liverpool legend Dalglish was fired, and the new regime swung into action.

Thankyou for reading. Whether LFC fans or not, I hope you enjoy!

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Liverpool often dominated the headlines in the 2011/2012 season, but rarely for the right reasons. A woeful league campaign – particularly since the new year – left them in their worst league placing in years, and their worst ever in the premier league. Whilst Dalglish may have been proud of the carling cup victory and of reaching the fa cup final, the side – reeling from the fallout from the mishandling of the luis suarez/patrice evra incident - were shown up throughout the season as being not so much inconsistent as schizophrenic.

It was difficult to match the two up. Having beaten the likes of Manchester City over 2 legs in the carling cup, and Manchester United in the fa cup, etc., the team seemed incapable of showing the same kind of killer instinct and character in the league, particularly during a dismal second half where their home form verged on the embarrassing. The stat that was often mentioned in relation to this was the number of times that lfc hit the woodwork, more than any other premier league outfit, but as the 'bad luck' continued, game after game, the frustration of the fans grew until a home league game at anfield began to feel as doom-laden as one at ewood park.

Goals were certainly scarce for lfc in the league in 2011/2012. This overshadowed the genuine improvement in the defence, and in the previously untrusted Martin Skrtel in particular. One rare upside during the season was actually the fact that despite the big money transfers – more of which shortly - the club did continue with its policy of bringing through young talent, not least at the back. Full-backs such as Martin Kelly continued to get chances on the right-hand side of the field, and John flanagan on the left. In midfield, Jay Spearing also got plenty of starts following the injury to lucas, though in his case the big game seemed to prove beyond him whilst promising players such as Raheem Sterling were conspicuous by their general absence.

Indeed the pressure grew on the club to replace the expensive and misfiring newer talents. Andy Carroll was accused of being lumbering and goal-shy, Charlie Adam of being clumsy and wasteful with over-ambitious passes, Jordan Henderson of failing to impose himself or settle in a role, and Stewart Downing of providing neither goals nor assists : by the end of the campaign, the winger had amassed not one of either in the entire league campaign. As LFC licked their wounds, the carling cup win generally dismissed by critics, the questions grew as to where the club goes from here, whether the long-awaited new stadium ( which it bizarrely transpired had cost the club 50 million despite not being started ) would get built, and whether Kenny Dalglish, after his strong recovery of lfc's league form in 2010/2011, was still the right man for the job.

Summer business.

Following the high-profile acquisition of Andy Carroll in January 2011, LFC certainly followed up that purchase with plenty more big-money deals. Stewart Downing was brought in to try and solve the club's struggle to get a wide-playing left winger. Jordan henderson, who had u21 experience, seemed to be brought in to look to a future beyond steven gerrard. Charlie adam, meanwhile, appeared to provide a possible follow-up for the much-missed Xabi Alonso, and had already been the subject of a bid which had been turned down in January 2011. Left-back Jose Enrique followed andy carroll from Newcastle for a 7 million pound transfer fee and went straight in to the first team for the ailing Fabio Aurelio, squad player Sebastian Coates would join up with fellow Uruguayan Luis Suarez, whilst Craig Bellamy's return, for nothing, was perhaps the least risky of the many moves, the only concern being over whether the fiery Welshman would get involved in any headlines – golf-related or otherwise - like last time.

Yet in fact, of all the new arrivals, it was probably only bellamy who avoided criticism for his performances this year. The former Wales captain put in some great performances, generally on the left wing, and was particularly praised for his carling cup semi-final performance, ironically, against his previous club Manchester City. But with concern over his knees holding out he started games rarely, particularly in the league, which minimised his impact. Jose Enrique also had a strong start to his anfield career, but seemed to be hit by the malaise that struck the team in the league in 2012 and was at fault, along with the usually-solid Pepe Reina, for Chelsea's first goal in the fa cup final.

The other signings were all slated at various times, both by the press and their own fans. Andy Carroll, whose only really decent performance at LFC the previous season had been a league game at home against man city in which he scored twice, laboured even more at the beginning of this campaign, tripping over his own feet on one unfortunate occasion and enduring a nightmare return to the Sports Direct arena where he was booked for simulation when simply rounding Tim Krul and scoring seemed more likely. However the big number 9's form had already begun to improve, and having helped the 10-man team win away at troubled Blackburn Rovers he began to score regularly and was unlucky not to be a two-goal hero at wembley in the fa cup final. Indeed the calls began for him to join the squad for the european championships, and for perhaps the first time since his notorious 35 million pound transfer, the player was not referred to in print with his transfer fee automatically attached along with a term of endictment.

At least Carroll showed real signs of settling, albeit belatedly. Under Dalglish Jordan Henderson became an apparent shoe-in in the starting 11, but there seemed to be doubt over the player's best position from both the manager and certainly the fans. Often believed to be a central midfielder rather than a right winger, the youngster failed to impose himself in almost any game he played. He seemed timid, cautious, often passing sideways and back, and considering the pace that Bellamy and Downing had been brought in to provide pace as much as width, his fearful play made LFC into a team which struggled to hit teams on the break. Brought in for creativity, Henderson provided little and it seemed that the surprise selling of Raul Meireles and the decision to loan out Alberto Aquilani – impressive in pre-season – had been premature.

In contrast the much-maligned Charlie Adam did get 11 assists before his season-ending injury, yet the Scotsman still got criticised for the opposite reason to Henderson. Fans grew frustrated at his inaccurate free kicks, and mistimed challenges which led to what they saw as unnecessary bookings. Downing, meanwhile, was unable to translate the promise he had shown at Middlesborough which had made him an England veteran in the past, and despite also starting regularly his stats were 0 goals and 0 assists in the league all season - truly woeful.

Indeed carroll, downing, adam and henderson managed just a handful of goals in the league all season – a poor return for the money outlaid. By contrast Newcastle, for all the criticism that owner Mike Ashley received for naming the stadium and other actions, their comparatively cheap and 'under the radar' new signings such as Demba Ba, Papa Cisse, Yohann Cabaye and Cheick Tiote proved remarkably successful, and made the departure of Damien Comolli understandable. Whoever is signed to replace him will certainly be expected to find better value in the transfer market.

The Suarez saga.

On the face of it, the fa cup game at anfield against man united on should have been cause for cautious optimism. Lfc won the match with some conviction, putting their opponents out, and Luis Suarez was clearly underlining his reputation for being one of the league's most talented forwards.

But the aftermath from suarez's baiting of Patrice Evra with the word 'negrita'sent shockwaves through the club. Dalglish defended his player and the lack of promise of investigation or apology brought widespread condemnation. The appearance of the players in 'Suarez' t-shirts at the next game was clearly a misjudgment, giving the impression of a club that seemed to have developed a blinkered 'them and us' mentality, and the club's rather petulant refusal to accept the verdict only to decline to appeal was mirrored in Suarez's childish refusal to shake Evra's hand at old trafford.

Dalglish's comments after the game, came across – no doubt unintentionally - as coy and arrogant, and the club seemed to have lost all comprehension of the term 'damage limitation'. The following incident where Tom Adeyemi was allegedly racially abused by a fan at Anfield seemed to show a club that had a long-standing issue with race, even if that were not really the case. It also cast an excessive spotlight on the manager's diffident and cagey conduct in interviews, which in truth was not much different from his first time in charge yet now was scrutinised almost as if the team were once again competing for the title.

Which could hardly have been further from the reality. The loss of Suarez undoubtedly hit the league form hard. Without him, the team toiled, and by the time he returned any good momentum to head for a top four finish had been lost. The returned player, as thick-skinned as he was, became vilified by many of the opposition fans, and even a victim of occasionally harsh decisions by the officials. It also prevented him from continuing to forge a strong understanding with the returned Steven Gerrard and, even more importantly, a resurgent Andy Carroll. Liverpool may have felt that they had been made an example of and that their punishment had been excessive, but without the mishandling of the issue things could have been simpler, and it arguably became one of the key factors in the dismissal of Dalglish.

League form.

What went wrong? What went right, more like. LFC's initial league form, whilst making a mockery of the excessive optimism that led to some neutrals tipping them for a league title, did at least show a side that could finish in the top 4. Indeed a strong win at the emirates seemed to show at the time that Arsenal were the side in decline, with their own recent signings lambasted. However the loss of Suarez, the persistance with the wasteful Downing and nervous Henderson, the lack of goals from Carroll and one or two uncharacteristic errors from pepe reina all led to lfc's worst ever run of games in 2012.

The team became an ongoing joke, their inability to score was partially reflected in the tendency for the team's midfielders not to get into the box ( even at home ) for set pieces. This saw the side show an ability to grind out draw after draw at home, yet fail to finish off sides in the bottom half of the table, whilst the dreadful run in 2012 saw them lose at home to seemingly everybody who arrived at Anfield. Suddenly Champions League qualification became an impossibility, and only the Carling Cup win saw the team get into the Europa League, which judging by the Manchester sides' struggles this year had proved a tough nut to crack, as well as exhausting the squads in it through an excessive number of games.

In fairness to LFC, the fight at the top of the league was perhaps more competitive than ever this year, with Spurs having a stronger squad than ever before, Newcastle's above-mentioned signings settling brilliantly and teams as established as Aston Villa coming within a few points of relegation. Yet questions will undoubtedly be asked over what exactly happened this year to lfc's home form against lower-table sides, how expenditure of 56.4m on players this summer ( with only 21.05m returned from player sales ) yielded 8th place, 37 points off the winners Manchester City, and how a fresh cash input to secure transfer targets will meet with more success. There also has to be puzzlement over the club's decision to let the popular and hard-working Dirk Kuyt leave for Hamburg in the Summer for as little as 1 million pounds.

Ultimately LFC's poor campaign has knock-on effects. Each place dropped in the league loses between three quarters of a million and 800 000 pounds in prize money, on top of the loss of champions league revenue – up to 20 million pounds for getting into the competition. There is also the issue of many of the top performers that a big club needs to attract are unlikely to commit to a team that will not be contesting the champions league in 2012/2013 when acquiring them beforehand would possibly be needed to make a push for the position. So to paraphrase legendary Liverpool defender and pundit Mark Lawrenson, the Champions League, vital as it is to a top club in the premier league, becomes something of a 'chicken and egg situation'.

Stadium.

Another 'what comes first?' issue is the small matter of the stadium, which has remained an uncomfortable reminder of the uncertainty and broken promises of the hicks-gillett era. In the era of the premier league, where Manchester United's success is matched by their ability to market themselves at home and abroad and with their stock floatation, there remains the suspicion that despite Liverpool's great success in the past and its popularity across the globe, it has only this season learnt to try and capitalise on its latest success.

Currently Anfield houses 45362, which is dwarfed by Old Trafford ( 76212 ), the Emirates ( 60355 ) and smaller than both the Stadium of Light and St James Park/Sports Direct Arena. The unpalatable truth for Liverpool fans is that with FSG unlikely to inject as much cash in the summer after many of the signings have not yet produced league success, the turnover from the club throughout the season will need to increase to generate bigger profits. As the BBC's Colin Murray pointed out, Arsenal, for example, make 1.5 million pounds per home game, nearly twice as much as Liverpool, and the stadium is regularly used for internationals. They are also more financially stable, compared to the 50m reported loss by lfc in the past year, mostly for Tom Hick's ludicrously OTT 'vanity project' stadium that was never built. More negative headlines for the club, and reminders that the finances will not be sorted overnight.

As said before, there are signs that lfc are trying to boost the profit-making ability of the club. The severed kit deal with their previous supplier , initially seen as another setback and apparently a by-product of the notorious Suarez incident, was replaced by Warrior who give exclusivity and would appear to generate more revenue for the club – with Liverpool earning 150 million for a 6 year deal and hoping to increase that to 300 million with overseas sales. The club also traded on the success of the Carling Cup win, though when one remembers that the club shop remained shut after the champions league triumph in Istanbul, it makes you realise how far there is to go. The club also seems to have trimmed the wage bill, with the departures of the likes of torres and meireles to chelsea and aquilani on loan to ac milan and joe cole to lille, although as stated earlier one wonders if some if not all of these players could have helped Liverpool's league campaign.

The suspicion remains that until Liverpool do commit to building a new stadium – which would probably require a slowdown in transfer activity, and severely squeezed funds and modified expectations in the short term - it will be difficult for them to compete for them to generate the funds to go for the current top transfer targets ( currently the fans pine for the likes of Eden Hazard, Edison Cavani and Fernando Llorente, who would be more likely to head to Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal or Chelsea ). It would appear that the likelihood of Liverpool and Everton 'ground-sharing' at Stanley Park is receding, and there is still the chance of the Manchester-based firm AFL building a stadium, albeit to a nearly decade-old design. Fans, however, are becoming more and more keen to find out what the owners' plans are, and in the long-term this will be just as crucial as transfer activity in the short-term.

Strengthening the side.

The current ( relative ) failure of the new signings has left the side occasionally looking narrow, limited and incredibly slow 'breaking' forward. A good example of this was in the first half of the fa cup final, where a break down the left from their own half actually went backwards, as the team lacked width and space to get forward. To that end, the signing of Downing has not worked, and the need for Glen Johnson to keep overlapping on the other side, lacking as they do a natural right-winger, also means that the side lacks balance and width.

Since the injury to Lucas, the side have looked more akin to the benitez model of two holding midfielders – generally Spearing and Henderson, or a deeper-lying Gerrard. Unfortunately Spearing has not yet shown the discipline needed for a consistent league campaign – making very costly errors in the games at Old Trafford and at Wembley in the FA cup final where his miskick went to Mata who passed straight to Ramires, who scored the opening goal. Henderson also seems too timid to 'boss' a defensive midfield role nor creative enough to fill gerrard's more attack-minded former role.

With Carroll recently proving more of a potent option in attack recently, and the club well aware of the need to get value for money from his acquisition, the focus generally has seemed to be on boosting the midfield, which again questions whether either Spearing or Henderson will be seen as the answer long-term. Midfielder Rasmus Elm was allegedly a done deal at the time of asking, and with his excellent goal-scoring record, good distribution and incisive set-pieces would have perhaps achieved what had been hoped with Charlie Adam, but this turned out not to be the case - but with Maxi Rodriguez – a prolific scorer at the back-end of the 2010/2011 season – a peripheral figure this year before departing outright, and Raheem Sterling disappointing the fans by barely appearing, it would appear that it is the middle of the park where change would happen.

The overriding need will therefore be for a winger ( preferably able to play on both sides ) and if Elm is acquired then a holding player who could cover if Lucas' cruciate injury either resurfaces or affects his form. The club will also hope that the likes of Jordan Ibe show the potential as attacking midfielders to one day replace gerrard as goal-scoring threats, though one has to wonder at the decision not to bid for Nikica Jelevic when the player's father had stated that it would be his son's dream to play for liverpool. Jelavic went on to score prolifically for the team across Stanley Park.

Cup success.

Liverpool's win in the carling cup final may not have been done with the same kind of gutsiness required to beat Man City at Anfield, nor in the kind of free-scoring win over Brighton in their 6-1 win in February 2012, but it did bring the club their first silverware since the charity shield in 2006, and their first trophy since the fa cup the same year. It was a nervy affair, perhaps highlighting the teams' weaknesses as much as its strengths, and an incredibly committed and determined effort from cardiff took them all to way to a penalty shoot-out – where exhaustion finally overtook the heroic Welsh team.

The nature of the final was always going to see the neutrals side with Cardiff, confident in their role as underdogs and pushing for promotion to the Premier League, which ironically began to falter after the cup final. Liverpool gained criticism after the match for the poor performance of some of their players – Henderson in particular – and the struggle to beat a lower league side. However, amid the constant flurry of negative comments about the team's season, the squad also deserved some praise on this occasion : Stewart Downing having one of his better games, Dirk Kuyt making a decisive impact on the game and the squad generally showing that quality to rise to big occasions had not deserted the Reds.

The fa cup also saw some more than respectable performances : the aforementioned 6-1 win over Brighton, the win over Manchester United at Anfield and the character shown to come back and beat Everton at Wembley in the semi-final. Sadly, the team's inability to get going for the first hour of the final clash with chelsea allowed the blues to totally control midfield – the likes of ramires and mata utterly bossing Spearing and Henderson who struggled in the centre, and Luis Suarez became isolated. The replacement of Spearing with Carroll turned the reds into a completely different team, and whilst defeat was disappointing – particularly bearing in mind the 'ghost goal' that Carroll felt had crossed the line – the fact that some online papers put carroll as their man of the match was very encouraging for the team that had put such faith ( and, of course, expenditure ) in the big Geordie.

The question is, then : does the Carling Cup win and strong FA cup run make up for missing champions league qualification? Yes and no. The business argument states that the monetary gains for finishing in the top 4 dwarf the carling cup success and fa cup run rewards – whilst the emotional argument states that there are no open-top bus tours for finishing 4^th. Whether LFC intend to tour Liverpool parading the carling cup, after such a disastrous league season, and with a manager whose own future is open to debate, remains to be seen...

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Player ratings.

Pepe Reina. 6/10. A slightly frustrating league campaign for the usually excellent Reina, culpable for, among other things, getting sent off at Blackburn and for the first Chelsea goal in the fa cup final.

Doni. 6/10. The Brazilian keeper was reduced to just 3 appearances this season, but the stand-in keeper, covering for pepe reina, was himself sent off in the game at blackburn, and conceded a penalty. More impressive in the 1-0 home defeat against Fulham, in one of Liverpool's flattest home displays in an awful home campaign.

Brad Jones. 8/10. A dignified cameo by the man wearing number 1, in a season where he suffered the tragedy of losing his son Luca. Came on after Doni was sent off away at Blackburn in the league and saving the resultant penalty by yakubu made him a hero, with 10 man liverpool going on to win the game. Cautioned and almost sent off too, but saved brilliantly from a bizarre Carroll backheader.

Glen Johnson. 8/10. One of liverpool's most consistent performers, for all the criticisms he has received in the past for being less solid at the back than Arbeloa. Still offers one of the club's biggest threats going forward, too.

Jamie Carragher. 5/10. The rock at the back looked a little weathered this year, as the club's vice-captain and legendary local lad found Agger and Skrtel forming a strong partnership at centre-half. A little slow at times.

Sebastien Coates. 6/10. Whilst the Uruguayan has rarely had the finger pointed at him this year for poor performances, he did play in the 4-0 drubbing at Tottenham. At a young age, however, he does show definite potential for the future, and cover for Agger and Skrtel – assuming both stay.

Martin Skrtel. 9/10. Now a veteran at LFC – and this was his finest season yet for the club. Whilst not the scorer of vital set-piece goals that Sami Hypia used to be, his position and decision-making improved markedly this year and he is undoubtedly one of the club's players of the season, though he was still perhaps at fault for Didier Drogba's goal in the FA Cup final.

Daniel Agger. 7/10. Far more effective at centre-half than at left-back, Agger occasionally launched fast-moving forays into the opposing half. The 'mobile' foil to the rock-solid Skrtel, these two could be liverpool's centre-back pairing for years to come. Still prone to injury issues however ( the captain was forced to pull out of the Denmark squad with a rib ailment after the carling cup final ) and scored just one goal this year, in the FA cup game against Manchester United at Anfield.

Martin Kelly. 7/10. A pretty solid season for the towering right-back, who despite lacking some of Glen Johnson's nimbleness managed to subdue players of the quality of Ashley Young, and often showed a desire to go for goal himself. Could also become Johnson's understudy in the senior england team, in due course.

Jon Flanagan. 6/10. Featured less than last year, though he did make appearances in the opening game of the season, and still seen as a replacement as much for Aurelio on the left as Johnson and Kelly on the right, with Jack Robinson playing a less pronounced role.

Fabio Aurelio. 4/10. Barely featured in 2011/2012, making just 1 league appearance and 1 fa cup appearance. Apparently headed for the exit at Anfield, having fallen behind Jose Enrique and the likes of Flanagan.

Lucas. 8/10. A huge loss in the 'anchoring' position of midfield when he had his cruciate ligament injury in the carling cup quarter final win over Chelsea. Never really replaced as Spearing proved inconsistent, and the club have a need to find a more reliable player to cover for him. Won more of his duels than any other LFC midfielder.

Jay Spearing. 4/10. Frustratingly unreliable, if hard-trying. Capable of playing well in the middle ( in the carling cup games against Exeter and Chelsea ) but more often than not lacking in creativity and guilty of some shocking lapses of concentration ( at Old Trafford in the league, and at the FA cup final ) and sent off at Fulham in the league. Not yet adequate cover for Lucas and lacks any eye for goal.

Charlie Adam. 5/10. A constant source of criticism from the fans, yet not the worst signing of the summer. Achieved 11 assists in the league, but his form and consistency dipped alarmingly shortly before his injury. Not always on the same wavelength as the players ahead of him on the pitch, not scored enough from free kicks, sent off in the heavy loss at Spurs, and his penalty at wembley in the carling cup final was shocking!

Stewart Downing. 4/10. Not a successful first season at Anfield. Provided pace and width, but shocking league stats – despite playing in numerous games and making a high number of crosses, 0 goals and 0 assists - and was occasionally dropped in favour of the greater goal threat of Maxi Rodriguez. Stronger in the cup games – notably the Carling Cup final in which he won Man Of The Match – but far more was needed from the former England international.

Steven Gerrard. 7/10. The club captain featured a little less this year, injuring his ankle in the earlier part of the season and when he did return, he seemed to drop deeper and not have the same influence on the team or do the damage further up the pitch, other than in his excellent performance against everton in which he scored a hat-trick. Put away crucial penalties in both of the carling cup semi-finals ( unlike his surprise miss in the final shootout ), but like his fellow midfielders he was unable to chip in with goals in the league.

Jordan Henderson. 3/10. A very poor year for an england u21 player who had been pushing for development on the international stage. Not creative enough to be a right-winger, not aggressive enough to be an attacking midfielder like the younger Gerrard. Surely would have played less if not a high-profile Dalglish signing. More interceptions made and more passes than any other LFC player, but not influential enough.

Dirk Kuyt. 5/10. Barely featured and an unusually downbeat figure as a result. Clearly does not feel that he figures in Dalglish's plans, even in a season where Carroll had struggled, Suarez had been banned and his more recent right-wing position had not been filled adequately. Starred in his cameo in the carling cup final.

Luis Suarez. 9/10. For all the controversy generated by his comments to Evra and the subsequent banning, Suarez remains the trump card of the side. His fine hattrick at Norwich - capped by the extraordinary chip – was a rare moment of league elation for the suffering reds fans. Not exactly universally popular among rival fans, but it is vital that LFC keep his services nonetheless.

Andy Carroll. 6/10. An awful 2011 calendar year, but improved markedly in 2012. Had a disastrous return to Newcastle and rightfully criticised for simulation, but almost turned the FA Cup final single-handedly and showed nimbleness and vision in the later league games that had been completely absent earlier on. Nonetheless, a mere 4 league goals compared to suarez's 11 and Bellamy's 6 – both of whom played in less games, and a lower conversion rate.

THE END.