The Beginning..
After a difficult pre-season that saw Rafa’s departure, the skeptical appointment of Roy Hodgson and an ownership tussle that went all the way to Texas, Liverpool Football Club finally seems to be coming out of the dark.
Ian Ayre, Martin Broughton and Christian Purslow have chosen New England Sports Venture (NESV) as the new inheritor of Liverpool FC and sitting at its helm, is sports bellwether John.W.Henry. Everyone associated with the club will no doubt be grateful to Henry for stepping up to save Liverpool from the looming financial turmoil and administration. However, the euphoria has now settled and it is time to take the club from a “work-in-progress” back to being Europe’s nemesis.
John Henry – reshaping Liverpool
Henry, although not a football pundit in retrospect, has taken his baby steps in the Premier League in the right direction to begin with. A man of prudence and thorough professionalism, John has so far shown his prerogative by backing Roy Hodgson to stay as manager, appointing Damien Commoli as director of football strategy and instating Tom Werner on the board panel. Going by the way NESV have uplifted baseball team Boston Red Sox, Liverpool fans will hope to undergo a similar transition to see glory days return to Merseyside again.
So Far, So Good. But…
Commoli recently came out and spoke about his plans for restructuring the player model at Liverpool. He is crystal clear on what he wants for the club and has done his homework better than anyone else; although his incumbency has been of a short span. He has stressed on how young talent can form the club’s nucleus in the near future. And if Billy Bean’s sabermetrics approach, which places emphasis on players’ contracts and wages based on performances on the pitch (purely numbers) is welcomed at Liverpool, it would mean that youngsters who are purchased by the club are for the long term and not just taken into to fill in the positions on the field one season and replaced by someone else the next season.
Now, NESV is not an organization that flaunts it’s wealth to the world. But at the same time, Henry has modestly agreed to fund the necessary expenses that are required to bring in quality players from England and across Europe. Roy, the players and the fans are now beginning to trust the club to make strides and this has been made possible due to the financial backbone that NESV can prove to be.
While work during the transfer window is presumed to take its own course, there is still one part of Liverpool FC that seems to have been overlooked – The Liverpool Academy.
The Academy..
Young, home grown talent grow to become fan favorites a lot faster than the other players do. And the youngsters at the academy have been trained and disciplined long enough to show that they can shoulder the responsibilities that come with being a Liverpool player.
John McMahon, the reserve team coach has unearthed a plethora of talent at the academy. The past couple of seasons have seen new faces take the field amongst senior players and they have all shown signs of growing maturity and ability that one seeks in a professional footballer.
The next generation..
The under-22 players who have been given first team starts this season are Martin Kelly, Jonjo Shelvey, Jay Spearing, Danny Wilson, David Amoo, Nathan Eccleston and Daniel Pacheco. Kelly, Shelvey and Spearing have so far done a phenomenal job for the club in the Europa league this season. Their game on the field has driven away any skepticism that one had of them. Martin Kelly showed his adaptability when he started as a right back against Chelsea albeit his natural position on the field is centre back.
Jonjo Shelvey, recently turned 18, was bought from Charlton as a seventeen year-old. His arrival from League One itself speaks volumes of what this lad is capable of doing on a bigger stage. Comparing him to the next Steven Gerrard still takes second place. Strong performances in the Europa league this season, especially the game against Napoli, have made people stand up and take notice of him.
Jay Spearing, 22, was handed his first team debut last season against big guns Real Madrid. And since then, each match he has featured in, Spearing has managed to strike a balance between excitement, eagerness to perform and the temperament needed on the pitch. Given more minutes on the pitch, he could well be Liverpool’s lynchpin in the future.
Danny Wilson, 18, was a first-team player while at Rangers FC. His recent performance for Scotland bought him a lot of praise by national team boss Craig Levein and John McMahon at Liverpool. His leadership qualities are said to be on the rise and for all he is worth, this young centre-back ought to have caught the gaffer’s eye.
David Amoo and Raheem Sterling, both attacking midfielders, are not only considered to be hot prospects for the club but for England as well. McMahon is moulding them into players who will push themselves to the limit only to improve their game constantly.
Two Spaniards who have been making waves at the academy, Melwood and Anfield are Jesus ‘Suso’ Fernandez and Daniel Pacheco. Pacheco’s achievements haven’t gone unnoticed – the best player in the European U-19 championship, golden boot winner and the best player for the reserves last season. Although he does deserve all the praise, what he deserves more is his name on the Premier League team sheet. And at a tender age of 19, one could not ask for better star in the making.
Pacheco – The small Spaniard
Suso Fernandez is proving to be a player of immense skill and cleverness. A player, who can cut through the most narrow spaces and pick out passes from the corner of his eye, Suso’s unpredictability on the pitch, combined with his controlled passing game surely is helping his cause to break into the first team much sooner than later.
Nathan Eccleston, another academy product, recently quoted this in an interview – “Any player aspires to do great things and play in Europe, the FA Cup and the Premier League. It is encouraging that so far we’ve been given a chance and hopefully there will be more to come. ” These words epitomize the urgency and confidence of the players to make a difference and contribute to Liverpool’s success. All they are waiting for is a nod.
There is no doubt that NESV are looking to do the right thing by bringing in young talent, but there is gold to be struck at the academy. These youngsters ought to be given more chances with every passing game. Doing so might just deliver the missing pieces of the jigsaw. But ignoring them will see them seek newer pastures and Liverpool might just lose a few big stars of the future.
Uday Telkar