Will Liverpool FC Finish In The Top 4 This Season?

Opening Remarks

The last time Liverpool played a Champions League game, Cesare Prandelliai??i??s Fiorentina sealed the Redsai??i?? fate in the group stages way back in December 2009. A poor league season, the ill-fated tenure of Roy Hodgson and a comeback by the legendary Kenny Dalglish gone awry meant that Liverpool have not qualified for Europeai??i??s biggest club competition ever since.

Ever since he walked into Anfield to succeed Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers has aimed at displaying a possession-based style of football, while ensuring that the team makes steady progress towards reaching the Champions League. He had the benefit of ai???year zeroai??i?? in the 2012-13 season as the squad shrugged off the worst start in 100 years to finish 7^th in the league, one place higher than the previous year. That being said, the time has come to take another step and put in a stronger challenge for the Top 4.

Every Liverpool supporter watches the early part of a Premier League season with optimism, and this time, itai??i??s no different. Having made a strong start to the season, positive vibes have remained around Anfield and among supporters. In this regard, we at TheHardTackle will debate on the following topic:

ai???Considering the strong start, Liverpool should be able to sustain the momentum and finish in top four in the 2013-14 Premier League.ai???

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Aditya Sharma is for the motion. He believes that the stability within the club, new-found depth in defence, the presence of a breathtaking strike partnership in the squad coupled with Brendan Rodgersai??i?? tactical flexibility will drive Liverpool into the Top 4.

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Brendan Rodgers is a tactically astute manager, and has shown why he is regarded as one of the best young managers in the game. He has shifted his ai???favoredai??i?? formation at Liverpool from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-1-2 with ease and efficiency, and must be given credit for making sure that the players are able to pull off their shifting roles and responsibilities.

Another positive is that Liverpool now have depth in defence. Many had correctly predicted that, with Jamie Carragherai??i??s retirement, Liverpool would bring in a new centre half. But Brendan Rodgers has gone above and beyond, and made sure that he has world class names like Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel lining up alongside one of the most experienced veterans of the position, Kolo Toure. Add to this the excellent Simon Mignolet replacing Pepe Reina, who had perhaps grown complacent and therefore susceptible to errors.

Up top,Ai??Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez are, quite simply, the best strike partnership in the League. Both are quick, incisive and lethal on their own, but together they are more than capable of tearing apart any defensive line.

But the positives go beyond just the people playing on the pitch. After years of drama under Gillett & Hicks’ ownership which saw Liverpool go into a mode of nearly annual manager turnover (Rafa Benitez, Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish left the club in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively), new owners FSG and Brendan Rodgers have together brought in a phase of stability, at long last, where the club has displayed a clear philosophy regarding both style of play and also how the club needs to be run (transfers, player contracts etc.). This is a clear advantage over the Manchester clubs and Chelsea, who have new faces at the helm at the moment.

Kolo Toure - Liverpool defender — Rodgers brought in Kolo Toure because of his winning mentality

Keith Castelino is for the motion. He believes that there are enough signs (in the on-field performances) over the early part of the season that make this season different (i.e. better) than previous ones.

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Firstly, the Reds areAi??winning games they would have drawn in previous seasons, in similar circumstances. Mignoletai??i??s double save in the dying minutes of the opening day and Kolo Toure shrugging off a clear goalscoring opportunity for Christian Benteke are examples of moments that turned potential draws into wins. Ai??Liverpool in recent years made it a habit of raising their game against the Chelseas and Arsenals of the world, even as they struggled against ai???weakerai??i?? teams. Last season was a relative exception, but the likes of Kolo Toure should help put things right this time around.

Also, from individual playersai??i?? point of view ai??i?? this being a pre-World Cup year is incentive enough for a great season. Lucas Leiva and Philippe Coutinho will not get another opportunity to play a World Cup at home. Simon Mignolet knows that only an extraordinary season can help him dislodge Thibaut Courtois from between the posts for Belgium, while new signings like Sakho and Aly Cissokho joined Liverpool in the hope that they can force their way into their own national squad.

Lastly, and most importantly, Liverpool are learning to win games the ugly way. Itai??i??s not pretty, but Liverpool have, too often over the past two seasons, drawn/lost games where they have played opponents off the park. The Reds have yet to play a convincing 90 minutes of football this season, yet they sit at the top end of the table at this time. If you account for the fact that injuries to players in key positions has meant that Brendan Rodgers will probably only have a full complement of players to choose from at the end of October (once Coutinho is back), there is reason enough to believe that the performances will steadily improve over the course of this season while positive results are recorded regularly.

Philippe Coutinho - Liverpool attacking midfielder | Liverpool will finish in the Top 4: THT Debates — Lack of squad depth was exposed when Coutinho was injured

Ai??Anurag Upadhyaya is against the motion.Ai??He believes the players’ lack of experience in handling pressure situations coupled with the other Top 4 rivals having deeper squads could prove too much for Liverpool.Ai??

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Liverpool’s biggest potential roadblock to the top four would be the players’Ai??inexperience in crunch situations.Ai??Keep in mind, come March,Ai??with Spurs, City and United hovering around the 3rd and 4th spots, the heat will truly be on for the Reds’ players.Ai??Liverpool have not qualified in the Champion’s league after 2009, they have not even put up a real fight for the fourth spot in the previous two seasons. And if the depths of the squads at Spurs and City are anything to go by, Liverpool will face severe competition for their entry into the Champions League. Player experience is something that would count at those crucial matches, when a single touch or a hard tackle might just be the difference between a point and a win.

Unfortunately for Liverpool, barring Steven Gerrard, Suarez, Toure and Agger, none of the players have ever really been tested in high pressure circumstances. Even if Liverpool maintain (+/-) 2 point gap around the fourth spot till February, anxiety and pressure would creep into this young Liverpool side and they just might stumble.

While Rodgers has had a fantastic start to the season, and the current Liverpool side looks like a well oiled machine, the team seemed vulnerable against under-performing Manchester United at Anfield, the only top opposition it has faced until now. They haven’t beaten the opposition teams in a convincing manner that could put the Premiership clubs on alert, which is why it would be preposterous to give them a clear green for the Champions’ League berth, at the moment.

Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea have the depth in the squad to see them through tough times, even if a major performer gets injured. Liverpool lack serious depth in crucial positions. After losing Glen Johnson and Coutinho, players found it difficult to even take the ball to the opposition. Suarez’s return and Rodgers’ tweaking the 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-3 saved the day or else it could have been a different story altogether.

Liverpool make a good case for the top four, but considering the competition, squad depth and the lack of experience, it might just be too much to overcome for Brendan Rodgers this season. Perhaps’ the clash against Arsenal on 2nd November might just provide a clearer perspective!

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge | THT Debate: Liverpool will finish in the Top 4 — Sturridge and Suarez are breathtaking up front, but they lack support from midfield

Aakriti Mehrotra is against the motion. She believes that lack of depth in midfield coupled with the strength on paper of their direct rivals will mean that Top 4 this season may not be achievable.

Ai??

Brendan Rodgers couldn’t have imagined a better position for Liverpool to be in before going into the international break ai??i?? second placed, behind leaders Arsenal, who lead only on goals scored. Yet, it’s hard to see Liverpool finishing in the Top 4 this season too (read on, for a little modification at the end of the argument). There are two underlying reasons for this assertion.

Firstly, Liverpool FC do not have a good midfield. Last season, despite not winning the first few matches, Liverpool was commanding in the midfield. The same hasn’t happened for the club this season. Lucas and Gerrard are just not complementing each other and both would do better with someone else, as was visible when Jordan Henderson played alongside Gerrard at home to Crystal Palace. Lucas is still a good footballer ai??i?? his recent call up to the Brazil squad suggests the same. But it is just that the two havenai??i??t done well this season together.

So far, the Reds have not been getting goals from the midfield, bar Mosesai??i?? at Swansea. Liverpool needs others to do well in the attacking third, as well as goals from midfielders. Coutinho will be back soon, but Liverpool lack a quality midfield and that will definitely prove to be a thorn in the clubai??i??s ambitions for a top 4 spot.

Secondly, other teams are simply better on paper. Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal all look lethal on paper, while Manchester United are slow starters. Liverpool does not have squad depth, which will begin to show once the campaign runs deeper into the season. The Reds would probably end the campaign fifth, simply because the other teams will probably occupy the other four positions.

Liverpool need a good winter transfer window. Brendan Rodgers needs to invest for depth in the midfield as he did with the defence. Liverpool needs an attacking midfielder, a central midfielder and perhaps even a right winger. Links with Koke and Pastore have been teasing the supporters who would give anything to see them play in the Red jersey. If Rodgers strengthens the midfield, Liverpool might have a shot at Champions League football; else, fans can start practicing the famous ai???Next year is our yearai???.

Moderatorai??i??s Note

All comments are moderated and flagrant content will be deleted by the moderator without prior warning. We encourage critical thinking and questioning, but please donai??i??t let your anonymity on the internet get the better of you.

[Debate] Will Liverpool FC Finish In The Top 4 This Season?

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