What went right, what went wrong, transfers, goals and more: Assessing Liverpool's season

27 April 2015 09:43

After coming so close to lifting the Premier League title last season but ultimately falling short, the loss of Luis Suarez definitely hit the club hard this campaign. Although the Uruguayan helped the club to reach the Champions League for the first time since 2009, Suarez then left the club for Barcelona in a £75m deal following the World Cup. Liverpool now linger in 5th place and look set to miss out on a top four place yet again this season.

What Went Right

Although Liverpool have failed to meet expectations this season, there have been some positives.

Jordon Ibe

Firstly, the emergence of Jordon Ibe. After spending last season on loan at Birmingham City, Ibe joined Derby County on a season-long loan deal. The young winger scored five goals in 24 appearances during his brief loan spell at the Championship side before being recalled by Liverpool in January. He made his first start of the season against Everton and was named man of the match in the 0-0 draw. The 19 year old has went on to make 9 appearances for the Reds this season due to an injury problem which required surgery.

Ibe is now set to commit his long-term future for to the club by signing a new deal. Ibe is a player of significant potential and has led to some fans thinking that Liverpool should be more concerned with keeping Ibe rather than Raheem Sterling. The former Wycombe Wanderers man dislodged Lazar Markovic in the right wing back role for Liverpool but has also featured higher up the field. 2015/16 could be Ibe’s break-through year for the Reds and Liverpool will be hoping that Ibe can follow in Sterling’s footsteps and become an important first team player.

Philippe Coutinho

After Suarez’s departure and injuries to Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho has become the main man on Anfield. The Brazilian was named on the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year and was named in the Premier League Team of the Year following some excellent performances this season. Coutinho has scored vital goals especially in the FA Cup and has netted some fantastic strikes against Bolton and Southampton.

Liverpool can look forward to a bright future with the 22 year old who committed his future to the club in February. The former Inter Milan maestro joined the Merseyside club for just £8.5m and has wowed fans this campaign in his role just behind the striker. The ‘little magician’ has been linked with moves to Manchester City but the Reds can look forward to Coutinho being the new hero on Merseyside.

Mamadou Sakho

Sakho has been one of Liverpool’s top performers this season in defence and has dispelled his label as a ‘liability’ of last season. Liverpool recruited Dejan Lovren in the summer but the Frenchman has kept the Croatian out of the side with some assured performances. Sakho was omitted from the first team squad after being left out by Brendan Rodgers for the Merseyside derby. Since then, Sakho has been an important part of the Liverpool side operating in a three at-the-back alongside Martin Skrtel and Emre Can. The Frenchman has also received the label of ‘clumsy’ yet has completed the most passes in the entire Premier League this season according to Squawka.

Strong in a challenge, dominating in air and despite not looking comfortable on the ball; he is extremely assured in the pass. In Sakho, Liverpool have one of the most rapidly progressing centre-backs in the Premier League and is starting the look like the player who was once captain of PSG.

What Went Wrong

Champions League campaign

Rodgers was hailed last season after he guided Liverpool back to the Champions League something which Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish both could not in recent years. Liverpool finished an impressive second and qualified for Europe’s elite competition automatically. The draw pitted them against the current European champions Real Madrid, Swiss champions FC Basel and Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets. A narrow victory in their opening match against Ludogorets was followed by a 1-0 defeat away to Basel. The Reds were thumped 3-0 at home to Real Madrid and could only manage a point in the away leg against Ludogorets. Knockout stage qualification could only be saved in the home tie against FC Basel where the Swiss side managed to gain a point and eliminate Liverpool in the group stages.

Two semi-final exits

Liverpool have also failed to lift a trophy under the Brendan Rodgers reign something which Kenny Dalglish achieved but still lost his job. Following their group stage elimination in Europe, Liverpool were entered into the Europa League before being knocked out on penalties to Turkish side Besiktas. Their best chance of silverware this season came in the cup competitions. Liverpool reached the semi-final of the Capital One Cup before being knocked out by the eventual winners Chelsea over the two legs. The Reds also reached the semi-final of the FA Cup and faced Aston Villa at Wembley. In arguably their worst performance of the season, Liverpool were outclassed by the Villains and Rodgers did not do enough to change the game. This will mean that the Northern Irishman will be the first manager to go three seasons without winning a trophy since the 1950’s.

Steven Gerrard

Managing Steven Gerrard has been one of Rodgers’ biggest problems this season. Gerrard played an active role in the deep lying midfielder role last season but Liverpool struggled defensively with their captain in the role and relied on goals to bail out some poor defending. Gerrard adopted a similar role this season and Liverpool struggled during the early stages of the season and the former England captain did not do enough. This prompted Rodgers to switch to a 3 at the back formation and Gerrard adopted a new role behind the striker and struggled yet again. With Gerrard out of the side, Liverpool thrived. Vice-captain Jordan Henderson excelled in the centre of the park with Coutinho and Adam Lallana playing behind Sterling in the lone striker role. Gerrard returned in time for the home game against Manchester United where he started on the bench. With Liverpool losing at half-time, it was time for Gerrard’s last appearance against the Red Devils. His game lasted just 46 seconds after his was dismissed for a blatant stamp on Ander Herrera in retaliation for a reckless challenge from the Spaniard who should have also received his marching orders. Gerrard returned to the starting eleven in the FA Cup semi-final against Villa and endured a nightmare afternoon. He started in his ineffective role behind the striker but was later moved to defensive midfield. He completed just one tackle in the entire game and should have been taken off the field at half-time. There was to be no dream FA Cup final on Gerrard’s birthday and the skipper’s final season at Anfield will be without a trophy. Gerrard has been an outstanding servant for Liverpool, one of the greatest players to wear the red of Liverpool and the white of England, but Gerrard’s move to the MLS appears best for all parties.

Transfers

Liverpool spend big after losing Suarez to Barcelona in the summer with a transfer outlay reaching £113m. The first move of the window was recruiting Rickie Lambert from Southampton. Lambert has not been used enough but just isn't good enough to play for Liverpool as the target man does not suit their style of play. Adam Lallana who impressed under Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton was also signed from the Saints. Lallana’s debut season at Anfield has been blighted by injuries yet has shown signs of becoming an important player the Reds. When fit, Lallana’s trickery has added another dimension to the Liverpool attack and Lallana netted a fantastic goal against Swansea. Although £25m was a huge sum of money, if Lallana can remain fit next season, he can be an important part of Liverpool’s season. The next transfer was Emre Can from Bayer Leverkusen for £10m. The former Bayern Munich man has been Liverpool’s best signing and has excelled in an adopted centre-back role. Can has been brilliant for the Reds this season and looks to be the future of Liverpool’s midfield. Rodgers also moved for Benfica winger Lazar Markovic for £20m. Markovic has struggled at Anfield but has been played in too many different positions. However, the Serbian has not looked good enough and his transfer has been a failure. Next was a £20m transfer for Croatian defender Dejan Lovren who has failed to replicate his form at Southampton and has looked a liability in Liverpool’s backline. Lovren also missed the vital penalty against Besiktas in the Europa League to further compound his poor start to life on Merseyside. Next was a huge gamble taken by the club as Mario Balotelli was signed for £16m from AC Milan as a replacement for Suarez. The Italian is an easy scapegoat and has been heavily criticised this season despite not being given a fair chance. Balotelli has started just two games since November and hasn’t done much wrong when given the chance.

Best Performance of the Season

Tottenham 0-3 Liverpool

After narrowly beating Southampton on the opening day of the Premier League season thanks to goals from Sturridge and Sterling, Liverpool were hammered 3-1 by the Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad.

An away trip to Tottenham followed, the ground where Liverpool ran rampant last season in the 5-0 win. Mario Balotelli made his debut against Spurs alongside Sturridge with Sterling playing in the hole behind them. The Italian spurned a number of opportunities and could have easily netted a hat-trick but the signs were positive. Sterling opened the scoring after just eight minutes after Henderson unselfishly squared the ball for the young English winger to finish. Spurs new signing Eric Dier brought down Joe Allen in the area and Gerrard dispatched his 43rd successful penalty in a red shirt. £12m signing Alberto Moreno was left to charge forward unchallenged from left back before driving a low shot into the far corner. The game against Spurs was Rodgers’ 100th game in charge and the Reds registered a comfortable win at White Hart Lane.

Goal of the Season

Philippe Coutinho v Southampton

The young Brazilian has scored some exceptional long range strikes this season. In the FA Cup replay against Bolton, Coutinho netted the winner in sensational fashion to set up a quarter-final tie against Blackburn. Henderson found the Brazilian on the edge of the area who lashed the ball against the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.

Coutinho scored a similar strike against Southampton after just three minutes which was the pick of the bunch. The midfielder gathered a Markovic pass before curling a 25 yard drive off the crossbar and past Fraser Forster.

The 22 year old completed a trio of long range strikes in the space of a month against the champions Manchester City in the 2-1 win at Anfield. Similar to the goal against the Saints, Coutinho bagged the winner in front of the Kop after jinking inside and unleashing a spectacular shot past Joe Hart.

What Next

Question marks have been raised over Rodgers’ future at Liverpool. Three seasons without a trophy cannot be ignored despite nearly bringing the Premier League trophy back to Liverpool last season. Much of last season’s success was down to Suarez and Sturridge’s goals. Without their talismanic forward and with Sturridge injured, Liverpool have struggled. Liverpool’s signings were poor which has led to questions surrounding their transfer committee who have not helped the club at all this season. Rodgers has spent £215m and has only Sturridge, Coutinho and Emre Can as stand out successes. Liverpool are yet again back to square one.

With Jurgen Klopp available in the summer, if the German manager is interested in re-building this great club, he should be seriously considered. Klopp is a fantastic manager with a fantastic reputation. At Dortmund, with limited resources, he has achieved a tremendous amount in Germany. This will no doubt attract the Liverpool board. If Klopp cannot be convinced, it is likely that Rodgers will remain at the helm.

If Liverpool are to be successful next season, they must ditch their transfer committee. Without the lure of European football, Liverpool could find it hard to attract big names to Anfield. Liverpool must act now to improve their below-par squad in the summer and get rid of those who are simply not good enough. The Mirror reported that PSV’s Memphis Depay has held secret talks with both Liverpool and Manchester United regarding a move to England. Signing the young Dutchman would be a huge step forward for the club. Liverpool also need an out-and-out striker as scoring goals has been a big problem for the Reds. At this point last season Liverpool had 101 goals. This season they have just 47. Gonzalo Higuian, Mario Mandzukic and Edinson Cavani have all been linked with the Reds but a lack of European football could cost the Reds.

The summer will prove vital for Liverpool’s season ahead where big name signings could either make or break their season.

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Source: DSG