Excessive teletext viewing will now take precedent as we recover from the previous eight months. We recall the season of high-octane football served up by seemingly every other side but our own. As we lick our deep wounds from the intense, roller coaster championship contest that our beloved Reds were agonisingly never ever part of.
To claim we witnessed a very ordinary Liverpool this season is an understatement of the tallest order, of that there should be little argument. The way we contested the Premiership campaign and our contribution to the season in general was nothing short of woefully mediocre. The fifth place finish, outside the coveted CL qualification places, which the Reds eventually achieved did nothing to detract from this.
On numerous occasions Liverpool, Premiership runners-up the year before, produced turgid performances that left the Anfield faithful bewildered and shell-shocked. We soon realised that we were undeserving of sharing the same stage as Arsenal, Man Utd and the other crack European outfits. It was a season of harsh reality.
Liverpool crawled over the finish line of the gruelling 38 game EPL marathon gasping for breath, clasping their chest that had developed a chronic stitch. They had struggled to keep pace – they just weren’t good enough.
To be fair, even the most cynical and unforgiving supporter couldn’t have expected anything from the Red Men after their catastrophic nightmare period of games, a dozen or so weeks into the season. Where the team developed a crippling sense of self-doubt while an otherwise steely confidence was subsequently shot to hell – obliterated.
Oh that three month period! What a painful, dark recollection that is. NOVEMBER, DECEMBER AND JANUARY without a league win! Eleven games of struggle and ineptitude, 3 points nowhere to be seen. What in Gods name happened?! This was surely the work of witchcraft. Surely?
How Gerard Houllier managed to pull his shattered troops out of this muck mire can only be marvelled at. Even though, some may point out that it was more luck rather than a game plan that ultimately halted the free fall.
Liverpool never fully recovered from that run, and understandable so. This was partly due to the realisation that a good side could never have had such a putrid run in the first place. Liverpool failed to beat teams because they didn’t have the ability to do just that, it wasn’t rocket science.
To top things off, we all had to contend with United deciding they had given Arsenal enough of a head start and they, in turn, began to play, and how! Their efficient, ruthless swagger returned and United promptly steam rolled all opposition, including a 4-0 reverse handed out to us. Needless to say, 2002/03 contained every kopites worst fears – a stuttering, ordinary Liverpool and a resurgence Manchester United. The pain of it.
But the season started so well, didn’t it? Or was I imagining it?
For sure, we all saw a more attack focused Liverpool in the early part of the season, leaking a fair few goals granted, but going forward they were displaying a new found vigour. In fact, this very writer shouted from the rooftops that what we were witnessing was the next stage of Liverpool’s development. The metamorphosis into a ‘footballing’ side.
But Houllier, alarmed by the amount of goals the Reds were leaking was unable to brave the uncertainty of the transitional period expected when a team changes its style of play, apparently put a stop to all.
Did Monsieur Houllier bottle it? Or, was there never any ‘new’ attacking philosophy in the first place, there were no attempts at fine-tuning a brave new Liverpool? Was it merely the excitement and enthusiasm of the players with a spring in their step upon beginning a new season?
Who knows?
Enough of this retrospective rhetoric, it is never good to become too fixated with history and what has been done. To progress we must look to the now.
We are all aware that Houllier must, and has, taken stock of what is required. A superficial analysis shows that the work needed is fairly extensive. Hollier has limited funds compared to previous seasons (around £15m) and it is imperative that this money is spent wisely.
From the current squad there is only around ten players that you would expect Houllier to build around. These being: Dudek/Kirkland, Hyypia, Henchoz, Gerrard, Owen, Baros, Murphy, Riise and Carragher.
The rest are enigma’s who have a lot to prove. El-Hadji Diouf has shown glimpse’ of what he can do, but nothing to suggest he is worth £10m. Guiltier than he, is Bruno Cheyrou, he has been a virtual spectator for the entire season doing little to help the cause. As for Salif Diao, well I just don’t rate him. I’m very much hoping he will get left behind on a Far-Eastern tour this summer!
Add to these, potential future stars like Neil Mellor, Alou Diarra, Ritchie Partridge, Jon Otsemobor and the French kids Florent Sinama Pongolle and Anthony Le Tallec who look likely to at last arrive at Anfield after their French side Le Harve were relegated to the second division. There are signs of a promising mixture.
So what will Houllier probably do to add to this core of nineteen or so players? Well he must first use the money burning a hole in his pocket to rectify the glaring fullback problem. If Houllier wants his diamond formation to work at its optimum than he needs very useful fullbacks that can defend and attack with equal assurance. Steve Finnan is a must, and should definitely be brought in at right back, he and will offer so much more than Jamie Carragher.
There is always the possibility of Wayne Bridge for the opposite flank. However, Gregory Vignal, an accomplished defender, has since regained his form on loan this season, looking once again the player who so impressed in the early part of his Anfield career. He may yet become the new Liverpool left back over Riise.
Next up is a huge injection of flair and craft into the stale, sorry looking midfield. It seems ever likely that our big signing will be Damien Duff, a life long Red fan, who will be swapped with Emile Heskey plus £8m cash. That sounds like cracking business and I suspect that Blackburn and Duff himself, will be unable to resist. As long as the big two don’t stick there noses in. Anyway, I believe they will fight it out for the signature of Aussie star Harry Kewell, leaving us to tie up the Duff deal.
I do appreciate what Heskey has done for Liverpool, I have watched him progress through the ranks at Leicester and have nothing at all against the lad. But, we can and need to do better. We just cannot have a striker in the team that blows so hot and cold if we aspire to win the major honours. If only the lad believed in himself more? But it’s all ‘what ifs?’ if his departure makes space for French forward Djibril Cisse then so be it.
The other attacking player we will probably acquire the services of in the summer is our Champions League tormentor from Basle – Hakin Yakin. He is reported to be available at a knock down £750,000 and I believe he could make a viable impact being a direct replacement for Vladimir Smicer.
Then of course there is the expected exodus; the list contains some surprises, and many not so surprising. Now it is open to debate on how much Houllier is willing to do initially, regarding removal of the no hope fringe players. But, the Liverpool futures of the following are highly questionable: Heggem, Berger, Xavier, Biscan, Smicer, Heskey, Hamman, Babbel, Arphexed and Diou. Now this may sound harsh, but to all but one on this list, Hamman (although I can see the benefits of letting a 30-year-old defensive midfielder go) I say good riddance!
If the departures and arrivals of these players stated take place then the Liverpool squad for 2003/04 will look something like this:
1. Dudek
2. Kirkland
3. Riise
4. Carragher
5. Finnan
6. Henchoz
7. Hyypia
8. Vignal
9. Traore
10. Otsemobor
11. Welsh
12. Murphy
13. Gerrard
14. Diarra
15. Cheyrou
16. Diouf
17. Pongolle
18. Warnock
19. Le Tallec
20. Partridge
21. Yakin
22. Duff
23. Ciise
24. Owen
25. Baros
26. Mellor
Well it looks like a fairly potent mixture; the squad is infinitely stronger in terms of defensive cover and contains a rich array of attacking talent. Can it win the league? Well it would be foolish to think so straightaway but, it could certainly drastically improve on this season. And, taking one step at a time, to begin with, that is what we need.
It must be accepted that the summer will be a difficult time for Gerard. He suddenly has to admit he was fundamentally wrong in a number of areas. His stalling on changing Liverpool’s style has possibly cost us a season, loosing valuable ground on Arse and the Mancs. Houllier, will in essence, be half rebuilding his side, on limited resources, and on limited, quality targets. This restructuring, hopefully the last for the foreseeable future will ultimately, prove if he truly is made of the right stuff and is capable of winning the Championship and the Champions League for LFC. Interesting times indeed.