It has been a less-than-impressive start as we were not able carry over the sensational form we ended last season with.
There are a few key factors that have contributed to our shaky start, including bedding in many new signings and key striker Daniel Sturridge’s injury during this season’s first international break.
The disorganization of the defence last season saw us leak far too many soft goals, and was therefore arguably the main area of improvement for this season. Dejan Lovren was brought in to be the commanding voice we have lacked at the back since Jamie Carragher.
Unfortunately, the defence appears to be in a similar shambles as season. Whilst the defenders themselves are a step up, the system of defending is broken. We do not yet have a settled centre half partnership, and are very vulnerable when defending set pieces.
The form of Simon Mignolet has particularly been a concern. The ‘keeper looks bereft of confidence at the moment, and even the most innocent cross could be a goal scoring opportunity for the opponent.
What compounds the defence is that teams have gotten on to the idea that an aging captain Steven Gerrard can be made a target. Gerrard’s protection of the defence has been poor so far this season, forcing questions over his suitability in that role.
Reassuringly, in Rodgers, what we have is someone who always learns from mistakes. The draw in the Merseyside Derby, the loss against Basel, as well as the 2-1 victory against West Brom saw us try more conservative approaches, looking more to get many bodies behind the ball rather than go forward with reckless abandon like last season.
The new signings have had mixed starts. Those that have impressed have definitely been fullbacks Javier Manquillo and Alberto Moreno, who look to have settled in quickly. Manquillo looks solid defensively and gets up the flank reasonably well, keeping width.
Moreno is the much more exciting of the two, looking marauding every time he gets the ball. Moreno is also strong in the tackle and appears to have near-endless energy.
Another impressive addition has been Adam Lallana. Lallana’s mobility, confidence in taking on opponents, and superb work ethic shows exactly why Rodgers toiled to get him from Southampton. He already looks at home, combining well with our attackers.
Headline-stealing Mario Balotelli has had a solid, if unspectacular start to his Liverpool career. Balotelli has played more-or-less as a target man, holding the ball with remarkable balance – looking like the plan b option that maybe we’ve lacked in recent years.
The problem is that we haven’t been playing in a way that exploits Balotelli’s strengths. We don’t get enough bodies around him, making his good working in holding up play go to waste.
Balotelli is never going to be that player that constantly moves around and is a thorn in the side of defenders, like Daniel Sturridge, and we therefore need to adapt to his style.
Rickie Lambert, aforementioned Dejan Lovren and Lazar Markovic all seem to have issues blending into the team.
Tactically, we’ve began this season without using the midfield diamond that profited us last season. Apart from the 3-0 win against Spurs, where the diamond was used, we have used variations of 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1.
Attacking-wise we haven’t yet looked explosive through the middle like last season. Now, in lieu of through-passes to quick forwards, we play lots of passes out wide and try to build from there. Even Raheem Sterling has played as more a traditional wide player, looking to take on fullbacks and cut inside – far different from his role last season as a swashbuckling number 10.
Last season we looked a team who would endeavour to win the ball and immediately go on the attack via a pinpoint pass from our third into attack.
This slower and more controlled approach could be down to many reasons. One is that the players can’t exert themselves as they did last season as we no longer have a week’s break between games.
The other reason has, of course, been the injury to Daniel Sturridge, who last season was our explosion through the middle. We may very well go back to the old system when Sturridge is back to fitness.
Whilst the two in midfield has helped plug some holes in midfield, it also seems to dramatically slow down our tempo.
What has been most disappointing this season has been the flatness at which we go forward, sometimes looking as if we’re without ideas.
With this more deliberate approach, we need an influential figure in midfield that looks to control the game. Worryingly, no one yet seems to have taken up the role of dictating the tempo and holding the midfield together.
We have had a challenging start to the season. The team, and manager alike, are still adjusting to expectations after last season. While results have been poor and performances sometimes flat, there are positives to draw from the opening games.
On the whole, we have addressed issues that plagued last season in terms of squad depth, and Rodgers appears slightly more prone to rotate players. Systemic problems in defence and attack alike have slowed us down, but correctly adapting to our situation and making proper use of the players we have could see us push on from the victory against West Brom.
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