Liverpool Question and Answer with Jack Widnell

Hi Jack, cheers for taking the time to answer our questions for The Football Front.

So Jack, what did you make of Liverpool’s season?

Obviously last season was fairly disappointing, but the Carling Cup was nice to win and to come so close in the FA Cup was disappointing, but also slightly encouraging. Ultimately it was disappointing for Dalglish and I’m looking forward to seeing Brendan Rodgers in charge.

Why do you think Liverpool struggled in the second half of last season?

Liverpool’s form at Anfield last season was shocking. To think Blackburn had more wins at home than Liverpool last season when they were relegated is embarrassing. But it wasn’t poor performances. In my opinion it was complacency. Luis Suárez already said that at half-time and 1-0/0-0 in some games, the team thought the job was done and often ended up drawing. So I blame complacency, and there’s no excuse for that.

Through Twitter, everyone is pretty aware that you love Lucas Levia! Do you feel his injury demonstrated just how important he is to the Liverpool side?

 Really? Is it that obvious that I like Lucas? In all seriousness though, definitely. Liverpool had the best defence in the Premier League along with City until Lucas got injured. There were also ridiculous gaps between the midfield and defence exploited when Jay Spearing played. It’s good to see Lucas back though and I can’t wait for this season.

And would agree, Liverpool and other fans now see Lucas as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world?

Most certainly. There are some very, very good, underrated defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Most notably Alex Song and Lucas, but Lucas has definitely established himself as one of the leading defensive midfielders in the game.

Besides Lucas, which player impressed you last season at Liverpool?

Martin Skrtel. I always knew he was a good player, but he was extremely consistent and formed a solid partnership with Daniel Agger. Very deserving of the Fans’ Player of the Year award.

The Reds spent massively last summer and in January 2011, do you feel the weight of expectations on these expensive signings took their toll on the players?

Almost definitely. I think the pressure weighed Jordan Henderson down in particular. He lacked a lot of confidence last season. Despite costing £35m, I feel it was less-so with Andy Carroll. Everything he did though was reflected upon his price tag and I think that took away a lot of the positive contributions he made, sadly.

Stewart Downing was one of the most criticised players last season, do you feel he will ever succeed and win over the fans at Liverpool?

I think he can succeed. He had a very positive pre-season and has been known as a ‘second-season’ player throughout his career. He can most certainly be effective and quite often last season the lack of assists were not his fault. Carroll and Suárez were very poor when it came to finishing chances.

It seems, poor results, poor transfers and poor media handling cost Kenny Dalglish his job at Liverpool. Did you see the dismissal coming? Did you think it was right?

I said in March that he was going to be sacked, funnily enough! I did want Dalglish to keep his job, but he had a poor season. In hindsight now we have Brendan Rodgers, I think it was right for Dalglish to go before his reputation was damaged. He’ll forever be a Liverpool legend, but it just wasn’t meant to be this time around.

The Luis Suarez saga was a huge event in the Liverpool season, do you think the conflict has damaged Liverpool Football Club?

I don’t think it’s damaged the football club itself, but it has picked up a name for itself. Some people like to label Liverpool a ‘racist club’ now, but that will soon disappear. People will forget and move on. I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Brendan Rodgers has just come in at Liverpool, what were your initial thoughts before he was appointed? Did you want him? Or did you rate him?

I won’t lie, I wanted Rafa Benitez or André Villas-Boas and I was originally a bit underwhelmed when I saw Brendan Rodgers was set to be appointed. I thought he did a magnificent job at Swansea, but I was a little sceptical. But as I began to read about him and listen to what he had to say, I was looking forward to seeing what he could do.

Now Rodgers has been in charge for a month or so, has he impressed you?

I don’t think he’s done anything but impress anyone. Even the most sceptical of Liverpool fans I’ve spoken to have been impressed with Rodgers. But he has to take his talking to the pitch, that’s ultimately where he’ll be judged. I hope he does do well as he seems a perfect fit for the club.

Has the signing of Borini pleased you?

 
Yes. He’s young, he looks confident, knows Brendan Rodgers’s style and ultimately he can score. Liverpool really struggled in front of goal last season, so hopefully he can help sort that out.

In terms of expectations, what do you expect from Liverpool next season? Where do you think they will finish in the table?

I’m expecting an improvement from last season, most definitely. I’d hope that Liverpool can challenge for the Champions League places, and also try and pip Newcastle and Spurs. People need to keep their expectations realistic. The last three seasons we have finished 7th, 6th and 8th. So it would be silly to demand a fourth placed finish when there are at least four teams who have better squads than us and have spent more too. City, Chelsea, United and Arsenal will be very, very difficult to catch next season, but if we have a good start to the league, who knows? People were tipping Newcastle for relegation last season and they finished 6th. I have a lot of faith in Brendan Rodgers, but I’ll take it as it comes.

As you know, Liverpool have the Europa League to contend with next season, do you feel the Europa is an unwanted distraction for The Reds?

Across Europe, the Europa League is a very reputable competition, it’s only really in England that it’s labelled as a distraction. I think Liverpool will take it very seriously. We have, or should have, plenty of options available for rotation and resting players, so I’m hoping we can do well in it.

If you were the Liverpool manager, what positions and (realistic players) do you think LFC need to fill?

Well if Liverpool sign Cristian Tello, Nuri Sahin and Clint Dempsey, as well as replacing Andy Carroll should he leave, I feel we would have had a very successful summer.

Finally, how long do you think Brendan Rodgers needs to prove and fully implement his style at Liverpool?

I think we’ll start seeing his piece come together around November, but I doubt it’ll be until next season that he’s been able to implement his style.

General Questions

Right, to finish off, here are some random yet trivial questions for you Jack.

If you could work shadow one player for a week, who would you shadow? (and why).

 
Lucas. I’d like to see him train and how he is in real life. He seems a very nice, positive character and it’s proven that he has a brilliant mentality. Either Lucas or Mario Balotelli.

If you were a referee, which player would you take the most satisfaction in sending off?

Wayne Rooney. No question.

Name your ultimate 5 a-side dream team, can be players from present or past.

 
I’ll choose players in the present - Casillas; Yaya Touré, Fabregas, Messi, Silva.

You’re at a dinner party, you can invite two footballers, one manager and one wag, who would you pick?

Lucas, Luis Suárez, Brendan Rodgers and whatever Sergio Ramos’s girlfriend is called. She’s unreal!

This question and answer session took place on the 27th of July, 2012.

You can follow Jack on Twitter: @jwidnell

What next for Liverpool?

Another game for Liverpool in 2012, and another defeat for Liverpool.  That’s been sequence this season for Liverpool. 

Their defeat in the FA Cup final against Chelsea was the defeat which confirmed Liverpool’s season as a devastating disappointment. 

And let’s be honest, Liverpool at times this season have been lacklustre, woeful and embarrassing to the clubs faithful supporters.

But it’s been an odd season for Liverpool supporters.

Indeed, the club reached two cup finals and they did break the club’s trophy drought which had covered a shadow over the club and symbolised Liverpool’s decline.

But at the same time, it’s been a forgettable season for Liverpool fans. It’s been a season which has left them with more questions than answers as the season has progressed. 

One of the most pressing unanswered questions is that of the King Kenny Dalglish. 

Do Liverpool stick or twist?

Do Liverpool keep him on his throne, or do the club attempt to remove him from his beloved palace. 

Indeed, there are a lot of rumours circulating than Dalglish will be ‘moved upstairs’  as it were given the vacant director of football role, while others feel he maybe shown the door as a whole.

The money men at Anfield face some tough decisions this summer. 

But the situation at especially at Anfield is abundantly clear. Liverpool have been poor, utterly poor. I mean 6 wins at home at Anfield is unacceptable. No wait, it’s not even that, it’s an offensive record for one of Europe’s greatest clubs and what has been before and what the club stands for.

But the poor record at home tells you a few interesting things.

It tells you some of the players especially the new boys, have struggled to deal with the expectations, culture and demands of playing for a club where it expected you have to win each week.

Instead of Anfield being a fortress, it’s become a ground where all the opponent has to do is virtually turn up, defend reasonably well and pick up the point on their way out.

It’s been as simple as that for Liverpool fans.

 In fact, Anfield has become a points shelter for Premier League clubs. 

There is saying amongst football fans that, you know you’re having a bad season, if Liverpool beat you at Anfield. 

But coming away from performances on the pitch, Liverpool’s performances in the transfer market have been even worse. 

Whether Liverpool keep Dalglish, or someone else comes in, Liverpool must be more rational and shrewd in the transfer market.

This season, thanks to the likes of Newcastle, the big boys in the Premier League have learnt a humble lesson.

They’ve learnt of the best things in life can be cheap and cheerful. Newcastle spent a net of around £15mill. Yet the northern club now find themselves with two fantastic and profilc strikers in Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba. While in midfield, Newcastle boast the technically gifted creator Yohan Cabaye. All of whom, cost collectively less than Andy Carroll. 

While Liverpool with their best of British transfer policy, spent hugely on distinctly average players who haven’t really added much to the side. In fact, they’ve made Rafa’s signings at Liverpool look all the more allusive and crucial to the side. 

It seems a majority of Liverpool’s summer signings, bar Craig Bellamy and perhaps even Seb Coates, have all fallen for the big club – little club syndrome. 

Yes, that syndrome. The one where the players are amazing for the respective smaller clubs, but when the big fish goes to the big pound he is nowhere to be seen. 

Yeah, that one.

But you can’t argue, the crazy valuations placed on top of their heads has not helped either. I mean, if you splash £19million on a winger, you expect a few goals and a few assists. But it’s not happened. At all.

The price tags on these new players have been like big rocks being placed on their backs in the blazing sun. They can try their best, but everyone will point out, ‘that isn’t £19million worth of quality.’ The fee that brought them to Anfield is constantly reminded to not only them but to the coaches and directors.

It seems Damien Comolli paid the price for splashing out insane figures for average players. Perhaps this is a sign, the powers that be at Anfield don’t want the same mistakes to happen again.

There has been a lot of talk amongst Liverpool fans of whether Liverpool should sell the likes of Downing, Henderson and the other new buys. I firmly believe the new players deserve another chance. Sometimes, a second season can do the players the world of good.

The pressure of not being the ‘new kid on the block’ could take away some of the pressure on them, also more importantly, chopping and changing will not help Liverpool move up the table.

If you look at the Liverpool team of 08/09, when they finished second, the spine of the team had been at the club for three years or more. It takes years to build a great competitive team, ask Fergie, ask Arsene Wenger and heck as Pep Guardiola too.

Liverpool are in the stage of forming and developing. And they won’t move out of that stage if they keep changing managers and players. 

That’s also why I think Dalglish should stay, so long as the players still believe in him. For me, Liverpool seem to be trying to implement a pass and move type of game. And for most of the season, it hasn’t worked for them. But when it has, Liverpool have at times been unplayable and if the finishing had been better, Liverpool would certainly be higher up in the table. 

But with astute additions, Liverpool have a good chance of making progress. But it is imperative Liverpool get their signings right this summer. Liverpool are currently feeling the consequences of selling very good players and replacing them poorly. Is it really surprising Liverpool have struggled to dominate midfields without people who can effectively play in-between the lines like Raul Merieles?

Success does not happen over night. Ask Man City, ask Chelsea. After years of heavy investment, Man City now only find themselves on the brink of winning the Premier League title. While Chelsea after 10 years of the Abramovich era find themselves only in their second CL final in their history.

Liverpool need to be patient, stability is the clubs best answer. And the club are fortunate in the sense they have a man who is undeniably just as determined as the fans to be successful. While some managers may get their heads turned by offers elsewhere, Dalglish isn’t one of them.

He has unfinished business at Anfield.  And if anything, this season has given him even more unfinished business.

But he must get it right this summer not only in his transfers, but his tactical decision making, in another summer of change for Liverpool. 

The team need carry on playing with the same methodology and the players must look to further establish a greater understanding. The cup final against Chelsea was a prime example. The reds played with little cohesion and struggled to even get into the Chelsea half in the first 60 minutes. 

Liverpool had no penetration, no idea and no connection between the midfield and attack. Meaning their most threatening player Luis Suarez was left to feed off scraps. 

This summer is huge for Liverpool. The club is at a cross roads. The right decisions could see them move right up the table next season. While the wrong decisions could see the club fall even further behind.