Why Liverpool's Glass is half full rather than half empty

Patience in football is a rare commodity these days. Everyone demands their team to make new signings and for these signings to pay off instantly. We then expect our teams to suddenly start challenging for honours.

But football doesn’t work like this, I wish it did. But it really doesn’t.

People often forget that when major change occurs, the team needs time to form and develop an understanding in order to become something that all teams crave for. And that is to become a team.

Liverpool have been a victim of this since Fenway Sports Group have taken over. People expect Liverpool to suddenly start challenging for the title and to dominate.

Some view Liverpool’s showings this season as under average, poor and lacklustre. In some games, this has well and truly been the case. But most of time this hasn’t been entirely the case.

If one delves deep into Liverpool’s performances, statistics and progress, one can see a different story being told.

The story being written is, Liverpool are a team still a work in progress.

Indeed, many have heavily criticised Liverpool’s transfer dealings since Fenway Sports Group took over. Often people have branded some of their signings as ‘average,’ ‘mediocre,’ and simply not good enough for a team who want to break back into the Champions League.

A few years ago, Liverpool were constantly criticised for not being able to create enough chances.

But this isn’t entirely the case anymore. Liverpool have created 319 chances, which is the 5^th best in the division. In fact, Liverpool have created more chances than League Champions Man United. That put things into serious perspective doesn’t it?

The likes of Henderson, Downing and Adam have been crucial in creating chances for Liverpool. Adam was signed this summer to create from midfield and that’s exactly what he’s done. Charlie Adam has assisted 6 times for Liverpool this season. Considering Liverpool’s highest assistor last season was Dirk Kuyt with 8 assists, Adam’s assist record is rather impressive.However, fellow new signing Stewart Downing has failed to impress many. After all he hasn’t assisted at all for the reds in his short Liverpool career. Perhaps his failure to impress has stemmed from Liverpool’s lack of finesse this season.

Liverpool have scored just 28 goals this season. Bolton, have scored the same amount of goals as Liverpool. Not only this, Bolton’s fellow relegation candidates, Blackburn, have scored more than Liverpool too (34 goals).

This highlights the problem at Liverpool. They need to be more clinical. In fact the team have the lowest conversion rate in the whole league. 8.5% of their shots have been converted to goals. Indeed, it is utterly woeful and as the saying goes, if you can’t score, you can’t win.Perhaps this is an area where the Liverpool players deserve criticism. After all, the team have failed to capitalize on their dominance because of their poor finishing. There is no doubt, the likes of Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard, Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing need to buck their ideas up in front of goal.

The damaging effects of this toothlessness in front of goal is especially visible when one looks at Liverpool’s home form.

This season, Liverpool have won just 4 home games this season. The Red’s have drawn 8 of their 12 home games this season. This speaks volumes about the goal scoring saga at Liverpool. What makes things worse is that in most home games, the players have created good chances, but either fantastic saves or woeful finishing has ended up being costly for Liverpool.

While Liverpool’s home form hasn’t been fantastic, they must be doing something right at home, as Liverpool along with Man City are the only two Premier League sides who remain unbeaten at home. Not only this, in all competitions, Liverpool are the only team in the Premier League who are unbeaten at home.

This is exceptional, Anfield may not be a conventional fortress, but the fact of the matter is, teams often leave Anfield without being able to defeat the home side. It is this notion as to why, Liverpool’s glass is half full rather than half empty. As the team have the foundations in place to be a team worthy of challenging. But this is hugely dependent on Liverpool bucking up their ideas in front of goal.

On the road, Liverpool have shown signs of huge promise too. The Reds have now won 6 times on the road. Last season, the team only won 5 times on the road. This improvement from last season is a clear indicator of the sides progress and rectification of their past failures.

Another of these past failures, which were arguably a big cause to Liverpool’s downfall in Rafa Benitez final term at Liverpool and Roy Hodgson’s tenure, was that the team conceded far too many goals.

But this season, things have been far different . Liverpool have the second best defensive record in the division, with only 21 goals being conceded. Not only this, Pepe Reina has the most clean sheets in the division with 10 clean sheets. This is exceptional. Liverpool have managed to immerse a very attacking philosophy with a system which does not leak many goals. The likes of Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and Jose Enrique deserve huge amounts of praise for tightening Liverpool’s backline.

What’s intriguing about Liverpool’s defensive record is the five regular starters are mostly, Pepe Reina, Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Jose Enrique. 4 out of the 5 have been at the club for more than three years. Perhaps this could suggest, if the players are settled and have an understanding in the squad, they have a better chance of doing their job more effectively.

If one takes a look at Liverpool’s offensive unit, most of the attackers haven’t been at the club for long. Some a few months, while others such as Suarez and Carroll have been at the club for just over a year. It’s clear as the defensive record shows, time, patience and further hard work is needed in order for Liverpool to achieve their long term aims. Liverpool’s attack need to continue to forge an understanding between themselves.

Liverpool are half way there from being a side capable of challenging for honours. Defensively the team are sound as anything. While at home, Liverpool are unconquerable. And perhaps more crucially, the team are creating the chances and are winning away from home too.

But patience is key to Liverpool’s progress. The club is still building a team. The process of building a team can takes years. Just look at Man City. Even with a bottomless pit of cash, it took Man City 4 years to build a team capable of challenging for the Premier League.

Liverpool are still in the forming stage of their building process. But the foundations are in place to give Liverpool the potential to be a side who can seriously question teams in England and across Europe. Indeed, one has to see their route to the Carling Cup final as a sign of the team's clear progression.

It’s imperative, Liverpool continue to build and carry on the positive work from this season.

After all, the glass is not half empty. The glass is half full if anything.


Statistics from EPL Index. (Stats taken on 7/02/12)

Why it’s only right Kenny Dalglish got the Liverpool job

‘If there is one word in our language that depicts Liverpool FC, its stability. We do not like change for changes sake.’

These were the wise words of former Liverpool Chairmen Sir John Smith. He was the chairmen who appointed Bob Paisley as Liverpool manager. In the last few years, Liverpool have lost that stability.

For the past 18 months, the club has been viciously rocking from one side to another.

But King Kenny Dalglish has come back to the club and he has stabilised Liverpool.

Liverpool’s Managing Director Ian Arye stated, ‘It was an easy decision in the sense that there was never any other candidate.’ This is hardly surprising. Dalglish has fully deserved the job full time. His impact on the club has been phenomenal. The results and the form tables back this too.

Since taking over in January, Liverpool have won 10 out of 16 Premier League games. Perhaps, to some that doesn’t sound that amazing. But take a look at Roy Hodgson Premier League record for Liverpool.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
21	7	4	9	23	27	-4	33%	25

Now, take a look at Kenny Dalglish’s Premier League record since taking over.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
16	10	3	3	35	14	20	62%	33 points

There clearly is a massive change in form since Dalglish took over. These facts are clear evidence of the positive impact Kenny Dalglish has made. Liverpool’s winning ratio almost doubles, this emphasises the substantial change in fortunes of the side.

Furthermore, when Dalglish took over the side, the team were out of form and bereft of confidence. Yet, under Dalglish, the team have only lost three times in the league. Whereas, under Hodgson, Liverpool lost 9 times.

Kenny Dalglish has been the catalyst to Liverpool’s revival.

Over the past 18 months, Liverpool have been erratic on the road. One could argue, Roy Hodgson lost his job because of his Liverpool’s terrible away form. But Dalglish has made Liverpool far more efficient on the road.

The stats prove this too.

Here is Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool away Premier League record.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
10	1	2	7	7	19	-12	10%	5 points

Now, take a look at Kenny Dalglish’s Premier League away record.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
7	4	1	3	15	10	5	57%	13 points

It’s evident. The away form has dramatically improved. The stats prove it. Perhaps, Liverpool’s away record under Dalglish has been one of the brightest aspects of his return to Liverpool. Under Hodgson, Liverpool’s away record was of the standard of a relegation candidate. Whereas under Dalglish, Liverpool’s away record is of the standard of a title candidate. The team have scored more and conceded less on the road under Dalglish.

To emphasise Liverpool’s fantastic away record under Dalglish, here is Man United’s away record in the past 7 Premier League games.

Games Played	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Winning Ratio	Points
7	2	1	4	11	10	1	28%	7 Points

In the past seven away games, Liverpool have gained more points than Man United. They have also won far more games than Man United in the past 7 away games too. This demonstrates the impact Kenny Dalglish has had on the club.

Not only have Liverpool been decent on the road. They have picked up some very good wins too. Take the results against both Manchester sides at Anfield. In both games, Liverpool played both sides off the park. Furthermore, Liverpool have hammered a few sides too. The 5-0 drubbing of Birmingham City comes to mind.

Under Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool have developed momentum and a growing confidence. It was vividly clear last season and at the start of this season, the team lacked confidence. But Dalglish has galvanised the players.

Many players have gained far more confidence whilst under Dalglish. Maxi is a prime example. His form since returning to the side has been nothing short of sensational. 7 goals in three games is incredible. While Dirk Kuyt is enjoying the form of his Liverpool life. Kuyt has scored 13 Premier League goals this season. The most he has ever scored in the league for Liverpool.

However, Dalglish has faced some tough issues during his short stint as temporary boss. The sale of Fernando Torres was perhaps the toughest situation. But Dalglish in his interviews and attitude reacted defiantly. In fact, he set the standard.

Dalglish continually emphasised the importance that ‘the club was bigger than any individual.’ In addition, Dalglish reinstated that Liverpool do not want players who do not want to be at the club.

This no-nonsense approach unified the players and the supporters. They believed in his words. For the first time in a long time, there was trust at Anfield.

There was no real mourning over the sale of Fernando Torres. Liverpool’s new signings assisted Liverpool getting over Torres. The signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll gave the Kop new hope and fresh optimism. It seems with every game, Liverpool are more unified and ever more confident. The late late draw at Arsenal is a definite example of this.

Kenny Dalglish symbolises Liverpool Football Club. He symbolises everything that is positive about the club. He symbolises the unification, the confidence and the glory days of the past.

The simple facts prove Kenny Dalgish’s immense impact on the team. When Dalglish returned in January, the team were 4 points away from the relegation zone. Now the club find themselves 22 points away from the relegation zone and in a European position.

Sir John Smith said ‘stability’ defines Liverpool Football Club.

Kenny Dalglish has achieved that and more.

It’s only right he can finish off the brilliant job he has started.

Things you may like to read

How Rafa Benitez is intelligently using the media to increase his chances of getting a job - http://tiny.cc/m9p4i


Why Emile Heskey's Premier League days should be all but over - http://tiny.cc/yu9u7

Just how good is Gary Cahill? - http://tiny.cc/jpccx

NOTE: This article was published on Thursday, but Blogger had server issues and accidently deleted!

Why the signing of Andy Carroll is a fatal error for Liverpool

So Fernando Torres departs Liverpool for £50 million. Incomes Andy Carroll for a mind blowing £35 million. Andy Carroll now becomes the 8^th most expensive in the world. A frightening thought. Seeing as he has only 6 months of top level football experience. And a single England cap.

Mark Lawrenson once said ‘managers live and dies by the signings they make.’ It’s a very valid point. Especially in the case of Liverpool. One main point to why people wanted to see Rafa Benitez sacked was his poor signings. Go back even further, Bentiez’s predecessor Gerard Houllier, again poor signings by the end of his reign were a crucial factor his departure. Since the 90’s Liverpool have been renowned for making poor signings. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some fantastic signings. But there have been far too many poor signings, which has put Liverpool into decline. This Andy Carroll transfer could possibly be a transfer which haunts Liverpool for years to come. There are too many risks involved in this deal.

Okay, it sounds like I hate Andy Carroll. Its far from that, I do think he is a good player. He is a defender’s nightmare, as he is physically strong, both on the ground and in the air. He is defiantly a player with potential. But even if Liverpool signed Andy Carroll for £20 million its still a huge risk. As he is still relatively new to the top level of football. And he isn’t a proven consistent goal socerer in the Premier League. Arguably, Andy Carroll isn’t a natural finisher too.

But I hope he proves me wrong and takes the Kop by storm.

Some argue that Andy Carroll has shown he can cut it at the Premier League level. It’s a valid point. Andy Carroll has scored 11 Premier League goals already this season. He is the third highest Premier League goal scorer this season. So in the first half of his first season in the Premier League as Newcastle’s number 9 he has shown he can find the net. But how many times have players started off the season brightly scoring lots of goals but then seen a their form dip? Remember Amr Zaki? The former Wigan man’s debut season in the Premier League he initially took the Premier League by storm. In the first half of the season he scored 10 goals, and was being linked to a host of European giants such as Real Madrid. But by the second half of the season, his form had dropped. And he only managed to get one goal in the second half of the season. Most people don’t even know where he plays now (Zamalek, if you were wondering.) The worrying aspect about Carroll is that he hasn’t been able to even prove to himself if he can consistently score in the Premier League, let alone to Liverpool.

Football's top 15 highest transfer record’s show something very clear;

Rank	Player	From	To	Fee (£ in millions)
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United	Real Madrid	£80
2	Zlatan Ibrahimović	Internazionale	Barcelona	£56.5
3	Kaká	Milan	Real Madrid	£56
4	Fernando Torres	Liverpool	Chelsea	£50
5	Zinedine Zidane	Juventus	Real Madrid	£45
6	Luís Figo	Barcelona	Real Madrid	£37
7	Hernán Crespo	Parma	Lazio	£35.5
8	Andy Carroll	Newcastle United	Liverpool	£35
9	David Villa	Valencia	Barcelona	£34.2
10	Gianluigi Buffon	Parma	Juventus	£32.6
11	Robinho	Real Madrid	Manchester City	£32.5
12	Christian Vieri	Lazio	Internazionale	£32
13	Andriy Shevchenko	Milan	Chelsea	£30.8
14	Dimitar Berbatov	Tottenham Hotspur	Manchester United	£30.75
15	Pavel Nedvěd	Lazio	Juventus	£30.7

This list shows that every player bar Andy Carroll have all proven themselves before their big money moves. As all these players have regularly played on the international stage, the Champions League and the top leagues of Europe.

The biggest eye opener is when you compare the players to Carroll. Is Carroll in the same bracket of players like David Villa, Hernan Crespo and Andriy Shevchenko? Obviously there different type of strikers to Carroll. But when the big money moves of David Villa, Hernan Crespo and Andriy Shevchenko were made, these players were considered world class. Whereas Carroll has a world class fee but is viewed as a player with potential. This is worrying. As it suggests Liverpool are spalashing £35 million on potential abilty, rather than current abilty.

The fact Liverpool have splashed £35 million on a player who is relatively unproven in the world of football suggests one thing. Panic buy. Its fair to say, Carroll isn’t in the same league as Robhino, David Villa or Andriy Shevchenko (in his day.) But Liverpool felt the urge to replace Torres by any means possible. The reasons to replace are varied. Some argue that it will make the Liverpool owners, FSG look like a selling club, so they needed to show the club is moving forward. While others believe it’s due to the fact Liverpool were lacking a centre forward due to Torres’ departure.

But the fact £35 million has been spent on a player who has scored only 34 professional goals clearly demonstrates the idea of being a panic buy. Every professional goal he has scored is virtually worth £1 million seeing as he was brought for £35 million. Which is an insane notion. Surely if your buying a striker for who is the 8^th most expensive player in the world, he should have scored more than the actual transfer figure itself?

FSG always talk about their ‘long term ambitions.’ The signing of Andy Carroll suggests the opposite. It shows an impulse buy. Yes he has potential, but the fee suggests a desperation to get a player in to replace Torres.

In the longer term it would have been far wiser had Liverpool waited till the summer to find Torres’s successor. As the club could have scouted the Europe and even if they were that keen on Andy Carroll, they could closely watch his progression at Newcastle. And see if he can maintain his consistency in the Premier League for the whole season. Furthermore, if Liverpool waited till the summer, they would have got Andy Carroll for a far friendlier and realistic price.

Once Carroll had arrived at Melwood for his medical journalists began to speculate that Carroll was forced out of Newcastle. Carroll reportedly said ‘I didn't want to leave. Make sure the fans know I didn't want to leave.’ This is worrying. The fact Carroll was reported to have been ousted out of Newcastle suggests his heart may not be with Liverpool for the long run. And the expectations of being Liverpool’s record signing and the 8^th most expensive player in the world may unsettle and alienate the player from loving Liverpool.

Off the pitch, Andy Carroll isn’t an angel. It’s fair to say Andy Carroll is a volatile character. He is known to have arguments with players and has been in trouble with the law a few times. Liverpool are taking a huge risk in taking in a player who could unsettle the squad and could bring bad press to the club. If Liverpool can make Andy Carroll grow up and be a well behaved professional it’s for the best for Liverpool and England. But it’s a damn big risk which could potentially back fire on the club, as it did with a certain British transfer record breaker Stan Collymore.

Andy Carroll is a panic buy acquisition. And this signing has the potential to haunt the club for years. As there are too many flaws in transfer. Firstly, the fee. I can safely say, Liverpool will never recoup any of the cash spent on Carroll. Liverpool are spending huge amounts on potential ability, what happens if this potential ability doesn’t materialise? Liverpool will be world’s football’s laughing stock. And their reputation could be tarnished.

Andy Carroll’s volatile character could leave Liverpool red faced, especially if he poorly represents the club in his personal life. Liverpool must closely look after their record signing. His behaviour off the pitch could be a time ticking bomb.

Liverpool have taken a massive gamble, whether or not it pays off is another question. But this acquisition will have a big effect on Kenny Dalglish’s reign as manager. But there are too many risk factors for the price Liverpool have brought Carroll for. It’s an accident waiting to happen.