Word Salad

At Liverpool, colorless green ideas sleep furiously. Absolutely nothing makes sense anymore, and I can't help but believe that's the point.

Liverpool hasn't had a plan for a new manager since sacking Benitez, evidenced by the wildly widely disparate names discussed during the month that the position's been empty. But from their personal point of view, having no plan is Hicks and Gillett's best possible policy. It buys them more time to have no plan to sell the club, and it keeps the fans focused on more trivial matters. Sadly, in this case, the trivial matters are the manager who decides the team and tactics for the game that we're all here to watch, the man who will try to make our summer of discontent somehow glorious. But because we're big business, the football takes a back seat so our loving custodians can make a buck off our love of football, selling snake oil with a Liverpool logo. Round and round in circles we go and where we'll stop, nobody knows.

Make sense? Good. It shouldn't. That's exactly how it's supposed to be. We of the Internet are a minority when considering the millions upon millions of fans worldwide. And there's a minority in our minority with heads still in the sand. Ignorance gives our enemies a large range of probabilities, and it is worse still to be ignorant of our own ignorance. Get the word out any way possible, wherever you are. Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies, and then the club dies. Those trivial matters will truly be trivialities, no matter the future manager, if Liverpool continues on its winding, wayward path.

Picture the larger picture. Recognize what's nonsense and hold who's responsible accountable. Sleep furiously tonight, but be sure to dream in red.

EXCLUSIVE!!!!1! LFC MANAGER SEARCH PROCESS REVEALED

I hate this summer, these owners, and Purslow so much. This is why I keep doing World Cup match reviews, and why there have been few posts about Liverpool. Because there's been no news from Liverpool – just obfuscation, smokescreens, and unfulfilled promises.

It's Dalglish. No, it's Hodgson. No, it's Pelligrini. No, it's Hodgson. No, wait, we're after Rijkaard or Deschamps, we promise. Ugh.

Wake me up in August.

I Hate Everything

Update 10:45am: Endgame. Official Statement from Liverpool FC on Benitez's exit. Eulogies to follow later. When I have some semblance of sanity.

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Just when I thought I could ignore malignant Liverpool "news." Ha. Not with these cancers in control.

Not long after 8pm British time, the Internet exploded.

Liverpool offer Rafael Benitez a way out of Anfield

The "relevant" part:

Liverpool have attempted to pave the way for Rafael Benitez’s departure by offering their manager a compromise deal to leave the club this summer.

In what amounts to a vote of no confidence in Benitez, the Liverpool board approved a proposal to the Spaniard which would see him depart Anfield with a lucrative pay off worth in the region of £3 million up front.

According to the terms of the five-year contract he signed in March 2009, Benitez is entitled to a £16 million severance package but given their current financial predicament there is no possibility of Liverpool being able to come up with that kind of money, regardless of their desire to bring about a change of manager.

As such, the club’s hierarchy is hoping that Benitez will stand aside without demanding the windfall that he would otherwise due or else they will have no option but to allow him to continue in the role he has been in since the summer of 2004 in the knowledge that he is no longer wanted/

And it's by Tony Barrett. Needless to say, my heart still hasn't slowed down, and I'm working on my noose knots.

My first thought was the usual Benitez defense, of which there are countless on this site. We can do the "he's underrated and unfairly criticized" or the "Liverpool will lose star players and everything built since 2005" arguments. But I'm sick of those, you're sick of those, and it'll accomplish even less than usual. Now's not the time to debate Rafa's managerial merits.

What I will repeat is this. I continue to believe that Rafa is the last line – the only line – of defense against the owners of this club. Purslow is the bank's yes man. Broughton is a Chelsea fan. The majority of the board is made up of Hicks' and Gillett's friends and families. If Rafa goes, then all those references to Leeds and Newcastle really could come true. Say goodbye to Torres, Gerrard, and Mascherano. Say goodbye to a worldwide scouting network that's brought the likes of Pacheco, Insua, etc. Say goodbye to stability, and any semblance of the Liverpool Way.

It's truly become Benitez versus the Tumors, and the owners know it. Which is why the story's come out like this. There are no quotes from Rafa or his agent, only reports of the Board's actions. And it's at 8pm, giving Benitez no time to respond but ensuring that the national media will have nothing but Rafa come morning. It is a power play. And it is yet another disgusting example of what Hicks and Gillett have done to this club.

Once again, we're airing our dirty laundry in public. Even if Benitez's isn't gone, this is the day Liverpool Way truly died. Shankly is rolling in his grave so hard the coffin might come out.

My only hope is that Benitez will tell to owners to sit and spin. He has no need to take £3m when owed £16m with years left on his contract. Hopefully he'll continue to be a bulwark against the criminal negligence of the custodians. But it doesn't look good. Fight. For the love of all that is holy, please Rafa, fight.

Being a sports fan creates such a feeling of impotence at times. It's especially hard when we're an ocean away. I know first-hand that Americans love this club and want to help. One of the few things we can do on this side of the pond is join with those who are doing something. Help Spirit of Shankly help us.

Infographics Update

Figured I'd update two of the graphics rolled out during the season: Points per game through eight games and 2008/09 vs 2009/10 Results Comparison.



The thicker, brown (I thought the color was fitting) dashed line in the middle of the graphic represents this campaign: one of only three seasons in the last 11 where Liverpool regressed after the first eight games. The other two years were Benitez's first campaign – 04/05 – and Houllier's penultimate – 02/03 – where Liverpool were unbeaten through eight (5W-3D) after ending the previous campaign in second place, before finishing with just a point more than this year's total. Sounds vaguely familiar.



Ugh.

This season, Liverpool had a worse record against United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Villa, Fulham, City, Wigan, Pompey, Blackburn and Sunderland – exactly half the division. They improved results against Everton, West Ham and Stoke, and accrued the same number of points against Spurs, Bolton and Hull. And Liverpool were three points worse against this year's promoted teams than last year's relegated sides.

Of the teams that Liverpool had a worse record against, Chelsea, Arsenal, Villa, City, Blackburn, and Sunderland improved their points total this season. United, Fulham, Wigan, and Pompey regressed, yet still took more points off Liverpool. Of the sides Liverpool improved its record against, West Ham were far worse this year, while Everton were marginally worse and Stoke marginally better. Finally, Liverpool continues its streak of dropping three or more points to relegated sides in each of Rafa's campaigns (at least one loss in four years, two draws in '05-06 and '06-07).

All in all, just like this season's results, these "updates" aren't all that encouraging.

Is the future bright? Is there a future?

In lieu of further complaining, further rehashing of all Liverpool's faults this season, I've been looking for positives. Looking for the silver linings that might make this abomination of a season worth experiencing.

You don't need me to review how this season went wrong. Liverpool, assuming they'd challenge for the title, started poorly, to put it nicely. Alonso's exit still can't be overemphasized. Defensive ineptitude, partly due to injuries and partly due to an imbalance from more attacking fullbacks, saw Liverpool lose to the likes of Spurs and Villa, damning Championship chances in August. The team tottered from disappointment to disappointment, with an unsettled line-up and confidence in the toilet, exiting the Champions League at the group stage for the first time under Benitez. Away form never improved, injuries never eased. The squad was too thin, with too few world-beaters, and with the world-beaters often injured or jaded. It never got better. It might still get worse. Hence, my attempt to focus on a few positives, as if it could improve next season.

Unfortunately, those silver linings are few and far between.

Some players didn't disappoint:
Only a few. Reina, Torres, Mascherano, and Kyrgiakos, really.

Reina arguably had his best season in a Liverpool shirt, again winning the Golden Gloves despite frequent defensive incompetence. You think seventh was bad? Without Reina, Liverpool wouldn't have qualified for Europe. That's not hyperbole. Pepe proved why he's one of two players I wouldn't trade for any other in their position.

And here's the other. When Torres was on the pitch, he was a star this season, scoring 18 goals in 22 league matches. He was the only player – no exaggeration – who struck consistently this season. The. Only. Player. Unfortunately, his frequent injuries were in line with this season's luck.

Importantly, Kyrgiakos was excellent value for money, something we haven't been able to say about many signings in that last two years. Liverpool had to replace the irreplaceable Sami Hyypia with pocket change and somehow pulled it off. Kyrgiakos isn't and won't be the big Finn, and made mistakes this season – including a crucial one to let Lyon sneak the draw that sent Liverpool out of the CL – but his height and ferociousness came in handy more often than he hurt the side.

Finally, Mascherano may have disappointed early in the season, with his head turned by Barcelona (get used to that) and Argentina struggling to qualify for the World Cup. He certainly wasn't the only one, and by the winter, he was back to being the monster, putting in his usual terrifying performances. I think it became fairly clear he missed Alonso's presence more than anyone in the side, save possibly Stevie.

Yes, there actually were a few good games:
And when there were good games, they came one of two ways: a dominating Liverpool performance, which really were few and far between, or a resilient, 'we're not going to lose' match.

The first category saw results like 4-0 Benfica, 3-0 Lille, 4-1 Pompey, 3-0 Sunderland, 4-0 Stoke, 4-0 Burnley (twice) and 6-1 Hull. Most of those games were rightful dismissals of substandard sides. But at least Liverpool were able to put bus-parkers to the sword at Anfield, which was what cost the team the title in 2008-09. And against the likes of Benfica, Lille, Pompey, and Sunderland, we saw what Liverpool could do with a full squad. Pity you could count the games on one hand.

The second saw the majority of "false dawns" – 2-0 United, 2-0 Spurs, 2-0 Everton, 1-0 Everton, and 1-0 Villa. These were the games Liverpool won by being Liverpool: grinding out results despite a weakened line-up or stronger opposition. This was the Liverpool that came second in the league the season before. This was the Liverpool Benitez has built: a team that refused to lose, and would eke out needed wins when backs were against the wall. Again, pity you could count the games on one hand. This is what we needed to see more of. This is the Liverpool we're accustomed to. Showing this belief and self-confidence in more than five games next season might be helpful.

The future is young, the future could be bright:
For the first time in a long time, we're juiced about prospects in the Under-18s and reserves.

In the senior side, young players such as Lucas, Insua, and Ngog – all under 23 – saw a lot of pitch time, which will benefit the team next season. I know all three have their detractors, and all three disappointed at times. But age is a valid excuse, and the trials of this season will strengthen all three for the subsequent campaign. Baptism by fire often works.

Then there are the players we just got glimpses of: Ayala, Pacheco, Kelly, Robinson. All four displayed potential – even Robinson in his sole cameo – and all four will see more time next season. Under them are the stars of the reserves and Academy, who we get tantalizing reports on: Amoo, Duran, Dalla Valle, Gulasci, Ince, Ngoo, Tony Silva, Sokolik, Wisdom, and Sterling. I've written about Benitez reestablishing the assembly line before, but I've honestly never been this excited about youngsters. Bringing in Borrell and others from Barca's Academy only heightens the expectations. There assuredly will be players that make the breakthrough from this group.

And the signing of Raheem Sterling also bodes well in another area. Sterling, Shelvey, and supposedly Danny Wilson herald a new era in Liverpool signing British youngsters. The new UEFA and Premier League quotas have partly forced this trend, but its still heartening. Liverpool needs an English core, and in regards to Danny Wilson, the club's never won the title without a Scot in the squad.

The owners want out:
This, obviously, could be the biggest development, and will probably be the summer's biggest talking point (outside of how all Liverpool's star players want to jump off the sinking ship, at least according to Soccernet).

I will continue to maintain the Chuckle Brothers were the root cause of every turmoil faced this season. It all comes back to squad depth, funds, and morale. Hicks and Gillett cold-bloodedly murdered all three.

They're still here, and we've seen few offers mooted since putting the club up for sale. Gossip still pervades the Anfield atmosphere, and we'll be hearing about possible player departures all summer long, at least until Stadler and Waldorf sell up. The uncertainty isn't going away until they do.

But putting the club up for sale is a step in the right direction. They've at least come to terms with their failure. Getting them out is another matter entirely, but at least we're crawling in the correct direction.

Liverpool survived:
Your mother was right. It can always get worse, and the ways it can get worse are readily apparent. Most of them pertain to off-the-pitch problems.

But if Liverpool can get through a season like this and still qualify for Europe – hell, could have qualified for the Champions League without choking against Wigan, Fulham, and Hull in the last six weeks – who knows what could happen with one or two signings, players staying fit, and a better start.

Stranger things have happened. The Sword of Damocles still hasn't fallen.

Direct Assists 2009-10

Okay, so the narrative review I usually wrap up the season with isn't going well. I think I've scrapped three drafts so far, no closer to what I'd like to publish. I blame the fact I eulogized this team all season long. So far, what I've written looks too much like previous posts, whether it's the 'What's Changed' post from December or the lamentation of Liverpool's away form from a month ago.

I do hope to have an encompassing season review up at some point. Probably Monday. I will still be blaming some combination of owners, tactics, squad depth, injuries, and away form. Obviously. So, in lieu, here's my total of direct assists from this season.



I've frequently complained about how assist statistics are kept. So I kept my own this season. Again, let me reiterate that these are direct assists: the pass/shot directly leading to the goal. Most of the time, it's cut and dry. But there are some qualifications; for example, I gave an assist for each penalty won and if a goal was scored from a rebound, I gave the assist to the player who took the first shot.

Unsurprisingly, Gerrard had the most by a decent margin, followed by Benayoun, Aquilani, and Insua. The latter two are somewhat surprising, especially since Aquilani only had one less Premiership assist than Gerrard despite playing in 15 fewer games. He didn't tally his first until the end of January and still finished joint-third. That stat alone is a big reason why I don't think he'll be sold this summer. Finally, out of 84 total goals, six were unassisted.

I didn't include it in the graphic for spatial concerns, but I have an Excel file with every goal and why I scored the assist as I scored it, in case you have any detailed questions.

OYB Awards 2010

Third year running. Can’t let anything like an awful season spoil tradition.

Leave your own awards in the comments. You know, when you're in the mood to relive this glorious campaign.

Player of the season:
1) Pepe Reina (Without a doubt. Unanimous decision.)
2) Javier Mascherano (His usual monstrous self once Argentina qualified for the World Cup.)
3) Fernando Torres (Let’s not imagine what would have happened had he been fit the whole time.)

Most pleasing result:
1) Liverpool 2-0 United
2) Liverpool 1-0 Everton
3) Liverpool 4-1 Benfica

Most dominating performance:
1) Liverpool 6-1 Hull
2) Liverpool 4-0 Burnley (h)
3) Liverpool 3-0 Sunderland

Most entertaining game:
1) Liverpool 4-1 Benfica
2) Liverpool 2-0 United
3) Liverpool 3-0 Lille

Most underrated player:
1) Sotiros Kyrgiakos (Direly needed his aerial ability after Sami's exit.)
2) Pepe Reina (Will be on this list until everyone recognizes he’s the best keeper in the league and one of the top three in the world.)
3) Lucas (Sorry. Had to. It's true, though.)

Young player of the season (PFA does 23 or younger, I’m using 21):
1) Emiliano Insua
2) David Ngog
3) Daniel Ayala

It’s a close call between Ayala and Pacheco, both only 19. While the glimpses of Pacheco tantalized, Liverpool only let in one goal during the 234 minutes Ayala played over five games. And that goal came with nine men on the field. Otherwise, two clean sheets in starts against Stoke and Burnley, while he steadied the ship as a substitute against Spurs and Chelsea. Had Kelly stayed healthy, he’d probably be #3, though.

Also, I’d rather not start more fights over Insua; I know he was skinned often and got worse as the campaign went on. But he was absolutely thrown in the deep end with a brick tied to his ankle because of injuries and a lack of resources, and performed adequately – despite his struggles since mid-season – for his age and experience. Baptism by fire.

Best Signing:
1) Sotiros Kyrgiakos
2) Glen Johnson
3) Maxi Rodriguez

So, yeah, Liverpool barely made enough signings to have this list. Yes, I know Aquilani’s missing. Next season will be his true test. And two consecutive years where I struggle to fill out this category – two seasons where Liverpool’s been ballin’ on a budget – probably isn’t a good thing.

Best Goal:
1) Torres 1-0 Sunderland
2) Aquilani 3-0 Portsmouth
3) Kuyt 3-0 Stoke

The annual Top 10 video will be up in the next couple of days. Yes, I’m surprised Gerrard’s not in the top three.

Worst performance of the season:
1) Liverpool 0-2 Pompey
2) Liverpool 0-1 Wigan
3) Liverpool 0-2 Fiorentina

Toughest category by far.

Stomach punch of the season:
1) Liverpool 2-1 Atletico aet
2) Liverpool 1-2 Reading aet
3) Liverpool 1-1 Lyon

Unsurprisingly, this was the second-toughest category.

Daylight Robbery:
1) Liverpool 0-1 Sunderland
2) Liverpool 1-2 Spurs
3) Liverpool 1-2 Fiorentina

Also difficult.

False Dawns/Non-Turning Points:
1) Liverpool 2-0 Everton
2) Liverpool 2-0 Spurs
3) Liverpool 2-0 United

Sigh.

Stats Comparison 09/10

Like last year (and the year before...), I want to start off the season review posts with a comparison of campaigns under Benitez. No prizes for guessing which was the worst of the six. The first one! This year was only second worst in most categories! Hooray!

Liverpool’s league record under Benitez:
04/05:
Home: 12 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses
Away: 5 wins, 3 draws, 11 losses
58 points
05/06:
Home: 15 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss
Away: 10 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses
82 points
06/07:
Home: 14 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss
Away: 6 wins, 4 draws, 9 losses
68 points
07/08:
Home: 12 wins, 6 draws 1 loss
Away: 9 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses
76 points
08/09:
Home: 12 wins, 7 draws
Away: 13 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses
86 points
09/10:
Home: 13 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses
Away: 5 wins, 6 draws, 8 losses
63 points

Away record, away record, away record. I’ll be beating that drum a bit over the next couple of weeks.

League goals for and against:
04/05 – 52 scored, 41 conceded (82 for in all competitions)
05/06 – 57 scored, 25 conceded (104 for in all competitions)
06/07 – 57 scored, 27 conceded (90 for in all competitions)
07/08 – 67 scored, 28 conceded (119 for in all competitions)
08/09 – 77 scored, 27 conceded (106 for in all competitions)
09/10 – 61 scored, 35 conceded (84 for in all competitions)

Top scorer:
04/05: Milan Baros - 9 in the league, 13 in total (Gerrard and Garcia also finished the season with 13 goals)
05/06: Steven Gerrard - 10 in the league, 23 overall
06/07: Peter Crouch - 9 in the league, 18 overall (Kuyt was top scorer in the league with 12)
07/08: Fernando Torres - 24 in the league, 33 overall
08/09: Steven Gerrard – 16 in the league, 24 overall
09/10: Fernando Torres – 18 in the league, 22 overall

Players with double-digit goals in the league:
04/05: 0
05/06: 1 – Gerrard
06/07: 1 – Kuyt
07/08: 2 – Torres, Gerrard
08/09: 3 – Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt
09/10: 1 – Torres

This stat might be the most disappointing regression. Except, of course, the away record.

Clean sheets:
04/05: 7 in the league, 18 overall
05/06: 22 in the league, 33 overall
06/07: 20 in the league, 28 overall
07/08: 18 in the league, 25 overall
08/09: 20 in the league, 26 overall
09/10: 17 in the league, 22 overall

Points behind the league winners:
04/05: 37
05/06: 9
06/07: 21
07/08: 11
08/09: 4
09/10: 23

Liverpool 0-0 Hull

Reina
Mascherano Carragher Kyrgiakos Agger
Gerrard Lucas
El Zhar Aquilani Babel
Kuyt

Good riddance, 2009-10.

It took 35 minutes to find an internet stream that actually worked, and other than an El Zhar shot saved, it doesn’t look like I missed much. Of course, I wouldn’t have missed much had I not seen any of it.

Even though a win would allow the team to start three weeks later thanks to Villa losing to Blackburn, a relegated Hull in front of its own fans was the only side with any impetus. We saw more passion from Liverpool during some of the preseason friendlies.

The away side only looked themselves in the final seconds of either half, hitting the frame of the goal in the 46th and 91st. Even though, depressingly, Hull were the better side for long stretches, and Pepe earned the clean sheet which sees him finish the season level with Cech (winning the Golden Gloves for the fourth of his five seasons), those two opportunities should have seen Liverpool undeservedly win. No such luck this season. Duh.

Right before the intermission, Aquilani hit the crossbar, moments after Kuyt’s center narrowly missed an on-rushing Agger. The makeshift left back toed the rebound for Aquilani’s shot embarrassingly over from eight yards. Right before the final whistle, Gerrard hit the foot of the post after finally trying to finish a trademark run forward. But in between, Hull “took” the game to Liverpool, as much as Hull could.

Their young players – Cairney, Cullen, and Atkinson – had a point to prove, while Mendy was excellent. But the home side was mostly limited to a couple of scary crosses (usually Mendy), a few dangerous free kicks not good enough, and a shot from distance straight down Reina’s throat.

It was evident that a fair few senior players couldn’t be bothered for long stretches today, especially since the best and only chances came near at the close of the halves, like a switch was flipped. Pacheco (for Aquilani in the 74th) and Robinson (for Babel in the 88th) both came on, but that the youngsters had more to play for should have seen them on sooner. If we’re going down in flames, go down in style. At least Robinson takes Owen’s name out of the record books for youngest league debutant. If Liverpool’s as bad off financially as we think, the 16-year-old might get a few more games next season.

We’ll have lots of time to fully eulogize and dissect this piss-poor season during the coming weeks. I'll probably roll out the usual end-of-year stuff over the next couple. For now, suffice it to say that it certainly wasn’t good enough – just like today's display – and I couldn’t be happier it’s over. Any writer who had guessed this team would finish 7th would have been laughed out of the press room, and I'm not the only idiot who thought they'd have a chance at the title (but I am still an idiot). Yes, Liverpool looks to be on the precipice of mediocrity – at best! – if matters don’t change off the field. But even after eight months of disappointment after disappointment, I’m still adamant there’s a real team in there somewhere.

Let’s see what the next step off the pitch entails before we start covering the coffin with dirt.

Just Because You Keep Repeating It Doesn’t Make It True

The anglophile and political junkie that I am, I watched the BBC’s streaming coverage of the UK election for more than a few hours last night. I can’t help these masochistic tendencies. And even knowing what I know about the media, I was still amazed to see a narrative fully created with less than a quarter of the results in.

With hours of airtime to fill, politician after politician was interviewed, and every one was forced into the cliché of ‘we’ll have to wait for the full numbers’ while the hacks fumbled for a storyline. David Dimbleby et al went with whether Gordon Brown “had the moral right” to form a government with a hung Parliament imminent and the Tories with more seats. Evidently, it’s still going on this morning, although I haven’t fully caught up on the “news.”

By midnight US time – seven hours after polls had closed – I was screaming at the computer for one of the random Labour stuffed suits to respond, “Look you nitwit, numbers don’t lie. If no party has a majority, we get first chance at a coalition. It's not rocket science.” Never happened. It didn’t fit with the “Tory wave” narrative that’s been lovingly built for more than a year. If there was any narrative, it should have been “A pox on all your houses, third parties never win, and all politics is local.” But that’s too stunningly simple. It’s evidently easier, and more fun, to fit the facts to the story rather than the story to the facts. As Liverpool fans, we should be used to that.

We’ve watched a narrative forced on Liverpool all season long, one in a long line of unfair criticisms of this club and manager. I hate drawing any parallel between Gordon Brown and Rafa Benitez, but the hacks have long been planning both men’s downfall (a downfall partly of each’s own making, but that’s another essay), and have been willing to mold the “news” – any news, even speculation – to make it fit. Speculation like what we’re frequently forced to rely on in football, and which the pundits had to rely on last night while waiting for winners to slowly arise.

We all succumb to the narratives around Liverpool, and I’m admittedly as reactionary as most. Neither Benitez nor Liverpool has said anything concrete about Juventus or buyouts, but every word from either is diagnosed in great detail for a clue. The recent club statement – or what was lacking in that statement – on the meeting between Benitez and Broughton (and Purslow!) has invited even more. That the Guardian’s article states Benitez won’t hold a press conference before the Hull match invites even more speculation that feeds into the frightening storyline.

It’s little use listing the misguided narratives and half-truths used to bash Benitez, but it makes me feel better: zonal marking, rotation, transfer spending, poor man management, too defensive, never plays young players, etc. Yes, there are truths in many of them, but a quick search of my archives hopefully demonstrates that there are arguments against those myths, as well as arguably more important reasons why he needs to stay.

I should apologize for the weeklong silence, but I’ve been hard-pressed to write anything about the club. Morale is still in the toilet after a long, disappointing season with zero light at the end of the tunnel. Off-field turmoil is as virulent as ever, unabated after the aforementioned meeting. I just haven’t had the stomach for it, and I’d rather wait for reality to play out instead of forcing a narrative into words for once. Otherwise, it’s shouting into the wind.

The preview of Sunday’s match, thankfully the last of the season, will be late tomorrow or early Saturday.

Liverpool's Strongest XI

I was such a big fan of the 4-2-3-1 with Gerrard as a second striker/in a free role because it seemed to get the best of out Gerrard and Torres. That and it led to Liverpool nearly winning the league. But after how this season's gone, we rightfully have to wonder if that's consistently possible without Alonso.

The idea appeared to be that, while not a direct replacement, Aquilani would play in a 'similar' position to Alonso in the 4-2-3-1 when fit. Maybe he just hasn't been fit until recently, but I think he's shone in the "Gerrard role," whether it's been Torres, Kuyt, Ngog, or Babel up top (obviously to varying degrees of success based on the striker).

Rafa's been reluctant to play Aquilani deeper in midfield, even after he received a clean bill of health, and especially in "tough" matches. He didn't impress in the position against Fiorentina in December or Reading in January, and was left on the bench throughout the winter. But we started to see the change when Liverpool faced Spurs at the end of January, winning 2-0, with the first goal set up because Aquilani was further up the pitch.

But he's been increasingly pushed further forward, and he's looked increasingly dangerous in the position, especially against Atletico, Burnley, and Portsmouth, tallying 2 goals and 4 assists in those two games. With only seven starts and nine substitute appearances in the league, he has Liverpool's second-highest Premiership assist total with six. Only Gerrard has more – seven – with Insua, Benayoun, and Johnson on five. But for all his clever, close passing, sometimes it doesn't come off, and potentially goal-conceding giveaways tend to concede less goals when the ball's given away higher up the pitch.

That leads to the contentious Gerrard in central midfield debate. Is it his best position or not? Benitez seemed happiest with second striker, Capello plays him on the left for England. Still, there a few sights more pleasing to Liverpool fans than trademark Gerrard lung-busters and blasts from deep. Like when he played on the right in '05-06, what's best for the team and what's best for Gerrard might not necessarily be harmonious.

There's space for Lucas in this formation whether he's partnering Mascherano or Gerrard. He's been too much of a scapegoat as it is this season, which is why his two fantastic assists in the last two games have been welcomed. And he's shown more in both attack and defense as the season's gone on. But with Gerrard, Mascherano, and Aquilani on form, he's the odd man out, unless, of course, Mascherano's forced into right back.

Maxi, Benayoun, and Babel have all looked better of late with Aquilani in a more advanced position. His quick passing allows those smaller, clever players to dice through a rigid defense, leading to goals like Maxi's against Burnley and Aquilani's yesterday. Torres and Babel also linked up excellently against the likes of Lille, Pompey, and Sunderland before El Niño was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Kuyt/Maxi on the right and Babel/Benayoun on the left are still a lot stronger than most teams' flanks. But that Babel and Benayoun are primarily right-footed still leads me to believe that left wing is the most important upgrade needed over the summer – yes, that drum again – although I'm well aware that left-back and another striker are fairly key as well.

However, the above still looks like a fairly strong side to me, no matter this season's results. Which makes me wonder why Benitez (and Torres, and Gerrard) are talking about 'four or five' new players when all three know how tight money is. A winger, a back-up striker, and a left-back, in addition to continuing promising youngsters like Shelvey and Sterling, is what my shopping list would entail, even in the best of circumstances.

Last night aptly demonstrated Liverpool's squad isn't deep enough, but you have to remember how many players were missing: Torres, Skrtel, Insua, Aurelio, Kelly, Ngog, and Riera. That's a full bench, and even a couple of those players would have helped Liverpool's lack of depth last night. Plus, the likes of Pacheco, Shelvey, and possibly Nemeth and others, might be ready to make the leap into the first team.

Maybe my questionable optimism is misplaced. Chances are I think this squad is better than it actually is. And I'm well aware how bad this season's been. But are Liverpool really that far away? You're telling me the line-up at the top of the page couldn't challenge for the league with one or two more signings and a far better injury record?

I don't understand this game sometimes.

(FYI: Preview for Sunday's match v Chelsea will be late tonight or early tomorrow.)

No Torres, No Party?

It's somewhat moot after yesterday's match, with Liverpool having no problems against West Ham despite the absence of Fernando Torres, but the sentiment still remains. Liverpool's become far too much of a one-man team this season, and that one man isn't Gerrard for a change.

Torres goals, League goals:
'07-08: 67 league goals, 24 Torres = 36% of league goals
'08-09: 77 league, 14 Torres = 18%
'09-10: 57 league, 18 Torres = 32%

League Record with/without Torres starting:
'07-08
   With: 18W-7D-4L (2.1 pts per game)
   Without: 3W-6D-0L (1.67 pts per game)
'08-09
   With: 13W-7D-0L (2.3 pts per game)
   Without: 12W-4D-2L (2.22 pts per game)
'09-10
   With: 11W-1D-8L (1.7 pts per game)
   Without: 6W-7D-2L (1.67 pts per game)

Funny how Liverpool's best season under Benitez came during the year that Torres was least productive. That's not coincidence. Liverpool were best last season because Liverpool had other players besides Torres scoring consistently.

Torres accounted for around a third of Liverpool's goals in '07-08 and '09-10. It's little surprise to see the disparity in Liverpool's records with and without the striker during those years, even if it's closer this campaign (yesterday's result added .1 to Liverpool's points per game without Torres). Of course, he started 29 league matches in '07-08 compared to 20 so far this season, which makes a difference when the player tallies almost 1 in 3 goals scored.

But Torres only accounted for 18% of Liverpool's Premiership strikes in '08-09, out injured for nearly half of the league campaign, and Liverpool finished second, with their highest point total more than in two decades. Gerrard and Kuyt had double-digit league tallies that season, while Benayoun chipped in eight of his own. That year, Liverpool wasn't a one or two man team. This year, Kuyt has 9 in the league, Gerrard 7, and Benayoun 6. That's 14 fewer goals than the three totaled last season.

As I've written multiple times during this annus horribilis, Liverpool's form isn't down to one factor, no matter how important that factor is. For example, take this year's record with and without Torres. Surprisingly, Liverpool has far more losses with Torres in the starting XI than without. When Torres has been missing in the last few months, Liverpool usually ends matches level, yesterday notwithstanding. That can be explained by another of my 'excuses' this season: the backline.

Liverpool lost against the likes of Spurs, Villa, and Fulham despite having El Niño in the line-up primarily because the defense was so awful in those matches. Now that the defense has firmed up (relatively speaking), Liverpool's often drawing matches when Torres is out. They're not conceding stupid goals, but few are scoring in the striker's absence either. Nil-nils against Blackburn, Wolves, and City are prime examples of this.

Five of Liverpool's six wins without Torres came at Anfield. The sides Liverpool beat were Everton (twice), Tottenham, Bolton, Wigan, West Ham; only Everton and Spurs are in the top-half, and those three games couldn't have been tighter. It's not as if Liverpool have laid waste to a murderer's row without El Niño.

This isn't to say Liverpool can't win without Torres – demonstrably incorrect as of less than 24 hours ago – or that Liverpool has to change the formation/buy another top-level striker. I only have to reference last season and Robbie Keane to warn how new blood can alter an excellent dynamic. Don't get me wrong; everyone's aware Liverpool needs to make signings this summer. But, as we saw yesterday, it's more important that the other piano players – Gerrard, Benayoun, Maxi, etc. – step up when Torres is out.

Away Chances, Away Goals

17 away league games, 14 goals. That's abysmal. And it's led to a record of four wins, five draws, and eight losses away from Anfield. I've prattled on about the multiple causes of Liverpool's season-long misfortune, and there are multiple, but at the end of the season, the away form might be the most glaring.

I still believe that many of this season's problems can't be pinned solely on Benitez, but you can't help but start with the manager on this one. Liverpool only lost two games on the road last season, picking up 43 points in the process, and three the season before. The team scored 36 in the league away from Anfield in the previous campaign. And it's usually the tactics that result in such a vast discrepancy.

Yet from memories alone, I'm not inclined to single out a lack of ambition in attack. Sure, Liverpool were conservative in trips to Wolves and City and patently awful against the likes Pompey and Wigan. But I also remember early season losses to Spurs and Fulham, as well as the narrow wins over Bolton and West Ham (where Liverpool had to score three to win). Liverpool tried the more attacking mindset at the start of the season, trying to build on the form they ended the previous season with. And as we saw, it didn't work because of an unsettled and sloppy defense (especially on set plays) and the absence of Alonso, among other variables.

Reverting to stereotype, Liverpool have lost and drawn some dreadful away games, most glaringly the aforementioned Pompey, Wigan, City, and Wolves matches. But they've also picked up victories at Villa and Everton using similarly cagey tactics. The cliché 'sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't' holds true for every team and manager. After six years with Benitez, we should at least be used to the ride, the good and the bad. It's brought victories over the likes of United, Barca and Real Madrid, and losses to the likes of Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and Wigan.

I guess this is a good place for some relevant statistics from previous seasons. Beware, this gets numbers-heavy even for me from here.

Away goals per game
'09-10: 0.824 (14 through 17)
'08-09: 1.895 (36)
'07-08: 1.263 (24)
'06-07: 0.947 (18)
'05-06: 1.316 (25)
'04-05: 1.105 (21)

Away record/League Position
'09-10: 4 wins, 5 draws, 8 losses (?)
'08-09: 13 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses (2nd)
'07-08: 9 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses (4th)
'06-07: 6 wins, 4 draws, 9 losses (3rd)
'05-06: 10 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses (3rd)
'04-05: 5 wins, 3 draws, 11 losses (5th)

So far, it's been the worst of Rafa's six seasons. And if Liverpool don't beat both Burnley and Hull – the 18th and 19th-placed teams – while scoring at least four, it'll end as the worst.

The away form, in both goals and overall record, looks most like '06-07. Liverpool finished with 68 points that season, which is what they'll get this year if they manage four wins and a draw over the next five games. The difference, obviously, is in the strength of the league. Arsenal, City, Tottenham, and Villa have all improved that much in the last three years.

Delving deeper into it, over the course of this season, Liverpool's averaged 13 shots per away match compared to 20 per home game. Which is pretty much the same as '06-07: 13 per away match and 19 at Anfield. The discrepancy's only egregious when counting shots on target: just less than three per game away compared to seven at home. In '06-07, Liverpool averaged 6.5 shots on target per away match, more than twice as many as this season, and 8.5 at home.

To add more numbers to the pile, let's look at it in how many shots and shots on target it takes to score.

'09-10:
• 15.99 shots per away goal
• 3.5 shots on target per away goal
• 6.0 shots per home goal (3.375 goals/game)
• 2.15 shots on target per home goal

'06-07:
• 13.84 shots per away goal
• 6.94 shots on target per away goal
• 5.9 shots per home goal (3.167 goals/game)
• 2.67 shots on target per home goal

Liverpool found it far easier to score, and about at the same rate, at home in both seasons. No surprise. Every team's better at home. Even this season, Fortress Anfield has made a difference.

Only one of those four stats stands out: the number of shots on target it took to score away from Anfield. In '06-07, Liverpool scored once for every seven shots on target. It's exactly half that this year. With that sort of efficiency, Liverpool should have no trouble tallying goals. If only they could get shots on target.

Otherwise, the number of shots and goals per game, whether home or away, as well as Liverpool's away record, is similar in both seasons. Fewer shots on target but a similar number of shots in total usually means more shots from distance.

Remember, Liverpool didn't adopt the 4-3-2-1 consistently until last season. Liverpool almost always lined up 4-4-2 in '06-07, even away from Anfield, with some combination of Crouch, Kuyt, Bellamy, and Fowler up top. Gerrard, Sissoko, Alonso, and later Mascherano played in central midfield, with Gerrard sometimes shifting out right (usually in the "big" away games).

Tactics and formation only go so far. Liverpool weren't good enough this season or in '06-07, and Benitez probably should have been bolder in both. But similar numbers of shots and goals despite the difference in formation suggests it has more to do with to the players. They're getting shots. They're just not going in. And the ones that actually hit the target are beating the keepers, suggesting that the close range shots are working; that Torres is doing his job.

That's vindicated by his goals per game and per minute ratios. No surprise that he has six of Liverpool's 14 away goals, double Gerrard in second place. Pity he's been injured so much. The only other players to have scored away from Anfield in the league are Kuyt (2), Johnson, and Kyrgiakos, with one own goal. It goes without saying that Liverpool cannot rely on Torres or Gerrard to bail them out of tough away matches.

This isn't to re-ignite Sunday's substitution debate. Torres looked jaded and Liverpool were better after Ngog came on. But the overall point remains: the other attackers aren't carrying their weight, especially away from Anfield, where Liverpool's desperately needed someone to make the leap. Every week I look up the opposition's goal-scorers for my previews, and every week I'm surprised by the difference between Liverpool's 2nd, 3rd, and/or 4th placed scorers and the oppositions. The gap's rarely as large as Liverpool's.

Whether or not Torres needs a strike partner or more support from the line of three is open for debate, and we'll probably debate it a lot this summer. Liverpool did score a record number of goals last season, both home and away, using primarily the 4-2-3-1. That may not be possible without Alonso. But Torres needs help, especially away from Anfield. And even though these stats somewhat support Benitez's tactics – or at least demonstrate that the formation doesn't really matter – Torres still needs more help from the manager's game plan. Of course, for Torres to get help, Liverpool will need to get money.

But long story short, if you can't hit the target, you're not going to win. And Liverpool's players just aren't hitting the target enough.

More raw numbers:
• '09-10 shots away: 224(49 on target) = 13.18(2.88) per game
• '09-10 shots home: 324(116) = 20.25(7.25) per game
• '06-07 shots away: 249(125) = 13.11(6.58) per game
• '06-07 shots home: 355(161) = 18.68(8.47) per game

Kuyt or Maxi, Babel or Benayoun

In lieu of more macro-level wrist-slitting about the club and manager's prospects, I'd rather investigate one of the tactical areas that irritated me yesterday (yeah, there were more than just this, but I'd rather write about the wingers than the fullbacks or Gerrard).

For the fourth straight game against 'top-level' opposition, Maxi's started on the left. Admittedly, I didn't see a ton of him at Atletico or for Argentina, but when I have, he's been deployed on the right every time.

Maxi on the left: 1-2 United (a); 0-0 City (a); 0-1 Arsenal (a); 1-0 Everton (h)
Maxi on the right: 4-1 Pompey (h); 0-1 Wigan (a); 2-1 Blackburn (h); 0-0 Wolves (a)

If Maxi starting on the left when either Babel or Benayoun (or both) has been available isn't the perfect demonstration of Benitez's conservatism, I don't know what is. It's ostensibly "worked" in two of those matches, Everton and City (as both sides were clearly content with a draw at the Eastlands), and Liverpool could have eked at least a point out of United or Arsenal if other things went differently, but I can't remember Maxi making much impact in any of the four.

Despite Liverpool's record when Maxi's started on the right, that's where he's done the most, and it's led to Liverpool at least looking cohesive going forward. He was excellent against Pompey and good against Blackburn. The entire team was dire in the two losses, and Maxi's excusable for a poor game in his first start, at Wolves.

It's symptomatic of how Benitez uses the flanks, trying to control the game out wide as he does in midfield. There are multiple pros and cons to the 'keep it tight' method in certain matches; it's one of the ongoing endless debates about Rafa's tactics. It's led to some brilliant performances in Europe and the league in previous years, but few if any in this one. We can argue about how many ways this season's gone wrong; I've come up with multiple excuses over the past months. And I'll unashamedly admit to stretching for ways to defend Benitez, but I've at least come to the conclusion that his thinking about the wings has to change.

The flanks have been at or near the top of the list of Liverpool's weak spots since Rafa arrived, mainly manned by Nuñez, Luis Garcia, Kewell, Pennant, Gonzalez, or Zenden prior to this crop. Of course, the combined cost of those players not including Kewell (bought by Houllier) is less than £15m and almost all in the fees for Pennant and Garcia. The cliché of not buying championships in bargain bins yet again rings true. And money's yet again the root of all evil, but Rafa hasn't helped himself in prioritizing other areas. And to compare to Benitez's Valencia, set out in a similar formation, Liverpool's never had a Vicente (or even a Rufete), and for some reason, hasn't gone out and got one.

The point of this isn't to single out individual players (although I clearly am), bash Benitez, or again snipe at the owners for not having any money. But it's apparent, even to a sycophant like me, that Liverpool and Benitez need to stop undervaluing the flanks.

I've written countless words about how the fullbacks ideally provide the width in Liverpool's system, but this season's made clear we're not in an ideal world. Johnson and Insua are a whole different kettle of fish, but suffice it to say that fullbacks bombing forward have been problematic for multiple reasons.

I try not to let solitary games affect me, especially solitary games where I pretend to expect Liverpool to lose, but Valencia might have been what finally prompted this post. Having a player who can create that sort of threat from out wide, drawing defenders and pinning wingers, absolutely can change a game. And you have to pay the premium for that presence. At the same time, you need workhorses and piano-carriers – just like Kuyt (who I'll continue to defend until the singularity reemerges) – which is why I'm focusing on the left flank.

I'm also well aware that both Babel and Benayoun are right-footed players probably best in other positions. I still question whether either can be a full-time starter on the left, and that Benitez has used Maxi there against United, Arsenal, City, and Everton means he does as well. It's a pity Riera's napalmed his bridges, but it's not as if he's done much of anything this season either. Although, to be fair, the combination of the three did lead Liverpool to its highest points total in years last season.

At the least, we've seen some continued attacking cohesion when Babel and Benayoun have been on the left, as we have when Maxi's been on the right. Kuyt's obviously going to start most games, but Maxi has and should continue to spell him at times, especially against lesser opposition, as against Pompey and Blackburn.

Long story short, pick a flank and stay there, at least for the rest of the season. And in the off-season, no matter what turmoil goes on (and there assuredly will be some turmoil), this is again the position I most want to see addressed.

Tie the rope and find some razor blades

It's no better a day later. Nothing will happen until the end of the season, but I'm afraid nothing's going to change either.

The list of parties responsible for Liverpool's poor season is overwhelmingly long, and includes any of the scapegoats you'd imagine. The manager, the owners, nearly every player who's pulled on the shirt, referees, and general misfortune. I'm sure I could come up with a few more if I lingered on the thought.

Yes, I do include Benitez. And I'm well aware I'm the ultimate apologist for this regime.

I still believe what I've written during the course of this ghastly campaign, and it's been kick after kick to the crotch that's put Liverpool in this position. Yesterday's match was quite bad, but Liverpool's been bad before. I haven't lost faith in Benitez overnight, but I'm afraid the players might have. Professionals don't all forgot how to play at the same time. The movement was non-existent, everyone's touch was poor, and the passing was even worse. It's like lightning striking the same place in five successive storms.

No matter who's responsible, the manager's the figurehead, and that's the head laid on the chopping block. What makes this so difficult to acknowledge, and what makes this different from the end of Evans and Houllier's tenures, is sometimes it seems as if Benitez is the only one at the club who cares about Liverpool FC.

The owners, piling on debt in the vain attempt to profit on Liverpool's legacy right before the economy went south (while lying about their intentions the entire time), clearly don't care. The chief executive, who's done an okay job, is only in place because RBS wanted a closer eye on the idiot owners who owe them loads of money. Only three players – Reina, Mascherano, and Kyrgiakos – have been exempt from criticism this season. Gerrard's already packing for the World Cup. Carragher's sniping in the press. Torres has been frustrated for long stretches, kicked by every defense he's faced – it's no surprise he's struggled with injuries – and not one referee protects him. The rest have been a shadow of themselves, whether down to injury or poor form. And yes, I include both Lucas and Kuyt, the two I so often defend. At times, those two, along with Ngog, Maxi, and others, simply haven't been good enough.

I firmly believe Benitez has stayed at Liverpool this long because he truly loves the fans and the city. And I truly fear what would happen if the owners got their man as manager. They wanted to hire Klinsmann, solely because they met him at some function, for Christ's sake! No other manager would have signed a new deal despite being given a net spending of approximately nothing over the last two seasons. And I'm still struggling to think of any top managers who'll walk into this situation.

But the football has been dire this season. Yesterday saw at least eight players who had forgotten how to play the game or just couldn't be bothered. That Liverpool were just as bad after the interval made me question whether Rafa even gave a team talk. Don't trust anyone outside of the dressing room who claims Manager X has lost Team X's dressing room, but the body language of both the players and Benitez told a story, as did Rafa's post match remarks.

The whole club needs an overhaul, from top to bottom. I'd infinitely prefer the owners were the ones booted out, followed by a fair few players. But, despite the financial penalties, it's still far easier to sack Benitez. Sigh.

The sky really might be falling.

Liverpool 0-1 Wigan

Reina
Mascherano Carragher Kyrgiakos Insua
Gerrard Lucas
Maxi Kuyt Benayoun
Torres

Goals:
Rodallega 35’

D-O-N-E. That spells “Liverpool” for the rest of the season.

It’s the first time Wigan’s beaten Liverpool and only the second time Wigan’s beaten a “top-four” club (Chelsea earlier this season). Of course, the sad fact is that Liverpool’s rarely, if ever, looked like a top four club this season.

A few stats from my notes:

• Kirkland saves: 0
• Liverpool shots on target: 0
• Wigan shots on target: 3
• Liverpool shots in last 15min: 0
• Petulant Liverpool yellow cards: 5
• Chances I would have put money on Torres scoring: 3
• Liverpool giveaways: countless

This loss, Liverpool’s ninth of the campaign (and seventh away from Anfield), probably makes fourth place an unachievable pipe dream. We’ve seen some bad performances this season, but this one was the worst. The team was an utter mess today. I lost track of the number of unforced giveaways less than a quarter of the way through.

And it was yet another baffling mistake – Kuyt passing the ball to Diame as Liverpool struggled to clear – that led to Wigan’s winner. The midfielder’s toe-poked cross found Rodallega perfectly placed to scramble in at the back post.

Liverpool had a few half-chances in the first 10 minutes, most notably when Torres volleyed off the post after Maxi headed on Gerrard’s corner, but Wigan quickly grew into the game thanks to Liverpool errors and their clear lack of confidence. Insua, Lucas, and Kyrgiakos all picked up yellows as the home side got bodies forward (Insua had a particularly tough time against N’Zogbia), while the best reply from the visitors was Gerrard’s close range shot blocked and a tricky rebound wide after Yossi’s clever run into the box in the 27th.

Soon after, Liverpool were behind after Wigan camped in their half, and the only reply they could find was a Torres header over from Maxi’s cross a few minutes before the interval.

The second half remained Wigan’s thanks to Liverpool’s continuing poor play, even though Torres could have again tallied against the run of play, ballooning Maxi’s clever cutback in the 49th. As a sign of Liverpool’s desperation, Benitez actually made changes before the hour mark, Johnson for Lucas, moving Mascherano into midfield.

It almost looked like 4-4-2 at the beginning, but as Liverpool began to be pegged back, it reverted to the usual 4-2-3-1 with Kuyt dropping deep in the “Gerrard role” and both Gerrard and Lucas holding. When Johnson was brought on for Lucas, Aquilani for Benayoun (69’), and Babel for Kuyt (83’), Liverpool went even further back to basics.

It goes without saying that none of the formations worked. The lone chance in the last 40 minutes, despite a decent spell of pressure between the Johnson and Aquilani substitutions, again came through Torres, with the striker volleying wide after Kuyt headed Insua’s cross into the danger area in the 76th. But we saw absolutely none of last season’s heroics as a demoralized and beaten Liverpool didn’t threaten in the slightest after that opportunity.

This is one of those games that make me question what little I think I know about this sport. And I have no idea where Liverpool goes from here. It was the exact line-up I guessed in the preview and the team looked insipid from top to bottom. The players I most fervently defend – Kuyt, Lucas, Insua – were the most auspiciously awful. Just awful. And Benitez was outfoxed by his friend and first-year Premiership manager Roberto Martinez.

After six unconscionably long posts defending Benitez’s reign, I have no idea what to say. I’m embarrassed for his team’s performance today. Zero shots on target. Zero! With Gerrard and Torres in the line-up! Yes, there were a few chances to be had, and yes, I’ve defended Liverpool’s rough conservatism, but there is absolutely nothing to defend today. With the exception of Mascherano (who was still beaten to the ball by Rodallega for the goal) and Pepe (easily the player of the season), every single Liverpool player was inferior to his Wigan counterpart.

Like the dreadful loss at Portsmouth, I fear that the team strolled in expecting a win against a “sub-standard” relegation candidate and were sent home with tails between legs. The outcry against Benitez is going to hit a fever pitch, and I have no defense today. It'll fall on deaf ears coming from me, but I blame the players far more – no one could pass the ball at all today – but I completely understand any outcry. Either the tactics, if they were any, were completely wrong, or the players aren’t listening anymore. And either answer’s a death sentence.

All of the other contenders for fourth have games in hand. Spurs and City, a point ahead of Liverpool, have one and two respectively. Villa, in 7th by three points, has three. Not to mention that all three are in much better form. This abysmal performance, yet another abysmal performance after it looked like Liverpool had gritted their way through that awful phase, means Liverpool’s most likely fighting to spend a second year in a European competition they don’t want to be in to begin with.

The sky is falling. The sky is falling. The sky is falling.

Three or Four or More

Liverpool hasn't scored three or more goals in a game since beating Hull 6-1 on September 29th. If the team maintains that streak against Blackburn next Sunday (which seems fairly likely), it'll be five full months – 21 games – without scoring more than twice in a league contest.

If that's happened before, it's been a while. The closest stretch came in '91-92 when Liverpool went 20 straight, which equals where the team's at now. Liverpool also had stretches of 19 in '91-92, and 17 in '93-94 and '02-03. Of course, it's worth noting that Liverpool frequently needed to score three goals to win under Roy Evans and finishing sixth was a good year with Souness in charge. Anyone can see how awful the attack is of late, but that stat's still surprising. And that Liverpool's record isn't worse at least demonstrates some defensive steel, in contrast to the early season losses.

Liverpool's only scored three or more in five league games this season (through 27), which actually seems a lot considering they all came in August and September. But it happened 15 times last season. In fact, the number of league games where Liverpool scored more than twice had increased in each of Benitez's seasons: 6 in '04/05, 7 in '05/06, 8 in '06/07, 9 in '07/08, and 10 in '08/09 before the "explosion" last year, most coming during the tremendous run-in. The only way that trend could continue is if Liverpool scores at least three in all the remaining Premiership matches.

Just to show how far "the mighty" have fallen, 5 out of 27 is 18.5%. 6 out of 38 is 18.4%. "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" has never rang truer, but that suggests Liverpool's only a tenth of a percent better in attack since Rafa's first season. Yikes. Just yikes. Incidentally, Liverpool's never lost a league match under Benitez when they've scored three or more; the only defeat came against Arsenal in the League Cup in January 2007, the infamous 3-6 drubbing at Anfield.

One can only hope that the return of Torres and Benayoun will ease the pain, but the complete dearth of goals suggests something more sinister. I've been arguing that this season's a perfect storm of calamities, and I still think that's the case, but an increasingly insipid attack deservedly inspires more questions. Yes, key players have been injured in every phase of the season – Torres, Gerrard, Yossi, Riera, Johnson, Aquilani, etc. – but there has to be more to it than that. An attack doesn't completely fall apart out of the blue. Hell, in the 23 games prior to this stretch, from Sunderland on March 3rd through Hull in September, Liverpool averaged almost 3 goals a game. 2.913 to be precise.

This recent stretch without Torres, where Liverpool's continued to misfire even with Gerrard back in the line-up, makes me think it's ultimately a combination of squad depth and Gerrard's ineffectiveness as a second striker without Torres. Yes, Stevie had some big games in a free role without Fernando, most notably 5-1 against Newcastle with Kuyt up top, but the longer Gerrard's been in the position, the longer teams have had to figure him, and the system, out.

I don't know what changes to suggest – Ed and I have been trying to hammer that out, to little effect, during these recent Benitez back-and-forths – but maybe something has to give, whether it's playing two up top or moving Gerrard out wide or deeper. But maybe key players (read: Torres and Benayoun) returning to fitness will spark the end of season run Liverpool often delivers. It just goes to show how confused this season has me. I'm still tempted to argue for the 4-2-3-1, and will probably do so in future, for all the reasons I've constantly sounded. I didn't create a "This Season Sucks" tag out of the blue.

However – in an attempt to end this on an optimistic note – Liverpool went a fairly long stretch without scoring three or more last season: more than two and a half months if you don't count that odd 3-2 contest against Pompey. Once the dam burst against Madrid and then Manchester in March, the goals couldn't stop coming for the rest of the campaign.

Let's hope springtime brings similar this season.

The full list of games follows:

'09-10: 4-0 Stoke (08.19), 3-2 Bolton (08.29), 4-0 Burnley (09.12), 3-2 WH (09.19), 6-1 Hull (09.29)
'08-09: 3-2 City (10.05), 3-2 Wigan (10.18), 3-0 WBA (11.08), 3-1 Blackburn (12.06), 3-0 Bolton (12.26), 5-1 Newcastle (12.28), 3-2 Portsmouth (02.07), 4-1 Man Utd (03.14), 5-0 Villa (03.22), 4-0 Blackburn (04.11), 4-4 Arsenal (04.21), 3-1 Hull (04.25), 3-0 Newcastle (05.03), 3-0 WH (05.09), 3-1 Spurs (05.24)
'07-08: 6-0 Derby (09.01), 3-0 Newcastle (11.24), 4-0 Bolton (12.02), 4-1 Portsmouth (12.22), 3-0 Sunderland (02.02), 3-2 Boro (02.23), 3-1 Bolton (03.02), 4-0 WH (03.05), 3-0 Newcastle (03.08), 3-1 Blackburn (04.13)
'06-07: 3-0 Spurs (09.23), 3-1 Villa (10.28), 4-0 Wigan (12.02), 4-0 Fulham (12.09), 3-0 Charlton (12.16), 3-0 Bolton (01.01), 3-0 Watford (01.13), 4-0 Sheffield Utd (02.24), 4-1 Arsenal (03.31)
'05-06: 3-0 Portsmouth (11.19), 3-0 Wigan (12.03), 3-1 Everton (12.28), 5-1 Fulham (03.15), 3-1 Newcastle (03.19), 3-1 Everton (03.25), 3-1 Villa (04.24), 3-1 Portsmouth (05.07)
'04-05: 3-0 WBA (09.11), 3-0 Norwich (09.25), 4-2 Fulham (10.16), 3-2 Crystal Palace (11.13), 3-1 Newcastle (12.19), 5-0 WBA (12.26), 3-1 Fulham (02.25)

On Maxi Rodriguez

Poor Maxi Rodriguez. From Atletico’s fire to Liverpool’s frying pan.

I can’t decide whether I’m happy or skeptical, optimistic or pessimistic over the deal. Little has a silver lining after yesterday’s calamity, but I felt similarly before the match. And yesterday's result will only intensify the pressure on Rodriguez, which obviously isn’t fair.

First and foremost, Maxi Rodriguez is a classy player that’s impressed me the few times I’ve seen him. He’s a clever, skillful attacker with a cannon of a shot, and Liverpool could certainly do with more creativity, especially from the flanks. He scored the best World Cup goal I’ve had the fortune of seeing, and a peach of a strike at Anfield last season. And he needs to prove his worth to the national team before this summer’s tournament, which is a massive incentive.

That he’s signed for three and a half years – instead of the 18 months first suggested – also demonstrates Benitez has faith in his adaptation. Or it could say that Liverpool were hamstrung to the player’s (read: agent’s) demands.

It’s cliché (and it certainly wasn’t true for the last player Liverpool signed from Atletico), but I just can’t get the memory of Morientes out of my head. I worry about how Rodriguez will adapt to English football and where he’ll fit into the team. While Benitez unsurprisingly said he can play anywhere along the line of three, he’s been on the right every time I’ve seen him. And while Kuyt’s recent form has revived the debate over his merits on that flank, he’ll still be hard to dislodge from Benitez’s 4-2-3-1. But who knows if Liverpool will continue with that formation; it certainly hasn’t done wonders of late.

Having played with Mascherano, Insua, and Torres should also be a massive benefit. Maxi’s relationship with Masch was a key factor in coming to Anfield, and he played well with Torres at Atletico before his knee injury and Torres’ transfer. He’s yet another player that’s captained a club or country side – Gerrard, Torres, Mascherano, Benayoun, Lucas, Kuyt, and now Rodriguez (I reckon Carra counts as a leader too).

But he’s struggled to recreate his best form for almost three years now, since a serious knee injury in ’06-07. He still played nearly 40 games in each of his last two seasons, but I wonder how much gas is left in the tank. Atletico’s problems assuredly haven’t helped his recovery either, but that alone makes me question how he’ll adapt.

That and Liverpool’s form – sadly parallel to Atletico’s at times this season – won’t ease any transition. We’ve seen the pressure built by expectations in Aquilani’s performances after finally getting over his injury. Any player finds it hard to settle into a struggling side.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still thrilled Liverpool signed someone, and on paper, Rodriguez checks a lot of boxes. The cost was also right, which is a rarity in January. And to be honest, if his clearance goes through in time and he’s fit, I hope he’s thrown in the deep end against Stoke. Can’t do much worse. But this season should have demonstrated that there's little chance of panaceas.

Results Comparison: 2008-09 v 2009

It's been too long since I've done one of these infographics. And it's not like it's hard to devise ways to graphically demonstrate Liverpool's dire season so far.


Through 20 league games, Liverpool's 14 points worse off than in comparable fixtures from last season. 14 more points would put Liverpool at the top of the table by two points over Chelsea, 3 points ahead of United with a game in hand. That's why Liverpool's poor form and these results are so infuriating. This is the most wide-open the Premiership's ever been.

Liverpool's gotten a few better results, but only a few: winning at Villa and against both Stoke and Hull. All three were draws last season. But at the same time, Liverpool got a worse result against Villa at Anfield, a 1-3 loss this season compared to a 5-0 win last April.

The other worse results were losing at Chelsea, Fulham, Portsmouth and Sunderland, losing to Arsenal, and a draw at Blackburn. We could also include the home draw against Birmingham; Liverpool beat all three relegated teams at Anfield last season, but Brum's stronger than Newcastle, Boro, and West Brom.

Unsurprisingly, more than half of the inferior results came away from Anfield; as said in the midseason stats review last week, Liverpool's away record is the worst since '06-07. Which might have something to do with the lack of confidence; as soon as the team hits a bump, heads drop, and there isn't an Anfield cauldron to help boost the struggling side.

The current league places of teams Liverpool's lost to? 1st (Chelsea), 3rd (Arsenal), 4th (Spurs), 6th (Villa), 9th (Fulham), 11th (Sunderland), and 20th (Portsmouth). Only one of those is completely and totally unforgivable – I expect Sunderland (and the other five) to finish in the top 10 this season. But that's a sign of where Liverpool currently is. Amongst the middle of the pack top-half teams. And that's unacceptable.

Naturally, I'll update this graphic at the end of the season. Hopefully, we'll have a little more to cheer about.

The Summer of ’08

Liverpool bought six players in the summer of 2008 for a total of roughly £39m. With the sale of Dossena to Napoli, two of those – the first and third most expensive – are no longer with the club. The other four – Riera, Cavalieri, Ngog, and Degen – have made a combined 64 league appearances (100 games in total) in a season and a half, with Riera accounting for 37 (58%) of those.

I’m far sadder to see Dossena leave than I was the back of Keane. In retrospect, neither proved good business, but Dossena kept his head down, worked hard, didn’t complain, and chipped in those two memorable goals against Madrid and the Mancs. Keane couldn’t hit a brick wall with a shotgun at six paces, missing chance after chance and unable to come to terms with anything Benitez asked. And then he whined about Rafa’s man-management to the press. Tomkins’ most recent piece is an incredibly thorough review of Keane’s tenure (and Benitez’s dealings, and the English media’s idiocy), while results demonstrated that Liverpool were far better after the Irishman’s exit even though Benitez wasn’t allowed to buy a replacement.

Liverpool lost somewhere in the region of £5.5m from the Keane and Dossena deals. Every manager does some unsuccessful business, but the summer of ‘08 couldn’t have come at a worse time. Not only was Liverpool arguably on the precipice of greatness – and still came in second despite the summer’s business – the club was also apparently on the precipice of financial collapse. Benitez would probably kill someone to add £5.5m to his coffers at the moment. Even after recouping £6m from the sales of Dossena and Voronin, rumor has it that Benitez will only be given £1.5m for Maxi Rodriguez at best.

This isn’t a condemnation of Rafa’s transfer dealings, like I’ve seen far too often of late. Again, Tomkins’ piece magnificently dispels the myths, but the majority of his buys have been successful – Reina, Torres, Mascherano, and Agger should form the spine of this team for years to come, while Liverpool made a profit on Alonso, Crouch, Bellamy, Sissoko, and Arbeloa, among many others. The ones that haven’t been hits were usually the budget signings. Of the “failures,” only Keane cost more than £10m (Cisse, bought by Houllier, doesn’t count). I’d willingly compare Benitez’s flops to Ferguson’s (Veron, Kleberson, Taibi, Forlan, Djemba-Djemba, Berbatov).

Unfortunately, Liverpool doesn’t have the means to accept failures the way United does, thanks to two owners who piled debt on the club prior to a worldwide recession, who finally gave Benitez full control last season only to seal the purse strings. And thanks to an egregiously disappointing first half of the season, I truly fear we’ll look back on the summer of 2008 as we do 2002 for Houllier.