Liverpool fans are hoping England can go further in this summer’s World Cup to keep them distracted from what is going on at Anfield. The Merseyside club are steeped in history, but that is exactly what it is, history. The reds haven’t won the Premier League since its inception in 1992, and they last won a league title two years before that in 1990.
The club is in turmoil, and the owners are making more headlines than the players these days. Rafael Benitez left the club in the current close season and walked straight in to new employment with the European champions Internazionale. Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish has volunteered to steady the ship as the club look to appoint a new manager. Liverpool last came closest to the league title two seasons ago finishing runners-up, but very little money will be being taken on them winning the league this season.
Liverpool’s hopes of doing anything this season rest on them retaining the services of England captain Steven Gerrard and Spain striker Fernando Torres. Both of these players have been linked with moves away this summer. Including those two, the talent is clearly there at Liverpool if they have the right guidance. 12 of the current players are in their international squads in South Africa.
The hot seat is being touted as a poisoned chalice, but this is Liverpool, and there will be many managers who feel they are up to the challenge of restoring former glories. A host of famous names are being linked with this famous club, and Fulham‘s Roy Hodgson is favourite with the bookies right now. Dalglish has expressed an interest in taking the reigns again full-time, but has probably been out of the game too long to get the job. Other high calibre candidates include Martin O’Neill and Sven Goran Eriksson, both of whom have Premier League experience. O’Neill steered Villa to a sixth placed finish last season.
Any new boss will want to add to the playing squad for the coming season, but that doesn’t seem to be something the owners are willing to accommodate. That may not prove to be a deterrent to the names being linked with the quality they already have to work with. This is an example of an eleven they could field next season if the squad stays intact.
Pepe Reina, Glen Johnson, Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, Emiliano Insua, Javier Mascherano, Steven Gerrard (C), Alberto Aquilani, Maxi Rodroguez, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt.
Many Premier League fans would gladly welcome any of those players to their club. O’Neill’s back to basics approach may be the best fit, to get the best out of that eleven. Rumours have been rife that the Irishman is not happy at Aston Villa. Whoever comes in will be expected to finish higher than the Spaniard managed last term, with Liverpool finishing in seventh. Regardless of what Benitez had achieved in his time at the club, that clearly isn’t good enough with the talent at his disposal. How much of that talent is still at Anfield when the new manager takes over remains to be seen.
photo credit: yira_albornoz
