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With the new Premier League season fast approaching and the fixtures published, Simon Collings is wary of “bogey teams” spoiling Liverpool’s party.
As the fixture lists for the forthcoming season were released last month, my excitement for the campaign ahead increased dramatically.
Despite only being mid-June, and World Cup only a few days old, I was already plotting our possible route for a successful year ahead.
With a tricky start, that includes trips to Man. City and Tottenham before the end of August, and to what could be a make-or-break month in February (which could also include a Champions League knockout tie), I (like most of us) was already oohing and aahing at possible wins, losses or draws.
We immediately all look for the big ones: Man United, Everton, and Chelsea. As well as how the Christmas week may pan out and whom we’ll face on the last day (Stoke away is not ideal, that’s for sure).
However, as I was scrolling down the list a name jumped out at me that sent a shiver down my spine: Leicester City.
The Foxes
Sounds strange I know — they’re neither a local, nor a direct rival by any stretch — but Liverpool’s chequered Premier League history as thrown up some dodgy encounters from the East Midlands club, which has denied us valuable points and cost us dearly.
As a bogey team, Leicester City is one of a few sides to have unexpectedly turned us over on more than one occasion — which is every football supporter’s worst nightmare.
I remember in particular one balmy summer night in August 1997, when the Foxes came to Anfield for our opening home game.
Michael Owen was just bursting onto the scene, Paul Ince was our new captain, and the Anfield Road End was under construction.
Leicester City, a standard mid-table team, were there for the taking. Low-and-behold, they left the pitch with a well-deserved 2-1 victory. Matt Elliott and Graham Fenton the scorers.
The following season revenge was in the air. What happened? Well, they beat us home and away with Ian Marshall netting a last minute winner at Anfield. How frustrating!
Okay, so the 1999/2000 campaign we were now pushing for Champions League qualification against Leeds and Chelsea. We’d just lost to the latter 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and those pesky Foxes were up next at Anfield.
And yes, as you might expect, we lost again, 2-0 — this time Tony Cottee and Phil Gilchrist the culprits.
How could this have happened? Three years on the spin Leicester City winning at Anfield! Were they a great side back then? Did they cause other top teams heartache as well as us?
Well, under Martin O’Neill they were decent: a couple of League Cups was certainly an achievement.
However, when the Northern Irishman left the club in 2000. They began to struggle and were eventually relegated in 2001/02 — although not before turning us over once more at Filbert Street in 2001.
Does this then suggest it was Martin O’Neill whom was the bad guy all those years ago, and not Leicester City?
He did, after all, bring a Celtic side to Anfield that knocked us out of the UEFA Cup in 2003, but in the four years as Aston Villa manager (2006-10) he managed only one solitary victory over us, so putting it down to just the manager being the main factor doesn’t quite fit.
I believe there’s more to it than that – something lurking in the air perhaps! Those who believe in bogey teams can feel it in the atmosphere shortly before kickoff, and if we don’t score within the first twenty minutes or so, the nerves kick in, and well… anything can happen.
Whatever it is, it’s hard to rectify a long-lasting solution. I suppose that when Leicester and Liverpool meet at the King Power Stadium on December 2nd we’ll soon find out if we’ve laid the Leicester City ghost to rest.
On paper, we should wipe the floor with them, but beware though; they may sting another surprise if we’re not careful.
It’s not just Leicester City that have been Liverpool’s bogey-side in the Premier League.
Other Bogey Teams
Southampton have left us red-faced on a number of occasions too — the latest of which was indeed last season at Anfield.
They’ve also has successes over us in front of the Kop in 1998 and 2003, and on a number of occasions at either The Dell or St. Mary’s.
However, now that we’ve pretty much bought most of their first team, perhaps we’ll fair better this time around!
Special mention though has to go to a club whom have struggled hugely over the last 10 to 15 years (on and off the field), yet caused Liverpool so much aggro in the mid-to-late nineties: Coventry City.
Their highlights include the Sky Blues taking four points off us in 1994-95 and 1995-96. Winning at Anfield in 1997. Knocking us out in the third round of the FA Cup in 1998 – again at home, and beating us again in 1999.
And all occurring as they continued to flirt with relegation. Again, how was this all possible?
The result that hurt the most however was that victory at Anfield in 1997. We were up there challenging for the title with Man United, Newcastle and Arsenal, and had just beaten the Gunners 2-1 at Highbury.
The day before, United had lost at home to Derby County and they looked like they were going to wobble. A home victory over Coventry would have given us a huge boost and put the pressure on Alex Ferguson’s men.
Robbie Fowler put us 1-0 up only for us to switch off and go down 2-1 after David James had one of his ‘moments’ in goal.
Dion Dublin got the winner in the last minute and every time I see him nowadays on TV, I can’t help but feel slightly sick.
It is results like this that really get us all wound up. How can this continue to happen, we all cry. How can teams who continue to struggle in the league upset the odds and beat the top teams?
Are ‘bigger’ teams just not preparing correctly? Are they not taking these ‘lesser’ sides seriously? Jason McAteer admitted recently – concerning Coventry’s 2-1 victory in 1997 — that most of the Liverpool players had the forthcoming Man United in sight.
United game on their minds and were just caught off guard that day. Whether this is lack of professionalism or lack of mental strength is up for debate, but it does prove we weren’t good enough to win the league under Roy Evans.
Thankfully, our league double over Coventry in 2000/01 ensured the Sky Blues’ relegation from the top flight, and we could all breathe a huge sigh of relief of not having to face them ever again!
Other clubs’ thorns in sides
Obviously, Liverpool aren’t the only side with bogey teams in their closet. Arsenal under Arsene Wenger have struggled against the likes of Bolton and Stoke City over the years.
Tottenham don’t seem to get much luck against Chelsea, and West Ham and Middlesbrough have dug their claws into Man United on a number of famous occasions.
On the international stage England have had a poor record against Sweden, whilst Deportivo La Coruna have upset the mighty Barcelona if we look even further afield.
Whatever it is, whether it’s a dodgy refereeing decision, an unplayable pitch, a tight ground, failure to prepare properly, or just simply pure bad luck when the ball just won’t go in, these familiar excuses always seem to raise their ugly head whenever a bogey team works their magic upon their nervous counterparts.
Some suggest bogey sides don’t actually exist and that teams need to simply try harder next time around. And, with the Premier League being the most competitive league in the world, there simply are no easy games.
However, whatever side of the fence you’re on you have to admit that when a Leicester, Coventry, or a Southampton takes to the field against Liverpool, there’ll be that lingering thought crossing your mind of: Oh please no, not again!
With the new Premier League season fast approaching and the fixtures published, Simon Collings is wary of “bogey teams” spoiling Liverpool’s party.
As the fixture lists for the forthcoming season were released last month, my excitement for the campaign ahead increased dramatically.
Despite only being mid-June, and World Cup only a few days old, I was already plotting our possible route for a successful year ahead.
With a tricky start, that includes trips to Man. City and Tottenham before the end of August, and to what could be a make-or-break month in February (which could also include a Champions League knockout tie), I (like most of us) was already oohing and aahing at possible wins, losses or draws.
We immediately all look for the big ones: Man United, Everton, and Chelsea. As well as how the Christmas week may pan out and whom we’ll face on the last day (Stoke away is not ideal, that’s for sure).
However, as I was scrolling down the list a name jumped out at me that sent a shiver down my spine: Leicester City.
The Foxes
Sounds strange I know — they’re neither a local, nor a direct rival by any stretch — but Liverpool’s chequered Premier League history as thrown up some dodgy encounters from the East Midlands club, which has denied us valuable points and cost us dearly.
As a bogey team, Leicester City is one of a few sides to have unexpectedly turned us over on more than one occasion — which is every football supporter’s worst nightmare.
I remember in particular one balmy summer night in August 1997, when the Foxes came to Anfield for our opening home game.
Michael Owen was just bursting onto the scene, Paul Ince was our new captain, and the Anfield Road End was under construction.
Leicester City, a standard mid-table team, were there for the taking. Low-and-behold, they left the pitch with a well-deserved 2-1 victory. Matt Elliott and Graham Fenton the scorers.
The following season revenge was in the air. What happened? Well, they beat us home and away with Ian Marshall netting a last minute winner at Anfield. How frustrating!
Okay, so the 1999/2000 campaign we were now pushing for Champions League qualification against Leeds and Chelsea. We’d just lost to the latter 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and those pesky Foxes were up next at Anfield.
And yes, as you might expect, we lost again, 2-0 — this time Tony Cottee and Phil Gilchrist the culprits.
How could this have happened? Three years on the spin Leicester City winning at Anfield! Were they a great side back then? Did they cause other top teams heartache as well as us?
Well, under Martin O’Neill they were decent: a couple of League Cups was certainly an achievement.
However, when the Northern Irishman left the club in 2000. They began to struggle and were eventually relegated in 2001/02 — although not before turning us over once more at Filbert Street in 2001.
Does this then suggest it was Martin O’Neill whom was the bad guy all those years ago, and not Leicester City?
He did, after all, bring a Celtic side to Anfield that knocked us out of the UEFA Cup in 2003, but in the four years as Aston Villa manager (2006-10) he managed only one solitary victory over us, so putting it down to just the manager being the main factor doesn’t quite fit.
I believe there’s more to it than that – something lurking in the air perhaps! Those who believe in bogey teams can feel it in the atmosphere shortly before kickoff, and if we don’t score within the first twenty minutes or so, the nerves kick in, and well… anything can happen.
Whatever it is, it’s hard to rectify a long-lasting solution. I suppose that when Leicester and Liverpool meet at the King Power Stadium on December 2nd we’ll soon find out if we’ve laid the Leicester City ghost to rest.
On paper, we should wipe the floor with them, but beware though; they may sting another surprise if we’re not careful.
It’s not just Leicester City that have been Liverpool’s bogey-side in the Premier League.
Other Bogey Teams
Southampton have left us red-faced on a number of occasions too — the latest of which was indeed last season at Anfield.
They’ve also has successes over us in front of the Kop in 1998 and 2003, and on a number of occasions at either The Dell or St. Mary’s.
However, now that we’ve pretty much bought most of their first team, perhaps we’ll fair better this time around!
Special mention though has to go to a club whom have struggled hugely over the last 10 to 15 years (on and off the field), yet caused Liverpool so much aggro in the mid-to-late nineties: Coventry City.
Their highlights include the Sky Blues taking four points off us in 1994-95 and 1995-96. Winning at Anfield in 1997. Knocking us out in the third round of the FA Cup in 1998 – again at home, and beating us again in 1999.
And all occurring as they continued to flirt with relegation. Again, how was this all possible?
The result that hurt the most however was that victory at Anfield in 1997. We were up there challenging for the title with Man United, Newcastle and Arsenal, and had just beaten the Gunners 2-1 at Highbury.
The day before, United had lost at home to Derby County and they looked like they were going to wobble. A home victory over Coventry would have given us a huge boost and put the pressure on Alex Ferguson’s men.
Robbie Fowler put us 1-0 up only for us to switch off and go down 2-1 after David James had one of his ‘moments’ in goal.
Dion Dublin got the winner in the last minute and every time I see him nowadays on TV, I can’t help but feel slightly sick.
It is results like this that really get us all wound up. How can this continue to happen, we all cry. How can teams who continue to struggle in the league upset the odds and beat the top teams?
Are ‘bigger’ teams just not preparing correctly? Are they not taking these ‘lesser’ sides seriously? Jason McAteer admitted recently – concerning Coventry’s 2-1 victory in 1997 — that most of the Liverpool players had the forthcoming Man United in sight.
United game on their minds and were just caught off guard that day. Whether this is lack of professionalism or lack of mental strength is up for debate, but it does prove we weren’t good enough to win the league under Roy Evans.
Thankfully, our league double over Coventry in 2000/01 ensured the Sky Blues’ relegation from the top flight, and we could all breathe a huge sigh of relief of not having to face them ever again!
Other clubs’ thorns in sides
Obviously, Liverpool aren’t the only side with bogey teams in their closet. Arsenal under Arsene Wenger have struggled against the likes of Bolton and Stoke City over the years.
Tottenham don’t seem to get much luck against Chelsea, and West Ham and Middlesbrough have dug their claws into Man United on a number of famous occasions.
On the international stage England have had a poor record against Sweden, whilst Deportivo La Coruna have upset the mighty Barcelona if we look even further afield.
Whatever it is, whether it’s a dodgy refereeing decision, an unplayable pitch, a tight ground, failure to prepare properly, or just simply pure bad luck when the ball just won’t go in, these familiar excuses always seem to raise their ugly head whenever a bogey team works their magic upon their nervous counterparts.
Some suggest bogey sides don’t actually exist and that teams need to simply try harder next time around. And, with the Premier League being the most competitive league in the world, there simply are no easy games.
However, whatever side of the fence you’re on you have to admit that when a Leicester, Coventry, or a Southampton takes to the field against Liverpool, there’ll be that lingering thought crossing your mind of: Oh please no, not again!
Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Serbian international forward Lazar Markovic, with the 20-year-old set for a medical at Melwood on Thursday.
The Telegraph claim Markovic flew into England on Wednesday night ahead of his medical and £20 million move from Benfica.
The Guardian‘s Jamie Jackson also confirms Markovic’s imminent medical, writing:
The Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, who decided to trigger Markovic’s buyout clause to take him to Anfield, wants to strengthen his squad by adding the 20-year-old’s pace and eye for a goal.
Markovic would become Brendan Rodgers’ fourth signing of the summer, having already brought in England internationals Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana and German U21 midfielder Emre Can.
And the spending doesn’t look set to stop anytime soon, with Belgian forward Divock Origi spending Wednesday discussing personal terms, according to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:
Hazy photos emerged on Twitter during the day appearing to show Origi arriving at Melwood.
Upon signing, 19-year-old Origi is expected to be loaned straight back to his current club Lille to continue his footballing development.
All this transfer activity is before the £75 million sale of Luis Suarez, a transfer saga that looks set to end with the Uruguayan joining Barcelona in the next 48 hours, according to The Telegraph .
John Percy and Matt Law write:
Negotiations between Liverpool and Barcelona are highly advanced, and the only other delay has been over the schedule of payments, but the forward is expected to be presented by the Spanish giants in the next few days.
The paper also suggest that Liverpool are targeting Swansea City Ben Davies in a bid to solve the club’s left-back ailments.
Davies, 21, could be available for around £10 million, with Tottenham also said to be interested.
Rodgers oversaw some of Davies’ development in the youth set-up at Swansea during his spell at the Liberty Stadium between 2010 and 2012.
It could be a very busy few days for the club, and with the addition of £75 million from the sale of Suarez, fans may expect to see even more new faces at Liverpool before the end of the summer.
Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Serbian international forward Lazar Markovic, with the 20-year-old set for a medical at Melwood on Thursday.
The Telegraph claim Markovic flew into England on Wednesday night ahead of his medical and £20 million move from Benfica.
The Guardian‘s Jamie Jackson also confirms Markovic’s imminent medical, writing:
The Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, who decided to trigger Markovic’s buyout clause to take him to Anfield, wants to strengthen his squad by adding the 20-year-old’s pace and eye for a goal.
Markovic would become Brendan Rodgers’ fourth signing of the summer, having already brought in England internationals Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana and German U21 midfielder Emre Can.
And the spending doesn’t look set to stop anytime soon, with Belgian forward Divock Origi spending Wednesday discussing personal terms, according to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:
Hazy photos emerged on Twitter during the day appearing to show Origi arriving at Melwood.
Upon signing, 19-year-old Origi is expected to be loaned straight back to his current club Lille to continue his footballing development.
All this transfer activity is before the £75 million sale of Luis Suarez, a transfer saga that looks set to end with the Uruguayan joining Barcelona in the next 48 hours, according to The Telegraph .
John Percy and Matt Law write:
Negotiations between Liverpool and Barcelona are highly advanced, and the only other delay has been over the schedule of payments, but the forward is expected to be presented by the Spanish giants in the next few days.
The paper also suggest that Liverpool are targeting Swansea City Ben Davies in a bid to solve the club’s left-back ailments.
Davies, 21, could be available for around £10 million, with Tottenham also said to be interested.
Rodgers oversaw some of Davies’ development in the youth set-up at Swansea during his spell at the Liberty Stadium between 2010 and 2012.
It could be a very busy few days for the club, and with the addition of £75 million from the sale of Suarez, fans may expect to see even more new faces at Liverpool before the end of the summer.
Amid reports linking Lucas Leiva with a move to Italy this summer, Jeff Goulding can’t help feel that Liverpool could do with keeping his services.
Speculation is rife that we are about to lose our Brazilian number 21. Rumour has it his former boss is waiting to take him to Napoli. He has always divided opinion, but should we be in a rush to let him go?
Lucas was born in 1987. At around that time I was about to start my first full time job. I didn’t sleep much the night before my first day. Would I be any good at it? How would I fit in? What if I was no good and I got the sack.
I was only a bus ride away from my place of work and pretty much the only thing I had to worry about, was getting there and back. I had a ready-made network of friends and family all around me.
Twenty years on and the story for a young Brazilian kid, Lucas Leiva, was very different. At 20 he was travelling 5 ½ thousand miles to take up a new job at Liverpool Football Club.
He was entering an entirely new culture to the one he was used to. He didn’t speak the language and worse still he was very far away from his family and friends. It was a far greater challenge than I ever faced.
Rafa Benitez had scouted the young midfielder, who had begun his career at Gremio. He looked an exciting prospect. He had already played at International level and had become the youngest ever player to win the prestigious Golden Ball Award. Previous winners of this accolade included Zico and Radamel Falcao. It’s hardly the Golden Samba, but still…
At the time his new manager spoke of his goal scoring ability, but also his character and tenacity. We haven’t seen many goals from Lucas during his spell at the club. However we have seen character and tenacity in spades.
Adjusting to a new time-zone, culture and language was actually the least of his problems. In order to break into the team he had to compete with the likes of Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso. His problem was made worse by the fact that, rather than see him as a young understudy, many unfairly compared him to those two midfield maestro’s.
Despite this he put in an impressive 39 appearances in his first season (19 coming from the subs bench). Like many young players, particularly those desperate to make an impression, he was prone to errors and lunging into tackles recklessly. This saw him booked five times and receive one red card. A certain Steven Gerrard, no stranger to this in his early career, would doubtless sympathise.
However, fans and pundits quickly grew impatient with him. Not many of us, myself included, fully understood that he was also adjusting to a new tactical position. At Gremio he had been a box-to-box player. Benitez seemed keen to deploy him in a holding role.
In his second full season, 2008-09, those frustrations boiled over during a terrible 0-0 draw against Fulham. In what was, to my mind, an unprecedented step, a section of Liverpool fans actually booed one of their own as he came on as a sub.
It would have been entirely understandable if he had folded at this point. It’s bad enough living half way around the world and trying to learn a new language. Throw in trying to adapt to a new position and getting stick off your supporters and most would at least consider their options.
Not Lucas. Where some would have called it a day, he chose to get better. He used that experience to drive himself on and prove his critics wrong. Here was the character and tenacity Benitez had spoken of.
Lucas will never be regarded as a world beater, but all the best teams have a player like him. Back in 1987 we had one just like that. Always the fans whipping boy, Ronnie Whelan was regarded by his fellow professionals as an indispensable member of the team. Most fans only really knew what they had, when he was gone.
Lucas’ team mates certainly appreciated what he brought to the team. Eventually he won the supporters over too, picking up the Kop’s Golden Samba award in 2011.
The following season we were given a graphic illustration of his importance to the team. Under his new manager, Kenny Dalglish, Lucas started in his now familiar position in front of the back four. This was a transitional year with Kenny still picking up the pieces from Roy Hodgson’s ill fated spell at the club.
Just as he was getting into his stride, Lucas sustained a season ending knee injury in a League Cup game against Chelsea at the end of November. He had been one of the best players on the pitch; in a game the Reds won 2-0. The injury would prove to be a huge blow to Liverpool’s league campaign.
Prior to this Liverpool lost only 11% of their matches, conceding 0.88 goals per game. Following his injury they were defeated in 37% of the remaining fixtures, conceding 1.15 goals per game. In the first half of the season Liverpool consistently hovered around the European places. By the end they were a dismal 8th.
In typical fashion Lucas battled back from this, but further set-backs and a change in playing philosophy under Rodgers have seen him fall out of favour.
To make matters worse he now has another world class player ahead of him in the pecking order. Steven Gerrard’s switch to a deeper role has restricted his opportunities for playing time. Still, are we right to let him go?
Next season, Liverpool will be battling on four fronts. There will be many more games and rotation will become a greater factor than it was last season. For me, Lucas could offer much needed depth in that position. He would also offer a defensive option when looking to close games out.
However, it seems he is now available for transfer, if the right offer comes along. Will prove the right thing for the club in the long term? I can’t help wondering if we’ll only come to realise the player we had, after he is gone.
I am a proud Scouser, who has been following the Reds and living the dream for over forty years. I write fiction and non fiction, and I am working on my first novel.
Amid reports linking Lucas Leiva with a move to Italy this summer, Jeff Goulding can’t help feel that Liverpool could do with keeping his services.
Speculation is rife that we are about to lose our Brazilian number 21. Rumour has it his former boss is waiting to take him to Napoli. He has always divided opinion, but should we be in a rush to let him go?
Lucas was born in 1987. At around that time I was about to start my first full time job. I didn’t sleep much the night before my first day. Would I be any good at it? How would I fit in? What if I was no good and I got the sack.
I was only a bus ride away from my place of work and pretty much the only thing I had to worry about, was getting there and back. I had a ready-made network of friends and family all around me.
Twenty years on and the story for a young Brazilian kid, Lucas Leiva, was very different. At 20 he was travelling 5 ½ thousand miles to take up a new job at Liverpool Football Club.
He was entering an entirely new culture to the one he was used to. He didn’t speak the language and worse still he was very far away from his family and friends. It was a far greater challenge than I ever faced.
Rafa Benitez had scouted the young midfielder, who had begun his career at Gremio. He looked an exciting prospect. He had already played at International level and had become the youngest ever player to win the prestigious Golden Ball Award. Previous winners of this accolade included Zico and Radamel Falcao. It’s hardly the Golden Samba, but still…
At the time his new manager spoke of his goal scoring ability, but also his character and tenacity. We haven’t seen many goals from Lucas during his spell at the club. However we have seen character and tenacity in spades.
Adjusting to a new time-zone, culture and language was actually the least of his problems. In order to break into the team he had to compete with the likes of Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso. His problem was made worse by the fact that, rather than see him as a young understudy, many unfairly compared him to those two midfield maestro’s.
Despite this he put in an impressive 39 appearances in his first season (19 coming from the subs bench). Like many young players, particularly those desperate to make an impression, he was prone to errors and lunging into tackles recklessly. This saw him booked five times and receive one red card. A certain Steven Gerrard, no stranger to this in his early career, would doubtless sympathise.
However, fans and pundits quickly grew impatient with him. Not many of us, myself included, fully understood that he was also adjusting to a new tactical position. At Gremio he had been a box-to-box player. Benitez seemed keen to deploy him in a holding role.
In his second full season, 2008-09, those frustrations boiled over during a terrible 0-0 draw against Fulham. In what was, to my mind, an unprecedented step, a section of Liverpool fans actually booed one of their own as he came on as a sub.
It would have been entirely understandable if he had folded at this point. It’s bad enough living half way around the world and trying to learn a new language. Throw in trying to adapt to a new position and getting stick off your supporters and most would at least consider their options.
Not Lucas. Where some would have called it a day, he chose to get better. He used that experience to drive himself on and prove his critics wrong. Here was the character and tenacity Benitez had spoken of.
Lucas will never be regarded as a world beater, but all the best teams have a player like him. Back in 1987 we had one just like that. Always the fans whipping boy, Ronnie Whelan was regarded by his fellow professionals as an indispensable member of the team. Most fans only really knew what they had, when he was gone.
Lucas’ team mates certainly appreciated what he brought to the team. Eventually he won the supporters over too, picking up the Kop’s Golden Samba award in 2011.
The following season we were given a graphic illustration of his importance to the team. Under his new manager, Kenny Dalglish, Lucas started in his now familiar position in front of the back four. This was a transitional year with Kenny still picking up the pieces from Roy Hodgson’s ill fated spell at the club.
Just as he was getting into his stride, Lucas sustained a season ending knee injury in a League Cup game against Chelsea at the end of November. He had been one of the best players on the pitch; in a game the Reds won 2-0. The injury would prove to be a huge blow to Liverpool’s league campaign.
Prior to this Liverpool lost only 11% of their matches, conceding 0.88 goals per game. Following his injury they were defeated in 37% of the remaining fixtures, conceding 1.15 goals per game. In the first half of the season Liverpool consistently hovered around the European places. By the end they were a dismal 8th.
In typical fashion Lucas battled back from this, but further set-backs and a change in playing philosophy under Rodgers have seen him fall out of favour.
To make matters worse he now has another world class player ahead of him in the pecking order. Steven Gerrard’s switch to a deeper role has restricted his opportunities for playing time. Still, are we right to let him go?
Next season, Liverpool will be battling on four fronts. There will be many more games and rotation will become a greater factor than it was last season. For me, Lucas could offer much needed depth in that position. He would also offer a defensive option when looking to close games out.
However, it seems he is now available for transfer, if the right offer comes along. Will prove the right thing for the club in the long term? I can’t help wondering if we’ll only come to realise the player we had, after he is gone.
I am a proud Scouser, who has been following the Reds and living the dream for over forty years. I write fiction and non fiction, and I am working on my first novel.
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