LIVERPOOL EARNED their tag as one of the best teams in Europe thanks to their era of dominance in the 1970s and ’80s, winning four European Cups in eight years. Having reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for three of the past five seasons, including two finals appearances, they have shown that they are still a powerful force in the European game.
Domestically, however, the 19-year drought since their last Premier League title continues. They have gone close in recent seasons, but have never been able to go the distance. Put simply, Liverpool cannot cope without their best players. Steven Gerrard has provided the inspiration to get his team out of desperate situations too many times to remember, whilst Torres puts fear into any defender playing against him, particularly Nemanja Vidic. Take these two out of the team, though, and it shows that there are real weaknesses in the side. Statistics show that they win 62 per cent of games with both in the side, but this dramatically drops to 43 per cent when both are absent. A team that has aspirations to win a league over 38 matches needs to be able to rely on a squad of players, and not individuals. Manchester United have illustrated this by getting on with life without Cristiano Ronaldo by enjoying one of their best starts to a season, even if their play is yet to hit top form.
A scary 3-1 defeat to Fulham on Halloween was Liverpool’s sixth in seven games in all competitions. The only victory in that sequence was when Manchester United made the trip across the East Lancs Road, showing that Liverpool save their best performances for the biggest teams. They rely on big match atmospheres to get through the tough matches, but cannot grind out results against lesser clubs. Although only losing two league matches last season, drawing against lower opposition too often cost them top spot. Manchester United managed only one victory against the other members of the ‘top four’ but picked up an incredible 70 out of 72 points against teams in the bottom 12 which effectively secured them the title.
Benitez cannot take all the blame. The Spaniard has been one of the most successful Liverpool managers of recent times, winning the Champions league and bringing players such as Torres to the club. Ultimately, the players need to take responsibility for their bad form and respond to this crisis they find themselves in. Thankfully for Liverpool, they normally respond quite well with their backs against the wall.
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