Liverpool: Will The 'Suarez Saga' Wreck Their Chances?

2012/2013: 7th

Transfer(s) In: Simon Mignolet (Sunderland, £9 Million), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo, £7 Million), Luis Alberto (Sevilla, Undisc), Kolo Toure (Manchester City, Free), Aly Cissoko (Valencia, Loan), Victor Moses (Chelsea, Loan), Tiago Ilori (Sporting Lisbon, £7 Million), Mahmadou Sakho (Paris Saint Germain, £18 Million)

Transfer(s) Out: Stuart Downing (West Ham United, £5 Million), Jay Spearing (Bolton Wanderers, Undisc), Pepe Reina (Napoli, Loan), Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea, £6 Million), Andy Carroll (West Ham United, £15 Million), Jamie Carragher (Retired)

Transfers Review:

                                           Liverpool have made several good additions to the squad this summer, with central defender Kolo Toure the first to be announced. With Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger the only top defenders in the squad, the addition of the experienced member of the 'Invincibles' can only be positive. Mixing youth with experience, the signing of Luis Alberto is certainly one that was intended to replace the departing Jonjo Shelvey. Iago Aspas, the ex-Celta Vigo striker, will add valuable goals after an excellent season in La Liga last term. Another crucial signing was Simon Mignolet. The young goalkeeper has proven his ability at Sunderland, and I feel will go on to become one of Europe's top keepers in the next few years. They were relatively busy in the days leading up to the deadline, with three further incomings. Defenders Tiago Ilori and Mahmadou Sakho will be very useful signings, and Victor Moses will provide a little more creativity down the wings. If we look at my Liverpool season review post, in which I predicted their signings this summer, just a central defender was what I foresaw. In Kolo Toure they have that, and I suspect that their other signings will only push them to better performances this campaign.

                                              As much as their incomings are positive, they have also lost several members of the squad, members that were used at least semi-regularly last season. Jamie Carragher's decision to retire was not a surprise, but Liverpool will miss his experience and leadership in defence. Two promising youth prospects have also left the club this summer, with Jay Spearing and Jonjo Shelvey opting to join Bolton Wanderers and Swansea respectively. Whilst they may not have been regular starters, they certainly affect the strength and depth of the squad, which could take its toll later on. One fo the least surprising transfers was Andy Carroll's to West Ham. After a successful loan period last term, it came as little surprise that West Ham moved to make his move permanent. With Brendan Rodgers clearly illustrating that the big Geordie was surplus to requirements at Anfield, the striker knew that he would soon have to look elsewhere. With West Ham interested, the deal suited both parties. West Ham also made another signing from Liverpool, with Stuart Downing, who Sam Allardyce claimed was an unrealistic target just a few weeks ago, making the trip down to East London to sign for £5 Million. After his form improved drastically last campaign, I wonder if this was a good decision from the Northern Irish manager, as I feel Downing had more to give at Anfield.

                                                However, this transfer window has been beset by controversy for Liverpool, with their talismanic striker Luis Suarez making clear designs to leave the North West club. With regular links to Real Madrid, with the striker admitting that he wanted to join the Spanish side. As the transfer window rolled on, Arsenal became more and more interested in the Uruguayan, with Arsene Wenger a clear admirer of the striker. An initial offer of a reported £30 Million was rejected out of hand by Liverpool, before Arsenal attempted to unlock a clause in his contract with an offer of £40 Million and £1. Though the Gunners did not know it at the time, the clause only meant that Liverpool had to alert Suarez and allow him to talk to Arsenal, not that they had to release the Uruguayan. This pedantry has caused Suarez to become more and more disenchanted with Liverpool, making an increased number of clear statements about his intention to leave. This has culminated in Rodgers insisting that the striker has shown a 'lack of respect' to the club and forcing him to train alone. Whilst this is the most high-profile controversy, Pepe Reina's move to Napoli is another instance in which the club, and Rodgers in particular, has been accused of being disrespectful. Reina, on arrival in Italy, accused his manager of loaning him to the Serie A club without telling him, saying that he felt hurt and that he deserved better. This shows that there may be blame on both sides of the Suarez debate, but thankfully for Liverpool, the Uruguayan seems to have put this behind him. This could have had disastrous consequences for the North West club's season, as a disruptive part of the squad would inevitably have had an effect. As it is, the Reds will miss out on the striker for the opening 6 games of the season (the punishment for his bite on Branislav Ivanovic), but they will be glad to have his ability back at their disposal, and he may be valuable later on.

Pre-Season:

                                                   The 'Suarez saga' has seemingly not had any effect on the squad throughout the pre-season, as the Liverpool results indicate that it has actually brought them together as a unit. Liverpool started with a comfortable 4-0 victory away at Preston before embarking on a tour of Asia. During this tour, Liverpool won all three of their matches, without conceding a single goal. They began with a 2-0 win against the Indonesia All Stars, before a success by the same scoreline against Melbourne Victory, and finishing with a 3-0 victory against Thailand. Moving back to the UK, Liverpool also played three further fixtures.

                                                     They started their run to the Premier League season with a match against Greek side Olympiakos, in Steven Gerrard's testimonial. The England midfield is best known in Liverpool for 'that goal' against the Greeks in 2005, which set them on their way to the Champions League title. A 2-0 success in this game for the Scouser, after goals from Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson. A second game against Valerenga ended in a 4-1 victory for Liverpool, with goals from Aspas, Alberto, Sterling and Kelly. The Reds ended their pre-season preparations with a visit to Celtic. After a perfect pre-season that had seen them win 6 straight matches, Liverpool lost their final game 1-0, after a goal from Amino Balde. This was the worst possible way to end their preparations, especially after such a promising start.

Key Players:

                                                       I would say that a player that will be crucial to Liverpool's success is Phillipe Coutinho.  The little Brazilian impressed since his move to the North West in January 2013, creating multiple chances and goals for the strike partnership of Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. His form will continue this season, as his vision and passing ability will make him a valuable asset to Liverpool.

                                                        At the back, Martin Skrtel will have to be a rock in order to improve their defensive record over the last couple of seasons. Liverpool have had a tendency to concede soft goals, and this is something they will need to cut out if they are to try and challenge for one of the Champions League places.

Key Fixture Dates:

01/09/2013: Liverpool vs Manchester United
02/11/2013: Arsenal vs Liverpool
23/11/2013: Everton vs Liverpool
14/12/2013: Tottenham vs Liverpool
28/01/2014: Liverpool vs Everton
08/02/2014: Liverpool vs Arsenal
15/03/2014: Manchester United vs Liverpool
29/03/2014: Liverpool vs Tottenham

Top Goalscorer:

                                                          In my opinion, with the departure of Suarez seeming imminent, I feel that the man to take over his mantle is Daniel Sturridge. The ex-Manchester City and Chelsea man showed impressive form since his move to Liverpool, and I expect this to continue. His partnership with Coutinho flourished at Anfield, and their understanding of one another will only strengthen in the months to come. I do not believe that he will challenge the Golden Boot this season, but 15-20 goals is the best he can expect to achieve.

Prediction:

                                                            Liverpool will be aiming for a European spot this season, with the rather optimistic target of the top 4 being bandied about by many football commentators. I do not believe that Liverpool have returned to their glory days, nor do I feel that they have an adequately deep or strong squad to compete with the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal over the course of the whole season. I think that the best that they can expect is to leapfrog Everton into 6th this campaign. With stability finally seeming possible for Liverpool, it will need small steps back towards the Champions League spots, meaning that this season is too son for that.

Liverpool 2013/2014: 6th

Arsenal: Top 4 Or Bust?

2012/2013: 4th

Player(s) In: Yaya Sanogo (Auxerre, Free), Emiliano Viviano (Palermo, Loan), Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid, £42.4 Million)

Player(s) Out: Gervinho (Roma, £8 Million), Andre Santos (Flamengo, Free), Vito Mannone (Hull, £2 Million), Johan Djourou (Hamburg, Loan), Denilson (Sao Paulo, Free), Andrey Arshavin, Sebastien Squillaci (All Released)

Transfers Review:

                             Comparing Arsenal's signings to my earlier Arsenal season review post, in which I laid out those players who had been considered transfer targets, and who would be expected to leave, we can clearly see that many of Arsenal's transfer targets have either moved on, or have elected to stay with their respective clubs. How many of these were approached by the Gunners is unclear, but certainly a couple were thought to be very much on the Arsenal radar. In terms of outgoings, Arsenal will be glad to have kept key players like Podolski and Sagna, and have got rid of much of the deadwood. However, replacements for all of these have yet to be found, perhaps leaving the squad a little threadbare. Certainly, they cannot afford many injuries as things stand.

                             In another season in which Arsenal had seemingly failed to spend a large sum, initial moves for firstly Gonzalo Higuain, and more notably, Luis Suarez, to bolster their striking options, had both been unsuccessful. With Higuain now at Napoli, the Suarez affair rumbled on. Arsenal's bid of £40,000,001, designed to trigger a clause in the striker's contract (which the Gunners were ill-informed about), illustrated Wenger's change in position over spending. The usual sense of 'only spend what we bring in' has been abandoned, with the board well aware that a lack of recruits may lead to them missing out on that all-important 4th place this year. The deadline day signing of Mesut Ozil for £42.4 Million further illustrates the change in emphasis. The Real Madrid man will be an excellent signing, but I do question whether another creative midfielder is needed, with both Cazorla and Podolski already on the books. Whether Wenger will go to the figures that Brendan Rodgers is suggesting for Suarez (closer to £100 Million) is doubtful, but Arsenal still need to bring in further reinforcements, especially with the release/sale of several back-up players.

                               Having said that, the North London club were one of the first to announce a transfer, with the France U21 international Yaya Sanogo coming in on a free transfer from Auxerre. The 20-year-old striker looks a decent prospect, and will provide vital goals in Arsenal's charge for the top 4. However, he is just 20, and he will inevitably take time to adjust to the Premier League. As much as I think he looks a prospect, I would be highly surprised if he scored more than 10 goals this season. In my opinion, a defender, a wide midfielder, and a high profile striker are still all needed to give Arsenal the advantage on the race for the 4th place. As it stands, I fear for Arsene Wenger's long record of providing Champions League football.

Pre-Season:

                                 The Gunners set off on a pre-season tour of Asia at the beginning of July, where they were greeted by enormous crowds wherever they went, indicating Arsenal's impression on the continent. Whilst the results may not be particularly relevant or indicative of the upcoming season, it is always a good opportunity to hand the young players a chance to show themselves. They certainly took that opportunity, demolishing firstly the Indonesia All Stars 7-0, before travelling to Hanoi to win against Vietnam 7-1. The following two matches were certainly a lot closer, but ultimately ended with the same result. The Gunners beat Nagoya Grampus Eight 3-1, before a close fought 2-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds to end their tour. Returning to Europe, Arsenal took part in three (perhaps more relevant) friendly matches, starting at home to Napoli in the annual Emirates Cup. After falling 2-0 down after the first half-hour, the Gunners fought back to secure a promising draw, with late goals from Giroud and Koscielny. In the final, Arsenal faced Galatasaray, and an old adversary came back to haunt them. Didier Drogba, who returned to Europe in January after a brief stint in China, converted a soft penalty to level Theo Walcott's first half strike, before drilling home late on to secure the win for the Turks. After that disappointment, a visit from high-spending Manchester City to finish the Gunners' preparations would have been the last thing they needed. However, Arsenal responded to produce arguably their finest performance of the summer, winning 3-1, and handing themselves the perfect morale-booster before the start of the new Premier League season.

Key Players:

                                    Wenger and Arsenal will have to rely on many of their established names to produce the form that is worthy of Champions League football. This season may well prove to be pivotal in the career of Jack Wilshire. The England midfielder has been beset by injuries for the majority of the last couple of seasons, and will be anxious to find some kind of form. From an English perspective, seeing Wilshire perform regularly will only be beneficial when it comes to the national team.

                                      Secondly, this will have to be the season where we see the best from Santi Cazorla. The diminutive Spaniard looked promising last campaign, but with Arsenal's lack of signings, his input becomes ever more crucial. He now must take the role that Juan Mata performed so outstandingly for Chelsea last year: chief playmaker. How many goals Arsenal score this season could be, in no small part, down to him.

Key Fixture Dates:

01/09/2013: Arsenal vs Tottenham
02/11/2013: Arsenal vs Liverpool
10/11/2013: Manchester United vs Arsenal
14/12/2013: Manchester City vs Arsenal
21/12/2013: Arsenal vs Chelsea
08/02/2014: Liverpool vs Arsenal
11/02/2014: Arsenal vs Manchester United
15/03/2014: Tottenham vs Arsenal
22/03/2014: Chelsea vs Arsenal
29/03/2014: Arsenal vs Manchester City

Top Goalscorer:

                                        This is an area in which Arsenal are going to struggle this campaign. Unless the Luis Suarez affair ends in their favour, bringing the Uruguayan to The Emirates, much of the goalscoring responsibilities will fall onto the shoulders of Olivier Giroud. Arsene Wenger's love of French strikers is obvious, with, at times, spectacular results. I do not think that the former Montpellier man is of the calibre of Thierry Henry, however. Unlike his compatriot, I doubt Giroud's ability to carry this team in the way Henry or Robin van Persie used to do. I do believe that Giroud will finish as Arsenal's top goalscorer, though I do not expect his tally to be particularly high.

Prediction:

                                         Once again, this will be a season in which the Gunners challenge for a place among Europe's elite, rarely threatening the title race, but unlikely to slip down the table dramatically. As things stand, I fear that this season may be the year that their city rivals Tottenham pip them to that final Champions League spot. In my opinion, Arsenal will struggle in the final third, without a proven goalscorer. Whilst they look defensively strong, I expect to see too many draws to claim that 4th place.

Arsenal 2013/2014: 5th

Liverpool: The Never Ending ‘Re-Adjustment Period’

2012/2013 Season Review:

                The season began with another managerial change, with former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers taking the helm. With him, he brought young Welsh talent Joe Allen, along with the signing of Fabio Borini from Roma. The first controversial issue of his tenure was his decision to allow Andy Carroll go out on loan to West Ham, despite the fact that Liverpool were running perilously low on strikers. This forced Luis Suarez into a sole striker role, pushing him further into the spotlight. A role he took on, in both positive and negative ways.

                For Liverpool, the season began in the worst possible way, with a heavy defeat away at West Brom. A more heartening result against Manchester City followed, where the Reds dominated but an error from Martin Skrtel handed City a 2-2 draw. These performances seemed few and far between, with a narrow aggregate victory over Hearts in the Europa League before defeats in the Premier League to both Arsenal and fierce rivals Man Utd. Whilst their performance against United merited more, Brendan Rodgers passing philosophy began to be called into question, with pundits claiming that it was taking a long time for the Liverpool players to adjust to the new system. Rodgers got his first league win as Liverpool boss in an emphatic 5-2 win at Carrow Road, where Luis Suarez claimed his second hat-trick in as many years.

                October was a month of frustration for the Liverpool fans. A tough Europa League group saw one win and one loss, more struggles in the league, with only 1 win in 3, and a disappointing home exit of the Capital One Cup at the hands of Swansea. November continued in a similar vein, with further toil in the Europa League, dropping a further 5 points. Liverpool’s league form began to steadily improve, mostly thanks to the performances of Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan was having his most successful season so far, adding finishing to his trickery, speed and vision, and therefore chipping in with vital goals. Nevertheless, controversy was never far from him. Brendan Rodgers found himself having to regularly defend Luis Suarez against accusations of diving, and was eventually undermined by Suarez himself, after he admitted in an interview to diving in a game against Stoke.

                As Brendan Rodgers philosophy began to take effect, Liverpool’s form began to improve. December saw 5 wins out of 7 in all competitions for Liverpool, before Rodgers dipped into the January transfer fund to buy more attacking players. Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge and Inter Milan’s Phillippe Coutinho were brought in, and seemed to make an instant impact. Another defeat against Manchester United, and a poor exit of the FA Cup to League 1 side Oldham marred what otherwise would have been considered a successful month. A further disappointing exit to Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League Last 32 put paid to Liverpool’s chances of silverware, leaving them to focus solely on securing European football for the following year.

                Liverpool’s claim for a Europa League place, and even the final Champions League place was strengthened with a narrow 3-2 victory over Spurs at Anfield in mid-March, however their chances were dealt a fatal blow in the following game. A disappointing 3-1 defeat at St. Mary’s put Champions League football out of reach, giving them only pride to play for, attempting to usurp Everton as the top Liverpudlian side. Liverpool responded well to that setback, going the rest of the season unbeaten (8 games). Unfortunately for Liverpool, they drew 4 of these, including the Merseyside derby, thus failing to gain significantly on Everton, and finishing in 6^th place.

                During this run, possibly the most controversial issue of the season occurred. During the 2-2 draw against Chelsea, Liverpool talisman Luis Suarez was involved in an altercation with Branislav Ivanovic, where he appeared to bite the Chelsea defender. Suarez’s actions were subsequently condemned by pundits, officials and the club itself, and he offered a hasty apology to the FA and Ivanovic. Nevertheless, this did not prevent the FA handing out an 8 match ban for the Uruguayan, which ruled him out of the rest of the season. A ban that the player and the club found incredibly harsh, and a decision they considered contesting, which would arguably have undermined their condemnation of Suarez’s actions.

                Overall, Brendan Rodgers first season as Liverpool manager should be considered successful. He certainly has done no worse than Kenny Dalglish, and he has instilled a new style of football which shows much promise. Unfortunately, this season will be remembered more for the misdemeanours of Luis Suarez than the positive play.

 

Player of the Season: Luis Suarez – Despite his problems, the Uruguayan has been a delight to watch at times this season. Love him or loathe him, he does have prodigious talent, and coming runner up in the Golden Boot, in a 6^th placed team, and without playing the final five games of the season, is impressive.

 

Game of the Season: Norwich City 2-5 Liverpool – Instead of pointing to Liverpool’s 6-0 demolition of Newcastle, where the home side simply failed to turn up, I feel that the emphatic win over Norwich shows the positives of Liverpool’s game. 4-0 up inside of 57 minutes, with a Suarez hat-trick, Liverpool were rampant, and despite a rousing comeback from the home side, Liverpool eased to a 5-2 victory to give Brendan Rodgers his first Liverpool league win.

 

Summer Transfer Targets (What I Think They Need): After the Suarez controversies, there has been much speculation over whether he will leave in the summer. Keeping him  must be Liverpool’s primary concern. After that, another central defender to replace the retiring Jamie Carragher would be useful, with Kolo Toure looking like a likely replacement. With the signings made in January, along with the refound form of Henderson and Downing, Liverpool look like this genuinely will be the final ‘re-adjustment’ period.

 

Transfer Gossip Links:

In:

Alex Pearce (Reading, CB), Martin Montoya (Barcelona, RB), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino, CB), Loic Remy (QPR, ST), Victor Wanyama (Celtic, CDM), David Villa (Barcelona, ST), Douglas (FC Twente, CB), Ashley Williams (Swansea City, CB), Cristian Tello (Barcelona, LW), Tiago Ilori (Sporting Lisbon, LB), Christian Eriksen (Ajax, CM)

Out:

Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid, ST), Andy Carroll (West Ham United, AS Monaco, ST), Pepe Reina (Barcelona, GK)

Luis Suarez: World Beater or Thug?

             English football thought it had seen the back of the majority of controversial issues when Mario Balotelli left these shores for warmer climes. How wrong we were. Luis Suarez, a man of undoubted talent, having recently been nominated for the Player of the Year Award by his peers, seems to be the man to take over Balotelli’s mantel. His actions in today’s Premier League match between his Liverpool side and Chelsea perfectly summarise the polarized nature of his time in Britain-from hero to villain and then back again in the space of 45 short minutes.

 

                It is also worth reflecting on his past ‘sins’. Whilst revered on Merseyside (the red half at least) for his footballing talent, which most Liverpool fans would concede is the primary reason for them remaining in the top half of the Premier League table this year, he has seen his fair share of controversy. Many football fans had their minds made up for them about Luis Suarez as a ‘gentleman’ after his handball against Ghana in the 2010 World Cup Quarter Final. His recent spat with Patrice Evra regarding racist abuse has been well documented, along with the farcical ‘will they/won’t they’ storyline over handshakes that looked like it had just been plucked from the script of Friends. The 8-match ban alone, whether fair or unfair, you would consider significant enough to keep himself out of trouble and his name in the limelight for positive reasons only. Not Luis Suarez. Most defenders you see interviewed say he is a ‘nuisance to play against’. Only with a handful of players is that not a phrase which is praising the attacking qualities of the striker. Unfortunately, whilst the majority of the time he is a ‘nuisance’ in the positive sense, scoring 23 league goals this season, and assisting numerous more, he is all too often a ‘nuisance’ in the negative. His diving has been noted on several occasions, including an admission by himself to such in January. It is the more underhand, cynical and borderline violent actions that leave many football fans with a bad taste in their mouths whenever Suarez’s name is mentioned. He also seemingly has form for this too. At his previous club Ajax, Suarez was banned for 7 matches for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal in November 2010, an incident which seems ever more relevant after today’s events.

 

If ‘a game of two halves’ is a cliché, then perhaps ‘a half of three halves’ would best describe Luis Suarez’s performance this afternoon. After a rather anonymous first 45 by his standards, he was the catalyst for Liverpool’s opener, using his prodigious talent to put a goal on a plate for Daniel Sturridge. The gallant hero of Liverpool FC to the rescue again. Or so it seemed. What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary. Having deservedly conceded a penalty for a blatant handball, his frustration appeared to get the better of him. And what do normal people do when they are frustrated? That’s right, they bite the nearest person! Rather than accepting his punishment and having a few stern words with himself, Luis Suarez decided to bite the arm of Branislav Ivanovic, the Chelsea defender. Nevertheless, this is not the end of the story. To add insult to Branislav Ivanovic’s injury, he then popped up in the 7^th minute of stoppage time to steer a header past Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal to rescue a point for Liverpool. The headlines practically write themselves: ‘Suarez is a ‘shot in the arm’ for Liverpool’ and the like. The fact that Brendan Rodgers, who at times has had to be a staunch supporter of Suarez, against all opponents, was unable to support his player, speaks volumes. Whilst it could be argued he really did need to review tapes of the incident, it is certainly true he has been quick to defend Suarez in the past.

 

Regardless of tonight’s apology, I expect to see a rather lengthy ban for Suarez, and it remains to be seen whether we see him again in the Premier League. Once again, it appears, Luis Suarez has wasted his considerable talent on becoming embroiled in yet more controversy. He has always had the potential, and application to be a ‘world beater’, but his competitive streak seemingly gets the better of him, and he appears unable to control his anger and frustration. I made the point earlier about him taking over from where Mario Balotelli left off. Like Suarez, Balotelli has considerable potential if he chooses to apply himself. In Britain, it never worked, as he found himself involved in several high profile controversies, ranging from setting off fireworks in his bathroom, to handing out money dressed as Father Christmas. Unlike Suarez, the majority of Mario Balotelli’s misdemeanours were idiotic, the sign of a petulant, immature clown. The more violent aspect of Suarez’s game appears to indicate a shift away from Balotelli, and towards the ilk of Joey Barton. I sincerely hope I am wrong, as it would be a shame to see such great potential wasted.