The international break means that Rafael Benítez has ten days to work out what is going wrong for his underperforming team.
Eleven points behind Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League and facing elimination from the Champions League, the Liverpool manager has a lot on his plate. The Times has identified five things he must do to get their season back on track.
Perform a balancing act
Last summer, Louis van Gaal, the Bayern Munich coach, was musing on the Premier League managers whom he admires most. “Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benítez have their own style and implement their ideas on the pitch,” the Dutchman said. “You can see the influence of the coach in the way their teams play.
“It’s not easy to get top players to play the way you want them to. I’m not very entertained by his defensive style, but I admire how Benítez makes his mark on the club. You can see the team play as he thinks they should.”
What Van Gaal makes of Liverpool now is anyone’s guess.
The conservatism that once characterised Benítez’s teams has been sacrificed. Liverpool carry a much greater attacking threat thanks to the thrusts of Glen Johnson, in particular, but the number of goals they have conceded in 18 games this season — 25 — indicates that the team’s balance is not what it should be.
Hold a summit meeting with the club’s medical staff
Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera are the latest players to suffer muscle injuries. Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Fábio Aurélio, Andrea Dossena, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have had similar problems this season.
Unless the injuries are brought under control, the chances of Liverpool being able to close the gap on the league leaders will be minimised. One of the most telling statistics of the campaign is that, approaching mid-November, Benítez has yet to be in a position to field his strongest team.
Injuries are part and parcel of the game and every team has to cope with them, but that Liverpool are suffering from so many different muscle strains has to be a concern. A solution needs to be found.
Get the players’ heads right (part 1)
After Monday’s draw with Birmingham City, Riera admitted that there could be a psychological element to Liverpool’s travails. “Our problem could be mental,” the Spain winger said. “Because we — I don’t like saying this — are untidy. I don’t like to use this word, but it’s true we are not used to being in this position.”
There is undoubtedly a pressure that comes with being a Liverpool player. After 19 years without a league title, a couple of defeats is all it takes for crisis talk to emerge and at times in recent seasons such anxiety has been all too evident, particularly when they play at Anfield.
Benítez has often spoken of the need to manage such expectations, but it is questionable whether some, if not all, of his players have the mentality to be able to do this. A sports psychiatrist could be the pressure valve that the Liverpool manager requires.
Get the players’ heads right (part 2)
The furore about the zonal marking system has not helped Liverpool’s biggest problem when it comes to set-pieces: in defence and attack, they simply are not good in the air.
Having lost Sami Hyypia, Peter Crouch and Mohamed Sissoko, three towering presences, in recent seasons, they have become much more susceptible to crosses. Birmingham’s equaliser on Monday was a case in point, with Liverpool losing three headers before the ball ended up in their net.
Liverpool’s players are found wanting when it comes to attacking the ball and this weakness is costing them at both ends of the pitch. Benítez may not be able to make his squad any taller, but training-ground drills could help them to become more aggressive in the air.
Consider dropping the previously undroppable
Having been converted to a right-sided midfield player, Dirk Kuyt has earned his place as a regular starter thanks to a series of consistently diligent displays, not to mention a knack of coming up with crucial goals.
Last season he created more goals than any other out-and-out wide player in the country and finished joint sixth in the Premier League goalscoring charts. This time around, though, the Dutchman is struggling for form and far too many of Liverpool’s attacks are breaking down at his feet.
The 29-year-old’s days as an automatic starter may be numbered. Kuyt still has a role to play owing to his faultless attitude and commitment to the cause, but should he continue to struggle, it may be that he will have to become more of a squad player.
Eleven points behind Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League and facing elimination from the Champions League, the Liverpool manager has a lot on his plate. The Times has identified five things he must do to get their season back on track.
Perform a balancing act
Last summer, Louis van Gaal, the Bayern Munich coach, was musing on the Premier League managers whom he admires most. “Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benítez have their own style and implement their ideas on the pitch,” the Dutchman said. “You can see the influence of the coach in the way their teams play.
“It’s not easy to get top players to play the way you want them to. I’m not very entertained by his defensive style, but I admire how Benítez makes his mark on the club. You can see the team play as he thinks they should.”
What Van Gaal makes of Liverpool now is anyone’s guess.
The conservatism that once characterised Benítez’s teams has been sacrificed. Liverpool carry a much greater attacking threat thanks to the thrusts of Glen Johnson, in particular, but the number of goals they have conceded in 18 games this season — 25 — indicates that the team’s balance is not what it should be.
Hold a summit meeting with the club’s medical staff
Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera are the latest players to suffer muscle injuries. Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Fábio Aurélio, Andrea Dossena, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have had similar problems this season.
Unless the injuries are brought under control, the chances of Liverpool being able to close the gap on the league leaders will be minimised. One of the most telling statistics of the campaign is that, approaching mid-November, Benítez has yet to be in a position to field his strongest team.
Injuries are part and parcel of the game and every team has to cope with them, but that Liverpool are suffering from so many different muscle strains has to be a concern. A solution needs to be found.
Get the players’ heads right (part 1)
After Monday’s draw with Birmingham City, Riera admitted that there could be a psychological element to Liverpool’s travails. “Our problem could be mental,” the Spain winger said. “Because we — I don’t like saying this — are untidy. I don’t like to use this word, but it’s true we are not used to being in this position.”
There is undoubtedly a pressure that comes with being a Liverpool player. After 19 years without a league title, a couple of defeats is all it takes for crisis talk to emerge and at times in recent seasons such anxiety has been all too evident, particularly when they play at Anfield.
Benítez has often spoken of the need to manage such expectations, but it is questionable whether some, if not all, of his players have the mentality to be able to do this. A sports psychiatrist could be the pressure valve that the Liverpool manager requires.
Get the players’ heads right (part 2)
The furore about the zonal marking system has not helped Liverpool’s biggest problem when it comes to set-pieces: in defence and attack, they simply are not good in the air.
Having lost Sami Hyypia, Peter Crouch and Mohamed Sissoko, three towering presences, in recent seasons, they have become much more susceptible to crosses. Birmingham’s equaliser on Monday was a case in point, with Liverpool losing three headers before the ball ended up in their net.
Liverpool’s players are found wanting when it comes to attacking the ball and this weakness is costing them at both ends of the pitch. Benítez may not be able to make his squad any taller, but training-ground drills could help them to become more aggressive in the air.
Consider dropping the previously undroppable
Having been converted to a right-sided midfield player, Dirk Kuyt has earned his place as a regular starter thanks to a series of consistently diligent displays, not to mention a knack of coming up with crucial goals.
Last season he created more goals than any other out-and-out wide player in the country and finished joint sixth in the Premier League goalscoring charts. This time around, though, the Dutchman is struggling for form and far too many of Liverpool’s attacks are breaking down at his feet.
The 29-year-old’s days as an automatic starter may be numbered. Kuyt still has a role to play owing to his faultless attitude and commitment to the cause, but should he continue to struggle, it may be that he will have to become more of a squad player.
