Liverpool: Where we go from here

The most predictable thing about football is its unpredictability. The ball is round, after all. Liverpool are testament to that statement. One week they’re edging West Ham by a 3-2 scoreline, the next they are hammered by lowly Aston Villa, and then they demolish a fairly respectable Fulham side. It is truly difficult to see where we truly stand at the moment.

Our targets for the season

Brendan Rodgers has made mixed messages. One moment he has targeted 8th place, and the other he talks about why we should not aim for fourth and we should look at 2nd/3rd place instead. It is difficult to see what his true aims for this season are. A glance at the table leaves us in 8th, with teams breathing down our necks, whilst not having anyone within a game’s length away in front of us.

I reckon, personally, a realistic target would be 5th. Note: this is not considering what happens in the January window and the impact of the new players. For all I know, Sturridge could come in and surprise us all. The reason I say that is that for all our possession and pretty football, we’re just really inconsistent. We can’t put results away at times this season, and we have really struggled when we concede the first goal of the game – this being a huge problem the Reds have at the moment (includes the Aston Villa match).

We seem to be a more rotational side come January. Borini will return, Martin Kelly will provide more competition in the fullbacks department, and Sturridge will come in to add to our depth in our forwards department. One must also not forget a certain Assaidi, who should be at full fitness come the January period. We’ll be making up for lost ground, that’s for sure.

And what of Downing and Cole?

Really difficult to say. They really seem to be throwing their best punches out there on the football pitch at the moment, and both are showing glimpses of their previous form at their respective ex-clubs. My verdict: Downing stay, Cole go (or both stay if they both take a pay cut, which is, let’s face it, next to impossible).

Why Downing stay? Because he’s finally recaptured his confidence. Because Rodgers has found out faster than Dalglish did that he is not a ‘hug the touchline’ kind of winger, but one who likes to cut inside and get his shots off – which is why he did a splendid job against Fulham. It is his freedom to cut inside that is allowing him to produce better performances for Liverpool FC. Additionally, he has the added ability to cover at leftback now as well, which is a really strong asset for us to have at the moment.

Why Joe Cole go? Because he is 31. He is losing sell-on value by the year, and he is costing us a huge lot of money. He is also really inconsistent. Whilst he can be wonderful on one day, he can look really lethargic and tired on another. He just can’t cope with the pace of the Premier League anymore, in my opinion.

Well, so that’s my opinion. What do you guys think? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below