Missing out on the title must hurt Liverpool, but looking ahead more important

Flashback to August 17, 2013: In the early kick-off on the opening day of the new season, Simon Mignolet saved Jonathan Walters’ penalty in the closing stages to ensure a 1-0 victory for Liverpool over Stoke City. With the win, Liverpool climbed to the top of the table provisionally, with other teams having yet to play. This got the trolls busy with quotes mocking that this would be the only time the club would be at the top of the league.

Forward to April, 2014: An impressive first half of the season, and then a sensational run of 11 consecutive wins in Premier League meant that Liverpool were 3 games away from sealing a memorable league title. It seemed like a certain fairy-tale victory for the team led by Steven Gerrard, who many believed was the best player to not win the Premier League yet.

But alas, not all fairy-tales get the happy ending, and an unfortunate but costly slip by Gerrard against Chelsea led to a defeat which dashed Liverpool’s hopes. This was followed by a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace in a game which Liverpool had in the bag before a remarkable comeback by the Eagles. A 2-1 win over Newcastle in the final game of the season wasn’t enough as Manchester City capitalized on Liverpool’s slip up to win the title by winning the last 5 games.

While no one had tipped Liverpool for title glory at the start of the season, and a Champions League spot appeared to be the realistic target, the fact that Liverpool had the title in their own hands with just 3 games left to play mean that missing out on the league will hurt Liverpool, and it should hurt Liverpool as well. This was a season where things just seemed to fall into place.

Manchester City struggled for a while with patchy away form, Chelsea dropped points to weaker teams, Manchester United were a team in transition under a new manager, Tottenham struggled to impress despite their big money signings, Arsenal did well for a long time only to see their season fall apart badly after the 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool.

It will be unfair to say that the team wilted under pressure in high-stake games against Chelsea and Crystal Palace, but a combination of bad luck and some naïve tactics meant that Liverpool’s dreams of a 19th league win (and the first one for 24 years) were dashed.

However, it will be imperative for Brendan Rodgers and his team to take heart from an inspired show this season and consolidate on it in the coming seasons. A strong foundation has been laid for the team to build upon and aim for long-term success in the Premier League as well as the Champions League.

Liverpool fans will remember that the last time the team finished 2nd in the league in an impressive campaign (2008-09) which led to the manager being rewarded with a bumper contract, the next season didn’t quite go as per plan as they finished 7th in the league and Rafael Benitez was booted out. This subsequently started the slump of the side which coincided with ownership issues and managerial changes, and a revival was finally seen only after 4 seasons in 2013-2014 under Rodgers.

And we go back further to 2001-02 when Gerard Houllier’s team finished second to a rampaging Arsenal side, but a disastrous summer transfer window that saw the arrivals of El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao was followed by a below-par season in which Liverpool missed out on a top 4 finish.

It will be very important for Rodgers to conduct his transfers wisely. The failure of 2002-03 season is often attributed to the signings of Diouf and Diao (and non-signing of Anelka), while many believe that the failures in the 2009-10 season was mainly due to Xabi Alonso being sold and being replaced by Alberto Aquilani. Despite having done wonders with a limited squad, Rodgers doesn’t boast of a very good record in the transfer window with some average and below-average purchases.

Brendan Rodgers needs to get the transfers right this time

A large part of the core of his team in the last season comprised of players who were already present at the club prior to Rodgers’ arrival. The failure to sign targets like Mohamed Salah, Yevhen Konoplyanka and Henrikh Mkhitaryan doesn’t do a lot of good to his reputation either.

But having said that, Rodgers seems to have done well by moving quickly to bid for his target players and is reportedly keen to conclude the signings before the FIFA World Cup. The fact that Liverpool will be participating in next season’s Champions League and will begin as one of the favorites for Premier League will aid in his quest to add quality to the side.

The 2013-14 season saw the Liverpool team roll back the years as they made Anfield a fortress and also played entertaining football during travels. It was only the second time in the club’s history that they had scored over 100 goals in the league in a season (you have to go back to 1895-96 to find the other occasion).

The team played breath-taking attacking football which entertained everyone (except the opposition defences!). The defending though was well below par, often comical (not humorous to the Liverpool fans though!) and often provided the spectators high scoring games.

It was a season that saw Steven Gerrard showing his versatility once again as he efficiently adapted to the role of a deep-lying play-maker. The villain of last summer’s transfer window, Luis Suarez, was reborn as a hero and won the hearts of the fans with his goals. Suarez formed a potent partnership with Daniel Sturridge as the duo became one of the most feared strike-forces in Europe. Jordan Henderson finally began to justify his big money move as he transformed from a bit part player to a team mainstay.

But, probably one of the most refreshing things to come out of the season for Liverpool was the way Rodgers handled the team’s youngsters and the way they rose to the occasion and performed. Jon Flanagan and Raheem Sterling wouldn’t have expected much game time this season but due to flawed transfer activity and injuries, they played a lot and both rewarded Rodgers’ confidence in them when he called upon them as they contributed significantly to the team’s success.

When the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) took over the club, they said that their objective was to have the core of the team as English players, and try to encourage home grown talent. While the big money purchases and subsequent failures of Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll were mocked, questioning the tactics, the fact that Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge were all an integral part of the Liverpool team’s success in the season and will also be expected to form the core of the English side in Brazil 2014, the strategy of FSG seems to be finally bearing fruit.

With Jon Flanagan tipped to be a part of the national side soon, and with talented youngsters like Jordan Ibe providing promise for the future, Liverpool can be expected to continue the trend for the coming years.

Liverpool may not have the purse to splash money like some of their rivals, but it is certainly a club that seems to have its tactics and planning in the right place. The faith on Rodgers shown by owners has been rewarded and the manager will aim to take the club to higher heights. The team may not have won the title this season, but if it can be a catalyst for sustained success over the next few seasons, then the hurt of missing out on the trophy will be lessened significantly.

The latter half of the 2013-14 season for Liverpool fans was synonymous with 2 quotes – “Make Us Dream”: The club missed out on the title this season, but there’s plenty of promise to dream for glory in the next season. “We go again”: The Anfield faithful will be all set to back their team when the new season begins.