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Goal.commentary: How Liverpool Can Win The EPL Title
As the 2008-2009 Premiership season enters its final chapter, a fascinating title race is nearing an equally enthralling climax. Liverpool and Manchester United have been trading blows since mid-August with Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa playing intriguing supporting roles.
Apr 23, 2009 3:40:55 PM
By Alex Taylor
In years gone by, Manchester United have asserted their dominance of English football, only briefly threatened by Arsenal and Chelsea. The rest of the country has become accustomed to their fearsome attacking, robust defense and a fighting spirit, instilled in them by the longest-serving manager in the league.
At the beginning of the season, Liverpool once again were tagged as outsiders for the title with their illustrious north-west neighbors predictably taking up their place as favorites. However, it would soon become clear that Liverpool did not intend to play second fiddle as they so often have.
There are certain elements that a team must have in order to win the Premier League. One of these is the ability to snatch 3 points in matches where the team has played poorly or headed for a draw.
This can be traced right back to the first two games of the season where Liverpool beat Middlesbrough and Sunderland courtesy of goals in the final minutes and victories against Manchester City and Wigan were also recorded thanks to late interventions.
Yossi Benayoun’s winning strike against Fulham last weekend was Liverpool’s thirteenth goal in the last five minutes of matches in this season's Premier League and perhaps shows a fighting mentality lacking in Liverpool’s previous title challenges.
Another thing needed by a successful Premier League winning club is players who have the quality to consistently score goals. Luckily, Liverpool have two in Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. The pair have plundered 22 league goals between them and have struck up an understanding on the pitch to strike fear into defenses around the country.
Gerrard, arguably the world’s best central midfielder, has the passing range to match David Beckham’s, an engine and desire to match Gennaro Gattuso and an eye for goal to match that of Zinedine Zidane’s. Match this with a world-class marksman such as Torres and the pairing is sensational.
That factor has been greatly lacking in the past and at some points of this season, in which Gerrard has struggled to create a relationship between himself and strikers such as Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch and Nicolas Anelka.
Along with this, a large squad is essential. Rafael Benitez has ensured that there are at least two players competing for every place in the team, so that when injuries strike, there is a quality replacement ready to play.
Established internationals such as Daniel Agger, Yossi Benayoun and even Xabi Alonso are not guaranteed a place in the team, a fact highlighted by the struggle Robbie Keane faced to break into the starting eleven. This large squad has enabled Benitez to rest tired players as well as compensate for injuries.
Furthermore, the winners of the Premiership have always been able to avoid losing to their rivals, and thus far, Liverpool have succeeded in this. They have beaten Manchester United home and away and remained unbeaten against Arsenal and Chelsea.
At the opposite end of that, another attribute essential for a successful team has been the ability to beat teams in the lower half of the league, especially at home. Unfortunately for Liverpool, they have been unable to record wins against the likes of Stoke, West Ham, Fulham and Hull City at Anfield, teams that they are expected to beat.
If Liverpool were to fall short again, it would be these missed opportunities that they rue. Thankfully for them, they have plenty going in their favor and still could break the long title drought they've been suffering through.
Perhaps the major advantage Liverpool has over their rivals is that they are not affected by fixture congestion and can concentrate solely on the Premier League. They only have their remaining 6 league fixtures to play whereas Manchester United are still competing in the Champions League, meaning that they will have to play an energy-sapping 10 games in just 36 days.
The matches that Liverpool have remaining are relatively easy, as they play relegation certainties West Brom along with strugglers Hull and Newcastle. They should also be expected to beat injury-hit West Ham and inconsistent Tottenham.
However, there remains a big doubt over the fitness over their talismanic captain Steven Gerrard. The midfielder was expected to play against Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final but didn’t even make the bench due to the recurrence of a groin problem. Without their midfield marvel, Liverpool are not the same team.
Despite this, Wednesday night showed that even without Gerrard, Liverpool are capable of scoring freely, putting four goals past a Chelsea defence, and then four more against Arsenal midweek. This is testament to the ability of the squad to perform even in the absence of their skipper.
Taking this into account, Liverpool have their best chance of finally claiming the Premiership Crown. They are only three points behind Manchester United having played a game more than their rivals. They have a squad focused completely on their League games, without the drain of two cup competitions, and an undoubted quality from top to bottom.
Alex Taylor is a contributor to Goal.com
In years gone by, Manchester United have asserted their dominance of English football, only briefly threatened by Arsenal and Chelsea. The rest of the country has become accustomed to their fearsome attacking, robust defense and a fighting spirit, instilled in them by the longest-serving manager in the league.
At the beginning of the season, Liverpool once again were tagged as outsiders for the title with their illustrious north-west neighbors predictably taking up their place as favorites. However, it would soon become clear that Liverpool did not intend to play second fiddle as they so often have.
There are certain elements that a team must have in order to win the Premier League. One of these is the ability to snatch 3 points in matches where the team has played poorly or headed for a draw.
This can be traced right back to the first two games of the season where Liverpool beat Middlesbrough and Sunderland courtesy of goals in the final minutes and victories against Manchester City and Wigan were also recorded thanks to late interventions.
Yossi Benayoun’s winning strike against Fulham last weekend was Liverpool’s thirteenth goal in the last five minutes of matches in this season's Premier League and perhaps shows a fighting mentality lacking in Liverpool’s previous title challenges.
Another thing needed by a successful Premier League winning club is players who have the quality to consistently score goals. Luckily, Liverpool have two in Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. The pair have plundered 22 league goals between them and have struck up an understanding on the pitch to strike fear into defenses around the country.
Gerrard, arguably the world’s best central midfielder, has the passing range to match David Beckham’s, an engine and desire to match Gennaro Gattuso and an eye for goal to match that of Zinedine Zidane’s. Match this with a world-class marksman such as Torres and the pairing is sensational.
That factor has been greatly lacking in the past and at some points of this season, in which Gerrard has struggled to create a relationship between himself and strikers such as Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch and Nicolas Anelka.
Along with this, a large squad is essential. Rafael Benitez has ensured that there are at least two players competing for every place in the team, so that when injuries strike, there is a quality replacement ready to play.
Established internationals such as Daniel Agger, Yossi Benayoun and even Xabi Alonso are not guaranteed a place in the team, a fact highlighted by the struggle Robbie Keane faced to break into the starting eleven. This large squad has enabled Benitez to rest tired players as well as compensate for injuries.
Furthermore, the winners of the Premiership have always been able to avoid losing to their rivals, and thus far, Liverpool have succeeded in this. They have beaten Manchester United home and away and remained unbeaten against Arsenal and Chelsea.
At the opposite end of that, another attribute essential for a successful team has been the ability to beat teams in the lower half of the league, especially at home. Unfortunately for Liverpool, they have been unable to record wins against the likes of Stoke, West Ham, Fulham and Hull City at Anfield, teams that they are expected to beat.
If Liverpool were to fall short again, it would be these missed opportunities that they rue. Thankfully for them, they have plenty going in their favor and still could break the long title drought they've been suffering through.
Perhaps the major advantage Liverpool has over their rivals is that they are not affected by fixture congestion and can concentrate solely on the Premier League. They only have their remaining 6 league fixtures to play whereas Manchester United are still competing in the Champions League, meaning that they will have to play an energy-sapping 10 games in just 36 days.
The matches that Liverpool have remaining are relatively easy, as they play relegation certainties West Brom along with strugglers Hull and Newcastle. They should also be expected to beat injury-hit West Ham and inconsistent Tottenham.
However, there remains a big doubt over the fitness over their talismanic captain Steven Gerrard. The midfielder was expected to play against Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final but didn’t even make the bench due to the recurrence of a groin problem. Without their midfield marvel, Liverpool are not the same team.
Despite this, Wednesday night showed that even without Gerrard, Liverpool are capable of scoring freely, putting four goals past a Chelsea defence, and then four more against Arsenal midweek. This is testament to the ability of the squad to perform even in the absence of their skipper.
Taking this into account, Liverpool have their best chance of finally claiming the Premiership Crown. They are only three points behind Manchester United having played a game more than their rivals. They have a squad focused completely on their League games, without the drain of two cup competitions, and an undoubted quality from top to bottom.
Alex Taylor is a contributor to Goal.com
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