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| "This does not f****** slip" The ironic speech of last season failed to rally the troops |
As a United fan I don’t know where to start with the Scousers. Last season (minus two games on the 27th April and 5th May) was nothing short of incredible. It pains me to say it but there is no other word for it. The team over achieved to the point where they had one hand on the trophy. They would of gone down in history, next to Blackburn, as the most surprising winners of the Barclays Premier League. However, you get no legacy status for finishing second. The manager did wonders with a limited squad, arguably using 14-15 regulars over the course of the season. The problem with the upcoming campaign is that Champions League football may be a hindrance as opposed to a help. European competition may attract big names but this team needs a fair few to compete for domestic honours...
Suarez. The one word that rang around the red half of
Merseyside which instilled fear into any opposing team arriving at Anfield. ‘King
Luis’ topped the scoring charts with 31 goals despite missing the first 5 premier league
matches. I could write a 10 page article
on his antics but away from that he simply is a world class footballer who the
English public will miss watching week in week out. However, those days are
long gone. The club now needs to invest the 75 million pounds paid by Barcelona
and replace him with quality. This is easier said than done – Manchester United
are still trying to replace Cristiano Ronaldo 5 years on! Adam Lallana, Lazar
Markovic and Emre Can for a combined 53 million is interesting, maybe
questionable business. Currently Rickie Lambert is the only new signing to
directly fill the void left by Suarez. It may be a long season.
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| The 3 L's - The new hope |
Brendan Rodgers has made Liverpool the most attractive, attacking team in England. What he doesn’t possess is a plan B if the original 30 minute blitz fails to deliver the early shipment of goals. At times last season it seemed as if he didn’t need one, until he met his match against Jose. Chelsea parked the 10 man bus and Liverpool were unable to find a way through. Furthermore the failure to hold on to a 3-0 lead against Crystal Palace demonstrated what everyone, perhaps not the manager himself, knew about the teams defence. It was abysmal. Dejan Lovren is a useful addition but further defensive reinforcement is needed if last years downfalls can be learnt from. Away from that a natural replacement for the talisman is CRUCIALLY needed – why the board didn’t break the bank for Alexis Sanchez is beyond me. Tottenham proved just 12 months ago that selling your superstar and replacing him with a handful of squad players is not effective. There is still time in the window but the current squad simply cannot repeat the heroics of the season before, let alone go one step further.
Predictions – 4th, just. Their best chance for silverware still lies within the cup competitions.
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