Season end review
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It's coming to the end of the season.. so how u all feel Pool did for this season asuming we win the FA cup..
League wise, it good to see such improvement esp when our striking prob is there since start of season.. so we shd expect greater heights when we improve on that(champions next season?)
CL was a major dissapointment to me.. we give up the tittle so easily.. which make our striking prob even more obvious..
It will be great we end the season with another cup (FA Cup).. Its healthy to see we have trophy coming in every season.. thats the min a great club like Liverpool shd do..
Hopefully n i do believe benitez have sorted out almost everything for next season.. grateful to have finally a solid manager in charge.. future looks good to me! cheers!!!
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i feel even though another disappointment year for pool. the players have improved alot. strikers like crouch has given pool a new option in attack, even though strikers are not up to promise, it's good thing dat midfielders like gerrard, alfonso n garcia can finished the job for strikers' miss.
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Disappointing year ? Are you kidding me ? Seriously . We won the European Super cup , we played more games then others and now we are currently in 3rd place , still having a chance for 2nd spot and in the FA Cup final , if you call this disappointing , then how about last season's domestic and league form ? Gosh !!
I am happy with our form overall even through we had some dreadful results but our league form has improved and hopefully next season will get better for us. -
dat why i say it is a good promising year already. but i feel pool should do better given a strong squad like tis.Originally posted by K800i:Disappointing year ? Are you kidding me ? Seriously . We won the European Super cup , we played more games then others and now we are currently in 3rd place , still having a chance for 2nd spot and in the FA Cup final , if you call this disappointing , then how about last season's domestic and league form ? Gosh !!
I am happy with our form overall even through we had some dreadful results but our league form has improved and hopefully next season will get better for us.
i guess as a whole, tis season alot of fans are happy for the return of fowler. -
I am extremely satisfied with our overall results .
Our team begin to come into shape .
Those new signings like Crouch and Momo has shown Benitez has an eye for good players , and more players are going to like playing for Rafa , meaning it will not be difficult to strengthen the team . Our Jan signings has also shown they can cope with the pace of the game , and demand of the fans . Kromkamp and Agger that is .
We beat Chelsea in that all-important FA Cup semi , it not about just winning the trophy , just yet , but we humiliated that Russian's billions and that so-called " Special-One " , and sure we are specialist in beating the special one in some special matches .
Best thing is , we are closing in the standard set by Chelsea ....... going closer to the Top-2 now , Man Utd and Chelsea has to improve , or they will be feeling the heat next season . Mind you , our team has not even completed , some more new players will come , more will go .
There is only a one way traffic for Liverpool FC , UP !!!! -
I am very pleased with how this season went frankly. Anything more and it would have been probably classed more as "freak" or "lucky" again.
If someone had told me after Houllier had left, that Liverpool would win the CL in Benitez's first season and the next season be 3rd in the EPL and FA Cup Finalists, I would not have believed them. In fact if it had happened I would think it was just pure luck.
But then we have followed Benitez and watched the changes he has rung in Liverpool.
This is a steady progression in the team's capability and still a work in progress. Liverpool are going from strength to strength.
There is a certain variablity to their play these days.
i
Instead of the usual fixed defensive counter attack 4-4-2 formations that Houllier played day in and day out, and made substitutions that were totally predictable and yet fruitless, the current Liverpool is VERY different.
Rafa has played a variety of formations this season. 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 4-1-4-1, 4-3-3. He's played them all. He has rotated players as well. During the beginning of the season this did not work well. The right side was a big hole in the team. HE plugged it up and the team improved. In the last few games, he has also rotated players and yet Liverpool are still on a 10 game winning streak despite this. What does that say?
Even more impressive is that WITHIN games, the formations can change. According to how the game progresses. The team is intelligent, able to read the game and follow Benitez's instructions from the touchline to adapt. Against Villa they played 4-4-2 when not in possession and switched to 4-3-3 when in possession. Very interesting.
The team is learning.
Benitez has sorted out Liverpool's defence. Liverpool are rock solid at the back now. The zonal system has been ingrained. This is the hallmark of Rafa Benitez's teams. Think of Valencia. And this is where he can go on to build in the midfield and then the attack.
I think Rafa has almost got the midfield right. The system is there. Cisse is actually learning how to play right wing better as the season has gone on. We can all see that.
The last step now is to sign the right remaining players for the right midfield and some back up for other positions, and frankly I think the work is done.
We always talk about 5 year plans for new managers when they first arrive.
1st year is to get a feel of the team and the EPL and usually you win nothing and would be happy if you even got into Europe much less the CL.
2nd year is to buy the new players, sell some of the old and continue building, hoping that you win a domestic cup and get into Europe and if possible the CL.
3rd year is to further consolidate the work and aim for the CL and make the best of the domestic cup competitions.
4th year is to be in the CL and start improving to become EPL title contenders and CL mainstays. If possible win the EPL.
the 5th year is when you go and try to win everything
So right now we are only at the end of the 2nd season of Rafa Benitez reign in Liverpool
His record reads:
1st year - CL champions, League cup finalists, 5th in EPL, re-qualified for CL
2nd year - FA cup finalists (maybe winner?), 3rd in EPL (maybe 2nd?), re-qualified for CL
I think his record speaks volumes.
I do think that he's ahead of schedule. And that's a compliment to him. However the expectations would also be raised.
I would think next season would have the expectations of the 4th year in a 5 year plan. The goal would be to win the EPL or be the closest contenders and be a mainstay in the CL.
I really think the following season in 2007/2008 would be the one Liverpool would be expected to win the EPL and CL again.
Here's to a bright future!
YNWA! -
I think it is a very good season if they were to able to win the FA Cup Even though they lost to benfica as man utd also lost to it too
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It is a not a good season as Liverpool should have defended its CL Cup with the present team.
Ah Ben did make a few lousy buy.
His stubbornness in sticking to his 4-5-1 formation have caused the defeat of some of the matches.
Some of the strikers did not lived up to the basic job of scoring goals.
As for Midfield and Defence, it was ROCK SOLID.
The Best Moment for Liverpool this season was "GOD was BACK !!!"
But, I have a lousy feeling that he will be playing his last match for Liverpool for the last game.