The Kopite View

Liverpool’s Twelfth Man Could Be Key In Title Run-In

Liverpool’s are still rated as outsiders to win this season’s Premiership title with Manchester City and Chelsea rated ahead of them by the nation’s bookmakers. But Liverpool’s impressive form now has them rated as title contenders but with this new ‘tag’ comes a new pressure that the Reds are not familiar with.

Brendan Rodgers has Liverpool playing with an exciting brand of football that has lit up the Premiership with goals galore spearheaded by deadly duo Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, but with only seven games to go and in the thick of the title race will the pressure tell on Liverpool’s free-flowing football ?

Wednesday night’s win over Sunderland was a game that the Reds were expected to win but for long periods in the first half the relegation threatened strugglers frustrated Rodgers’ men and you could sense the supporters frustration as the half wore on, Gerrard and Sturridge’s goals relieved the pressure for a while but the last 15 minutes were very nervy after Sunderland pulled a goal back.

The crowd got anxious but although you could feel the anxiety in the crowd they also lifted Liverpool over the finishing line as they chanted and sang to lift their favourites because they knew they were under severe pressure by a stubborn Sunderland side.

I feel the Liverpool supporters will play a big part over the next seven games and their influence could be an important factor in the Reds’ title chances. The reception before the Sunderland match was unbelievable as supporters lined the streets with flags waving and singing as the Liverpool bus drove into Anfield and this support is unrivalled and when these supporters sense glory they can create an atmosphere which is like having an extra man on the park and right now Liverpool supporters sense glory.

Will their be glory round the fields of Anfield Road ?

Gerrard Is A Man On A Mission

Liverpool are right in the mix of a Premiership title battle in one of the most competitive title races in years with Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and the surprise package of the season, Brendan Rodgers’ team fighting for English football’s top prize.

Rodger’s men look like going the distance which has surprised many people, especially after being toppled from the top of the league at Christmas after suffering away defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea in the space of a week.

But Liverpool have shown their title credentials with a tremendous run of form that has seen them win their last seven league games.

There has been a collection of factors that has contributed to Liverpool’s impressive form, like Brendan Rodgers management style, the goal scoring exploits of Suarez and Sturridge, but in recent weeks, Steven Gerrard has been inspirational.

It seems ludicrous to think back to the start of the season when some supporters were calling for the Liverpool captain to be dropped and saying he was past his best, but along with a clever move by Rodgers who switched Gerrard to a deeper midfield role, and the England captain’s desire, Gerrard has been inspirational in recent weeks similar to his younger days in a Red shirt.

But Gerrard looks as if he’s on a personal conquest to achieve a lifelong ambition which he feels he can finally get by winning the Premiership this season. In recent weeks he has scored so many important goals and he came to the rescue again last night against a stubborn Sunderland team.

It’s not just Gerrard’s goals, it’s his determination to drive his team on, that clash against United’s Fellaini where he left the Belgian in a heap with a bloodied face showed how much he wants this title and in the games that remain Gerrard will take some stopping because he can smell the Premiership trophy.

                                            No Return For Reina

On – loan Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina can leave this summer for as little as £4 million due to a clause in his contract. The Reds’ manager has made it clear that he does not want Reina to return to Anfield once his loan spell with Napoli is over at the end of the season.

Reina will return to Merseyside in the summer to tie up loose ends but Liverpool will not get more than £5 million for the Spain goalkeeper, who still has two years left on his contract with the Anfield club.

Reina claimed on Monday that Rodgers hadn’t ruled out a return to Liverpool, but the Liverpool manager said last month:

‘He’s already written his (goodbye) letter hasn’t he ? I was surprised at the letter when you are a loan player. Pepe made it very clear when he went to Napoli he was looking to move.’

Personally I’m disappointed to see Reina go as I still see him as a top class goalkeeper, although his form did take a dip in his last couple of seasons at Anfield.

Reina’s replacement Simon Mignolet has been tremendous this season and he has won Liverpool a number of points with some key saves during the season.

Reina has been a great servant to Liverpool but he tried to manufacture a move away from Anfield, possibly with the hope of going to Barcelona, but a move fell through and Rodgers had to make a move for new goalkeeper with Reina looking for a move.

Reina had to settle for a loan spell away from the club because there was no way that Liverpool were going to keep two top class goalkeepers at the club and now with Reina’s loan spell up at the end of the season a permanent move would be best for both the player and Liverpool.

Another Big Win For Reds

Liverpool ended another hoodoo with a win at St Marys that moved the Reds up to second place in the Premiership. The men from Anfield won for the first time in eleven years at Southampton. A first half goal from Luis Suarez highlighted the good start that the Reds made to the start of the match before the hosts put their visitors under intense pressure for the remainder of the half.

But Liverpool produced a professional performance in the second half as they took the sting out of Southampton’s threat highlighted by Brendan Rodgers’ inspired substitution where he replaced Coutinho with Sterling who promptly put the ball in the net for the Reds’ second goal with his first touch of the game after only being on the field for 80 seconds.

A tremendous performance was capped off by a last minute penalty converted by Steven Gerrard after Suarez had been fouled in the box.

Liverpool overcame a big hurdle by beating Southampton and this hurdle is one of many that they have been clearing this season as the Reds improvement is exciting the supporters for the first time in many years as they are starting to believe that there is a realistic chance of winning the league this season.

Brendan Rodgers is keeping the lid on things superbly as he appreciates the fact that the fans are starting to dream and his attitude is just what Liverpool need as he maintains that his team will just take one game at a time.

Rodgers is saying all the right things and he has installed a great belief, confidence and work ethic that has improved Liverpool to new heights this season. Top four is priority but although Rodgers and his team are keeping their feet on the ground, it is hard for supporters not to dream.