The Kopite View

Rodgers Has Depth To Make Liverpool Challengers Again

The Premier League is one of the toughest leagues in the world to win and the most successful teams have squads, rather than teams and Liverpool have been busy strengthening their squad this summer after manager Brendan Rodgers looked to build on the success of last season.

Rodgers is starting his third campaign as Reds’ boss and this is the first season at Anfield that he is going into a season with squad with depth.

Liverpool’s first game of the season was not the barnstorming start Anfield had anticipated, but winning is winning and this victory owed much to Rodgers’ use of substitutes.

Liverpool were struggling against a stubborn and organised Southampton in the second half but this time Rodgers had options on his bench with Jordan Ibe, Emre Can, Brad Jones, Rickie Lambert, Kolo Toure, Joe Allen and Mamadou Sakho to call upon.

Rodgers still had a strong bench despite not being able to call upon Jon Flanagan, Daniel Agger and new signings Lazar Markovic and Adam Lallana who are unavailable through injury.

Rodgers summoned Allen and Lambert from the bench to try and inspire Liverpool, and both made a difference and contributed to the important victory.

Although Rodgers didn’t need to call upon his substitutes to change things too often last season his stronger squad will give him the important option when things aren’t going to plan like yesterday’s game against Southampton.

Rodgers’ depth of squad just might take Liverpool that extra step up this season.

Rodgers Builds A Team That Doesn’t Rely On One Player

It was only a glamour friendly Liverpool won yesterday but there were plenty of encouraging signs that proved that Brendan Rodgers has a team that plays for each other as a team, and they all understand what is expected of them.

The pessimists are all predicting Liverpool to struggle after losing their world class striker Luis Suarez, but Rodgers and his team are evolving and with his crop of new summer signings the Reds’ boss has assembled a pretty strong squad with competition for places in every position in his team.

But on the evidence of yesterday’s hammering of Borrussia Dortmund Rodgers has a team that is not reliant on any one player and that is so important after relying on the likes of Gerrard and Torres and more recently Suarez for too long.

The way Liverpool worked for each other was superb and their desire to help each other defend was mirrored by their energy to attack when in possession, highlighted by four different goal scorers.

I don’t think the worry of injuries and suspensions will be such as big a concern as last season with the squad Rodgers has built this summer and the team spirit he installs in his players will make Liverpool a force again this season.