Liverpool Season Review

Liverpool may not have won the title, but that should not take anything away from what has been, overall, a fantastic season for the Reds. Even being in the title race is something to be proud of, given not only where the Reds have finished in previous seasons, but their objectives for this season: finishing in fourth. Instead, this team, driven by passion and the desire to win found themselves in the midst of a title race, a race lost only by the slightest of margins.

Liverpool have given us so much to remember this season. The 5-0 thrashing of Tottenham, which really highlighted what the Reds were capable of, will be hard to forget. A few months later came the 4-0 derby win over Everton. Than came the game that really saw Liverpool show that they are indeed, not only top four contenders, but title contenders. A 5-1 win over Arsenal (who were then top of the table), demonstrated that the Reds are capable of overpowering even those who are in first. Four of the five goals were scored before the twenty minute mark, as the league leaders were blown away.

And than there were the eight or seven goal thrillers. The 5-3 win over Stoke was a game that did not slow down for 1 minute. About a month later came a 4-3 thriller vs Swansea, which saw the Reds give up a two goal lead, and than a one goal lead, yet still go on to win the game. By halftime of those games, at least 4 goals had been scored.

There are also the nail biting and nervy fixtures, surprisingly against the lower teams, that highlighted the Red's ability to grind out results. The three 1-0 victories at the start of the season, as well as 2-1 wins over the likes of Sunderland and West Ham had scary endings, but Liverpool were able to pull of the win while a 3-2 win over Norwich had a similar ending as well.

The mentality of Liverpool was one of the keys to Liverpool's title challenge. Throughout the season, the Reds have played with such a determination to win, which is demonstrated through many matches this season. Many include those matches where the Reds had the game won by half time, but also the matches where Liverpool either toiled to win or even lost. Looking back at the Manchester City game in December, given City's ruthless home form, and the fact that Gerrard and Sturridge were out injured, City winning by two or three goals was a realistic assumption. On the contrary, the Reds took the lead, but lost because of a Mignolet error as well an error by the linesmen which saw a Sterling goal incorrectly ruled out for offsides. Another example of this winning mentality was the 3-2 win over Fulham, in which the Reds fell behind twice, but fought back both times, searched for, and eventually grabbed a late winner. Last, but certainly not least was the game back in April against Manchester City at Anfield. They Reds completely dominated the first half, but gave up a two goal lead in the second. However, their response was superb as this only propelled them to search for a winner which was eventually found through Coutinho.

This title challenge was of course also down to their ruthless attack, as highlighted by the 101 goals scored. This attack saw the deadly SASAS trio of Suarez, Sterling, and Sturridge terrorized many defenses this season, as well as allowing the Reds to blow away their opponents by halftime. Just look at Arsenal, who as I mentioned before, the Reds put four past in just 20 minutes. Everton had suffered a similar fate two weeks earlier, being 3-0 down at halftime. Even Manchester City, were chasing the game in the first half of that incredible fixture, and could well have been three down by halftime as well. This attack has been key to the Reds' ability to still win games despite conceding as many as three times. Some examples are the 5-3, 4-3 and 6-3 wins over Stoke, Swansea, and Cardiff respectively.

Nonetheless, conceding three times in so many games this season is a stat that simply must improve. Despite all the goals scored, 50 were conceded. The midtable, and lower table teams, teams that Liverpool should be blowing away, have been quite troublesome to Liverpool's defense. The Paradox however, is that their defense has stood strong against the bigger guns. Nonetheless, this stat must not be carried into next season because, as many goals as Liverpool score, their defensive flaws will catch up to them. After the defeat to Chelsea, Liverpool looked as if, their defensive troubles would take away the title from them on goal difference. As a matter of fact, poor defending cost them points just a week later against Palace, as Liverpool failed to hold a three goal lead with just over ten minutes left to play.

In the end, along with poor defending, tired legs and inexperience caught up with the Reds. Although there was no distraction of European football, grinding out wins week by week was always going to be a tough tack. Furthermore, such a young team lacked experience being in a title race. After coming from finishing seventh and eighth for the past few seasons, the pressure of being in the title race was something that Liverpool have not been used to dealing with. And still, the team that finished in seventh last year, lost out on the title by only two points.

At the end of the day, this season will be remembered as a positive. As disappointing as it was not to win it, the Reds ought to be proud to have been in the race. Brilliant attacking football has once again brought joy to Anfield. The expectation of winning week by week is back for Liverpool. The Reds' presence in the Champions League next season will give them the luxury of being able to attract top players to the club. But most importantly, the Reds have gained experience being in the title race, something that should help them for next year's race, and the Champions League as well. Liverpool are improving at a rapid pace, an if they can continue like this next season, than they are already one step closer to glory.