Liverpool's Steven Gerrard scores from the penalty spot against Athletico Madrid during their Champions League, Group D, soccer match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008. AP Photo/Paul Thomas
And to think Liverpool came within a whisker of having Gareth Barry pull the midfield strings this season. What on earth was Rafa Benitez thinking over the last European summer in shopping Xabi Alonso around?
Admittedly he hadn’t had the greatest season just prior, but thank goodness Arsenal had their eye on paying off the Emirates and Juventus flinched at the asking price.
I always thought Benitez had rocks in his head for wanting to replace Alonso with Barry, and this season the Spaniard string-puller responded with an outstanding campaign, undoubtedly his best yet.
Quite simply, in a team featuring two of the world’s best players (fair in my opinion to bracket Gerrard and Torres just behind Messi and Ronaldo), it was Alonso who was the fulcrum of this wonderful Liverpool title challenge, setting the tempo from his deep midfield position with his ridiculously precise passing game, be it short or long, left or right footed.
Gerrard was undoubtedly the driving force, Torres provided the explosive touch, pace and ice-cool finishing when he wasn’t injured, Kuijt and Benayoun chipped in with wonderful contributions in the front third and the two fullbacks, Arbeloa and Aurelio, finally provided the Reds with the requisite thrust from deep.
But little of that would have been possible without Alonso doing the prompting.
Whether he was looking for an incisive pass into the front third for Gerrard or Torres, making space to receive the ball from one of his defenders, or opening out to roll a simple ball into the space for one of his fullbacks to join-in, Alonso was poetry in motion, working best when he had Mascherano doing the dog-work nearby.
It all made for some of the best football in Europe this season. Indeed, to my mind, Liverpool was only bettered in terms of the quality of their football by Barcelona, and for a long time fan that grew up on a diet of Barnes, Beardsley and Rush, it was a joy to behold.
Granted, Manchester United are the champions and have the best depth, but their style, this season, can best be described as effective. Indeed, 15 of their 27 wins (prior to this morning’s season finale) were by only one goal, proving they are best at getting the job done. Eight of those 15 wins were 1-0.
Liverpool, meanwhile, too often failed to demonstrate the killer instinct in games they were controlling, especially when Torres wasn’t available. It was no surprise that the three home draws in the month before Christmas, to Fulham, West Ham and Hull, all games Liverpool dominated handsomely, came back to haunt them.
Benitez must now take the next step and add more top quality in the front third to augment the Gerrard/Torres axis. Someone like David Silva, a player I have long admired, would be a dream on the left (not that Albert Riera had a poor season by any measure), while someone of the quality of Tevez would, you imagine, take a bit of the pressure off Torres, even if it would create a bit of a headache as to where to play Gerrard.
How much money Benitez has to spend is another matter, but he mustn’t contemplate the option of selling Alonso to finance signings, and the signs are good.
Manchester United has equalled Liverpool’s record of 18 titles, but for Liverpool fans there is good news. The remarkable tit-for-tat title sequence (Liverpool won two, then United won two, Liverpool the next three, then United three, Liverpool one, United one, Liverpool one, United one, then Liverpool won eleven before United’s recent run of eleven) suggests is Liverpool’s turn.
With the hope that Alonso is again pulling the strings, and that Gerrard and Torres are augmented by a couple of quality front third signings, next season can’t come soon enough.
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