Liverpool now look certain to finish seventh in the table, one place higher than last season and between 5 and 11 points better off than last term, depending on our last two results. Seventh isn't good enough for Liverpool, but it is acceptable, and why have we finished so low?
For this season, Brendan Rodgers' first in charge, the final league position wasn't the only thing we would be judged on, we needed to see improvement and promise. We've definitely seen these two things but probably not as often as we'd like. A good example would be our last four matches, during which time we've scored eight goals and only conceded two, but only managed one win and six points out of a possible twelve. We've scored goals in gluts and they haven't been spread out, we're the second highest scorers in the league this season but have all too often fired blanks.
The teams that have finished above us are all decent sides but none of them have been particularly exceptional this season and our results against them have, in some ways, been disappointing. In a mini-league made up of the top seven sides we've only lost four out of twelve games (the same number as champions Man Utd) but we've only won one. It's often been said that you have to beat the lesser teams, which is true, but three points against a close rival is always more important for the simple reason it's three points they don't win. We need to win more games against the top sides next season, plain and simple. Even the likes of Norwich, Sunderland and Southampton have won more games against top seven sides than us.
We need to be mentally stronger, especially in games where decisions don't go our way. In draws against Everton, Swansea and West Ham we've had goals disallowed for offside that probably shouldn't have been, but this happens to sides and if that goal doesn't count then you've just got to keep going until you score one that does. Penalties not awarded to us, especially in the early part of the season (home vs Man Utd and Arsenal spring to mind) haven't helped our cause, but again, this can't be an excuse. If things don't go our way then we have to channel the sense of injustice into something positive and get a result anyway.
I wouldn't say this has been a bad season for Liverpool, but it would be disappointing if next season was the same. We won't have European football to contend with, giving us more time and energy to concentrate on the thirty-eight Premier League games in front of us. I don't think there's a team in the league we haven't outplayed at some point this season so we have to believe we can win every game we go into. Providing we don't lose any key players this summer I think we're capable of challenging the top four but we will have to spread out the goals a bit more.
Brendan Rodgers has had a year to see where we do well and where we slip up, he now needs to prove he is intelligent enough and tough enough to make changes where they are necessary. This season can, to a degree, be written off as one of transition and learning, but next time around big strides need to be made. 2013/14 will be a massive time for Liverpool Football Club and we all need to rise to it.
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