By Guest Writer Minal Vachheta
Liverpool FC have spent majority of the season so far in the relegation zone and most people had written off their season. However the team has battled in its last two games and gained six points. The Reds began their winning run on Sunday 24th October when they beat Sam Allardyce’s Blackburn Rovers, after a physical 90 minutes.
Was this the beginning of a recover? It seems like it, with Liverpool’s win at Bolton. They had to wait 86 minutes before victory seemed possible. Hope was restored when Maxi Rodriguez scored the only goal at the Reebok Stadium. Liverpool has jumped out of the bottom three and up to 12th in the league, which is undoubtedly a more comfortable place for the team, fans and the new owner.
Hodgson said “I’m beginning to realise there is grit in the team as the wins against Blackburn and Bolton show we are capable of standing up to the rest.”
What was the cause of Liverpool’s downfall?
Liverpool had a rough end to last season; they were at one stage considered title contenders but didn’t even qualify for the Champions League. This resulted in their manager Benitez being sacked and replaced by Roy Hodgson. Secondly, Torres was injured towards the end of the season and coming into this season he hadn’t regained his full fitness or form. Lastly, there was also the uncertainty about the club’s financial situation, with it being on the brink of bankruptcy. John W Henry who heads the American Company, New England Sports Ventures took the club over last month, after a number of opposing court appeals from the previous owners. The Club now has financial stability and this seems to have helped performance on the pitch.
This doesn’t mean the Reds are out of the woods yet but they are definitely heading in the right direction. It won’t happen overnight but will be a slow process over each game, as the player’s morale is still likely to be fragile. Hodgson and the new owner need to work with the players and build them back up to their full firepower.
Liverpool next face Chelsea in the league….. can they beat them?
