Liverpool worked extremely hard last season to get back into the Champions League – a competition that they hadn’t qualified for for some seasons. They even went as far as to push Manchester City for a while in an effort to gain their first Premier League title, but “slipped up” along the way…
This season on the other hand, has been the complete opposite of last year. Fans dreaming of a Premier League title now sit back in shock at the serious decline that has seen their team stutter in all competitions.
Sitting third place in Champions League Group B – level on points with Ludogorets, with just one goal in it, Liverpool need to win against FC Basel to have any chance of getting through to the knock out stages. Of course, FC Basel only need a draw to take second place and have already beaten Liverpool this season, with a 1 – 0 home win.
Liverpool fans would enter this game in confidence had their performances over the past few league games been anything other than drab – even 2 wins in the last three doesn’t take away from the fact that the swagger and style of last season has disappeared along with Luis Suarez.
Mario Balotelli has been no replacement for Suarez on the field, and his off field antics have been making more headlines than his ability (or lack of) to put the ball into the back of the opposition net.
The defence has been letting in goals like Katie Price lets people marry her, Mignolet has been about as confident as the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard Of Oz and Rodgers has been spouting pearls of wisdom at a rate that only Dave Whelan has bettered with his racist diatribe.
BUT Liverpool for the game despite inconsistent form of late, in both Europe and the Premier League campaign.
Five times winners of Big Ears. Steven Gerrard. The Kop. The twelth can roar their players on to victory tonight. And if not, there’s always next season… IF we qualify.
