Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish and Alan Hansen – just three of the names associated with Liverpool’s heydays of league titles and European Cups. Today’s counterparts – Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Jamie Carragher – certainly have the talent to go down in history alongside those famous names but once these three and their team-mates have long retired and become resigned to Liverpool FC’s record books, there may well be one glaring omission in their achievements columns – no English league titles won.Certainly, for the likes of Carragher and Steven Gerrard, that famous comeback win against AC Milan in the Champions League final will shine brightly against their names for the rest of their careers. But in terms of the trophy cabinet of any self-respecting Premier League club, the European Cup is simply the icing on the cake which every footballer, manager and club ultimately wants a piece of, albeit a very lucrative and glittering layer of icing.
That highly sought-after cake is made of, and ultimately sweetened and gloriously flavoured by, the pinnacle of the Premier League title. Manchester United’s monstrously-talented players past and present, Arsenal’s 'Invincibles', the billionaires of Chelsea and even the late Jack Walker’s relatively less pricey Blackburn Rovers, have all tasted and savoured the taste of winning the league – but what is it that has stopped the Reds from plunging their own forks into the cake, and what makes me think that they can make that extra step this season?
With regards to each of these four clubs that have won the Premier League title, they all have their own unique traits but in essence, have one thing in common – their boardrooms made it clear that the ultimate target was winning the championship. Sir Alex Ferguson has constantly built and rebuilt squads with a winning mentality consisting of players who are considered to be world-class, from Ryan Giggs to David Beckham, from Ruud van Nistelrooy to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ferguson has always been backed up with the money to either buy or bring through these types of players. Furthermore, the board’s backing of a worldwide web of player scouting has helped to unearth gems past and present such as Ronaldo, Ole Solskjaer and Anderson.
For Arsenal, the board has always had full faith in Arsene Wenger and his overall managerial ability, from tactics to transfers. From the bold but popular decision to bring in Dennis Bergkamp – whose reputation had taken a blow from his indifferent spell in Italy – to the genius of switching Thierry Henry from inconsistent winger into a world-class, cultured striker and even the more modern-day coup of Cesc Fabregas’ breakthrough, Wenger has always had the full backing of the board. And they have been rewarded with titles.
Not much needs to be said about Chelsea, where their Russian oligarch owner has thrown money at the club like championship-parade confetti. Furthermore, bold but controversial statements and moves which indicate that even simply winning titles is not enough to guarantee job security, such as in the case of Jose Mourinho, underline the elevated expectations of a title-winning side.
As for Blackburn, it can be assumed the idolised steel magnate’s unlimited financial support of the Ewood Park side would not have left him content with third or even second place in the league’s final standings – the funding of the transfers of the likes of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton was expected to yield lucrative rewards, and that it did.
Solid infrastructure, seemingly-omnipotent manager and money to burn – do Liverpool not have these, I hear you ask? Indeed, Liverpool’s youth policy has brought through the likes of Carragher and Gerrard while Rafa Benitez’s popularity with the fans seems immovable. Furthermore, the Reds have spent big every season on players. So what’s missing?
Last season, it seemed that everything was in place. Until that vital common ingredient for a title-winning side fell out of place – full board backing. I must state that I am not criticising the desire of Tom Hicks and George Gillett to bring that elusive title back to Anfield. I am merely pointing to the breakdown in Messrs Hicks and Gillett’s relationship halfway through last season.
As much as a title-winning desire filters down from the top, any negative impact will also be felt through a football club like an earthquake’s aftershock. The battle for supremacy between the two owners inadvertently diverted their commitment to winning trophies to simply winning power. As much as the manager and players alike will repeat their focus in spite of any boardroom struggles, the effect was apparent in the club’s final league position.
So what’s different now? Although the battle at the top brews on, the diluted media coverage simply reflects the truth – that the problems have become less of a distraction – and where there’s no news to be covered, there’s no coverage. Now that there is a diversion in attention back to the Premier League title, the requisite ingredients for the aforementioned cake are now back in the hallowed kitchen of Anfield.
Although it is still early in the season, the Reds struck a massive psychological blow in their 2-1 win over Manchester United. Frailties such as defensive lapses are material problems with solutions well within the capabilities of their highly-respected manager and talented squad.
With Torres continuing to fire on all cylinders, Babel looking like fulfilling his untapped potential and Gerrard reiterating his ambition to drive Liverpool to greater things, the pieces on the field are certainly in place. Furthermore, Benitez has the funds at his disposal to strengthen if need be and a board that is intent on achieving the Holy Grail, hopefully without any renewed power struggle.
So can the Reds finally feast on the Premiership title cake? In my opinion, the ingredients are together and the oven is fired up – it’s Liverpool’s banquet if they simply follow the recipe and do it right.
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