Has Rogers enjoyed a perfect storm?

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Originally Posted by Borini Is Boss

then it was that we were a one man team.

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Do you think you'd be where you are were it not for Suarez?

Best player in being most influential on the team shocker!

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Best player in being most influential on the team shocker!

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He's not just a good player, he's one of the best in the world right now.
I hope Liverpool win the league and I think they will, and you don't win the league by luck.
But there's no way they'd be anywhere near the title without Suarez, I think his influence in that side is far bigger than the best player of any other PL team.

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Originally Posted by Letters

Do you think you'd be where you are were it not for Suarez?

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Of course not. But that's not the same as being a one man team. Would we be scrabbling for 4th this season without him? Quite possibly, maybe even lower. But that's what the best players do, propel you that extra mile. It's what they've always done.

Would Barca have been as good without Messi? Doubtful. Madrid Ronaldo. Arsenal Henry. Maradona. Cruyff. Best. Pele.

Would United have won it 2008 without Ronaldo? Without Van Persie last season? Would Chelsea be second without Hazard? Had Ramsey kept up his great form and stayed fit, that alone may have got you the extra few points to be challenging for the title as well. A stretch, but not totally ridiculous given what he adds to your play. It doesn't mean you would have been a one man team.

Suarez may well have been top scorer last season before Ivanovic rudely got in the way of his lunch. We still finished 7th. In the 10 games he missed for that we won 6, drew 3 and lost 1. We would find it far harder without him over a season no doubt, but we wouldn't just fall apart.

Before Suarez it was Torres. Before Torres it was Gerrard. Before Gerrard it was Owen.

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Best player in being most influential on the team shocker!

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:lol: Exactly such a lame excuse from people, top teams have top players and often have one who makes that difference, just look at Barca and Messi.

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Originally Posted by Özim

:lol: Exactly such a lame excuse from people, top teams have top players and often have one who makes that difference, just look at Barca and Messi.

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:gp:

He's a brilliant manager tactically and has implemented an effective system, getting the best out of his players.

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Originally Posted by Borini Is Boss

Of course not. But that's not the same as being a one man team. Would we be scrabbling for 4th this season without him? Quite possibly, maybe even lower. But that's what the best players do, propel you that extra mile. It's what they've always done.

Would Barca have been as good without Messi? Doubtful. Madrid Ronaldo. Arsenal Henry. Maradona. Cruyff. Best. Pele.

Would United have won it 2008 without Ronaldo? Without Van Persie last season? Would Chelsea be second without Hazard? Had Ramsey kept up his great form and stayed fit, that alone may have got you the extra few points to be challenging for the title as well. A stretch, but not totally ridiculous given what he adds to your play. It doesn't mean you would have been a one man team.

Suarez may well have been top scorer last season before Ivanovic rudely got in the way of his lunch. We still finished 7th. In the 10 games he missed for that we won 6, drew 3 and lost 1. We would find it far harder without him over a season no doubt, but we wouldn't just fall apart.

Before Suarez it was Torres. Before Torres it was Gerrard. Before Gerrard it was Owen.

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All good points. Only thing I'd add is you are a one man team.

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Originally Posted by Borini Is Boss

I'm not sure I really get the point that rivals haven't been ready. Obviously United are shit this season, but compared to last season everyone is doing better than they were in terms of points.

The lack of European football I can agree with. That has no doubt helped us, but equally we made our squad on the basis that we didn't have those extra games. The likes of Borini, Suso, Assaidi, Ilori, Robinson, Wisdom probably wouldn't have been loaned out and our transfers would surely have been different too. Just as this summer we will no doubt buy accordingly, hopefully with a bit more freedom in terms of wages and attracting them in the first place. Hopefully that will include a DM and full backs.

And for the long injuries we've avoided in attack, we've had them in defence. You could say that's just as important, since a solid defence is based just as much on having a settled unit. Enrique has been out most of the season, Johnson was out for a while, Agger is made of glass and Sakho was out for a long period too. Only Skrtel has been a constant and he's phenomenally inconsistent. Hence relying on Cissokho, Toure and Flanagan, who has been a bit of a revelation.
It's away from home where our defence, and performances, have been pretty terrible.

Next season we probably won't be as we were this season. We probably will fin it far tougher with European football. We might well have more injuries than this season. But all of this season people were convinced we would barely make top 4, then it was that we didn't have the squad to cope during a season, then it was that we might not have the mentality to keep going, then it was that we can't beat the top teams, then it was that we were a one man team, then it was that we wouldn't keep on scoring, then it was that we would bottle it.

It's odd that everyone [as in not just gw] claims we deserve to be where we are, the proceed to rattle off a bunch of reasons why we don't.

I don't even care if this is an anomaly. Compared to the shite of the last few years I'll take it.

And of course, nothing has been won yet.

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Good addition to the thread. As for the apparent backhanded praise for your team - its not so much that. We all want you to win the league. But to see a team that we can't dismiss as a billionaire plaything succeed when we are living groundhog day is tough...

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Originally Posted by IBK

First - I want Liverpool to win the league, and Rogers has made me envious of his management skills as against our conservative manager.

No-one can doubt that Rogers has benefitted from no European football; Suarez staying against the odds, and injuries that his small squad has been able to ride - not to mention exploiting the rare weak spots of Manure, the Chavs and Citeh in a way that we have abjectly failed to do.

But I wonder whether Rogers' most potent fortune has been lack of expectation. They finished 7th last year - on the type of form which would probably have seen Liverpool 5th in this season's conditions - even without a step change. Has this allowed him the freedom to experiment with new formations and young players - which may not have been there had he (like us) had more to aim for than just top four?

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I personally feel Rodgers has been slowly building their team in the way he wants coupled with the fact that a number of his players have improved dramatically at the same time. Suarez was already world class, it's the like of Sturridge, Henderson, Sterling, Lucas and Coutinho that have massively improved/developed. Add that to the fact he has bought astutely with the likes of Sahko and Mignolet adding that extra bit of quality, Gerrard has also blossomed in the DM role. Rodgers has made smart strategic decisions in regards to his football team and it has worked.

Everything has clicked for Liverpool at the right time and Rodgers has built on their strengths, which is a pacey attacking team. But Liverpool are rightfully top because they have outperfomed Chelsea and Man City this season.

Whilst Liverpool may not retain the title assuming they win it, they are here to stay now, they have a solid core made up of very good young players, I have no doubt they will spend big to improve what is already a very good team.

Rodgers IMO, is a very good young manager, he's not an elite manager yet because reputations like that are built over time.