Opposition View – Liverpool

It’s a trip to Anfield for Swansea City this weekend. Red All Over The Land fanzine editor John Pearman tells us about Liverpool’s season so far…

How would you assess your season so far?
Expectations weren’t at the usual level back in August but even so, disappointing especially the home form.  However, for many teams it’s been a mixed bag and I never expected wins at Chelsea and Manchester City.

Since our last meeting you’ve parted company with Brendan Rodgers, do you think this was the right decision and what did you make of its timing?
I wanted Brendan to have more time but the quality of football the team played was so poor something had to be done.  He is an excellent manager but just didn’t know how to cope when things went off beam and his record in the transfer market wasn’t good or he couldn’t deal with the players he’d got.  They were and are, after all proven internationals.

Were you happy with the appointment of Jurgen Klopp and what are your first impressions of him?
First impressions of Jurgen are good.  He was just about everyone’s choice.  He seems to have the tactical nous that Brendan lacked, however a few home wins are required to get us all believing.

You were very active in the transfer market over the summer, how have the new players settled in?
Under Brendan, they didn’t.  Like with all clubs when a new manager comes in there’s a clean slate so we need to see how they’re doing when we reach the turn of the year.  As said, Brendan or the transfer committee purchased International footballers.  They shouldn’t need to have the game explained to them.

What are your expectations for the rest of the campaign?
I want good runs in Cups, success breeds success and all that.  Because the quality of the Premier isn’t that high we could still push towards a top six – or better – finish.

What do you make of Swansea so far this season?
Obviously you’re not doing as well as you’d want, but not many are.  I think it’s too early to make judgments on sides because there’re a lot of games to be played.

I know you don’t do score predictions but where do you think both teams will end up in May?
All I’ll say is we should be playing each other next season.