--- title: "Liverpool, it’s optimism time" canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/articles/liverpool-its-optimism-time/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Luke Chandley" section: "Articles" published: "2015-03-19T12:49:21Z" modified: "2015-03-19T12:49:21Z" --- # Liverpool, it’s optimism time Right. Let’s go all out. Let’s talk about this year. Let’s talk about next year. Let’s just talk and see where it goes. This year has been really mad. Mad, but not last year mad. Sometimes bad mad. A lot of the time lucky mad. But not quite great mad. Maybe it’s because Suarez has gone, or maybe it’s because we had to calm down, for the good of our health, but we haven’t been great mad. The early 2014/15 months were really grim. Super grim. A fall from grace didn’t really cut it. And I couldn’t stick it. It was pasted all over the back pages, from Balotelli who had done nothing, both on and off the pitch, to the fact that Suarez wasn’t here any longer. Everyone was ready to throw the boot in. Everyone outside of the club anyway. But during the whole thing, the players, the staff and the owners were absolutely sublime. They predicted what we are now seeing. They told us players needed integrating. They told us that last year hurt. They told us and told us and all we could do was sit and wait. Some supporters were calling for Rodgers’ head. You all know who you are. Saying that doesn’t deem your opinion obsolete, it just deems it wrong. Which is fine, don’t worry about it. But this does bring me nicely onto my next point, and this is vital. Next time we go through a bad patch, trust the lads. Trust them mad bastard Reds. Trust them defensive Reds. Trust Brendan. They have all earned it. They should have so much trust in the bank they could open a trust fund. Does that even make sense? It doesn’t matter. Because I just said it. Trust. When we lost to Manchester United, the last time we lost, it hurt. But would you have taken that had you known what was coming for the rest of this season? I would have in a heartbeat. We have since then developed into a football team. Not a group of great individuals, or individuals playing great, like you could claim last year was, but a football team. A team of lads who absolutely love each other. A team of blokes who are loved by their fans, for being exactly that – a team. Yeah, we didn’t win the title. And yeah, we may miss out on the top 4 this year (we will not miss out, by the way, but I have to be a bit more diplomatic than that I’m afraid) but I will be perfectly happy, and overly excited about going into next year with these men on the back of my shirt. On the background of my phone and on the TV in my living room. Henderson has developed into one of the top midfielders in the country and our main man. Well done lad, you’ve done yourself proud. Coutinho has also become a brilliant midfielder. Remember when he arrived? He couldn’t last 90 minutes. He couldn’t score, and he couldn’t get into some games. He’s like a different player. A magician. Fuck that. He’s a sorcerer. If you give him the time, he will destroy your team. If you close him down, he will destroy you – personally. Remember Suarez and his penchant for megging the opposition? It’s like that but over your head. Around you. If he needs to, he will go through you. He’s become a terrier, ready to pounce. His pressing has become as important as his passing. I’ve never seen him head a ball in my life, ever, but Christ, he’s got more in his head than most. Can you tell that I love him? And then we have Raheem Sterling. Boy do we have him. Striker. Wide player. Behind the striker. Wing back. Right sided defender. Give him a position and he will play it. Give him a minute and he will learn it. Give him a few seasons and he will be mastering them. Forget Jack of all trades. He will be the fucking master of all trades. Turn your back for a second and he’ll be at your place of work, nailing your job, speaking to your friends and impressing your parents. He can literally do anything he wants. And I will let him. If I got home one night and he was sleeping with my girlfriend (one of which I don’t have) I wouldn’t complain, I would just ask him to let me know when he was done. “Just give me a shout, mate, whenever you’re ready, no rush”. He’s ours and we need to keep it that way. If he keeps playing brilliantly until the end of the season give him his £150,000 a week. Tie him down for 6 years. Keep hold of him like we did with Suarez until teams will give us near world-record breaking fees for him. And then try and keep him even longer. Don’t rate him? What are you smoking over there? As well as that I have to give honourable mentions to Can, Sakho and on current form Mignolet. Skrtel and Lucas would get in most sides, and I’m beginning to get genuinely excited by Joe Allen. He’s doing what we need him to do, and doing it well. It’s only been a month or so, but it’s been brilliant to see. But you know the best thing? All of the above have been written off by opposition fans. They don’t see what we see. And good. I don’t want them to. If they can’t see it then they don’t deserve to be a part of what we are. A big club. A big, massive Liverpool Football Club. This will all bode so, so well for next season. We are everywhere. Fans and players alike. Our enthusiasm is infectious. Fans and players alike. Our intelligence unrivalled. Fans and players alike. Our excitement evident.. Yeah, you get it. Next year is exciting, absolutely. But we still have the rest of this year yet. A season that I had expected nothing from has suddenly sprung to life in spring. It always does. We have been most superb since December. Like I said, we’ve been a football team. Our defenders have defended the goal. Our goalkeeper, for the most part, has kept the goal. Our forwards are on the front foot and our midfielders know how to handle themselves in the middle of the pitch. Get the gist? They’re doing what they need to be doing. And what they want to be doing. Because that has become one in the same. They want to defend, attack and win. That’s a great thing to see as a supporter. So, Manchester United. As our season started with them, it would be great if their season could end with us. Poetic and rhythmic, but also possible. If they lose to us, then we could go one point and once place ahead of them. With the difficult fixtures piling up for United, one tonking by us could really derail them. When we play well we can be a juggernaut. The arsonist heading towards their ramshackle village, ready to burn everything to the ground and leave nothing left to salvage. Yeah, I know. We will only be a point ahead. But big performances can expose big weaknesses. And in this league everyone watches everyone. Think of the waves we can create across the league by showing everyone else how to play against this average, patchy team of over-paid little boys. I love Wayne Rooney as a player, but he can’t save them from what we will do to them. Go ‘head Van Gaal, double up on Coutinho. Sterling will get you. Not Sterling? Lallana will have all the space in the world of which he doesn’t need much. Do well vs them lot? Henderson will arrive on the edge of the box. Man mark them all? Good luck catching Emre. Because worst comes to worst, marking our front players leaves acres of space for him. It’s the genius of playing him as centre back. You don’t notice he’s running with the ball – you won’t. And once he’s gathered some pace, good luck trying to stop him. And once you try and stop him? You either foul him, or you’ve left your man. And once you leave your man that creates space. For everyone. It all goes tits up. Manchester United’s defence isn’t intelligent enough to cope. As I sit here I’m getting excited. Really excited. As I’m sitting in the ground at 1.00pm on Sunday I will be completely uncontrollable. I am confident of us giving out a hiding to a club I really dislike. I’m also really confident of getting back in to the pinnacle club football, a competition that I really, really like. I know, there’s loads I haven’t said, like how we could win vs United and lose to Hull. Yeah, we could. But forget about that. This article is for positivity, excitement and rising again. This article if for you – the reader, the believer. So let us create some buzz. Let’s scream and shout. Let’s be Liverpool. Be optimistic. Be a bit cocky. Why not? Football is for enjoying. We should all be having a fucking brilliant time. It’s supposed to be a laugh. And once it stops being fun, we’re Everton. We’re 14th and selling half season tickets. Hashtagging everything possible in an attempt to stay relevant. And I never even mentioned Sturridge. Not once. He’s a bit good, isn’t he?