While ‘what a difference 12 months makes’ is probably the most cliché of clichés, it is probably the most applicable conclusion to the latest chapter in the history of Liverpool.
A few days ago last season, Liverpool had ultimately just thrown away the Premier League title to Manchester City courtesy of those setbacks against Chelsea and Crystal Palace but back then, the Reds could call upon the world class exploits of Luis Suarez, not to mention a fit Daniel Sturridge.
Fast forward 12 months and Liverpool are about to say goodbye to one of their greatest ever players in Steven Gerrard, not to mention floundering in fifth place – six points behind arch-rivals Manchester United with just two league fixtures remaining.
Brendan Rodgers would have learnt a lot managing one of the biggest clubs in the world since his arrival from Swansea City in 2012 but as the season has drawn on, a lot of our resident Reds fans have ultimately been wondering what his legacy will be at Anfield.
While the Northern Irishman will be the first to admit that his Reds outfit remain a work in progress, there is no doubt that he will feel they could and probably should have done better on several occasions this term.
In keeping with this theme, we have identified what we believe to be Liverpool’s five most forgettable moments of the 2014/15 campaign.
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Click on Brendan Rodgers to reveal what we think are the worst 5 moments of Liverpool’s season.
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19/04/2015 – No FA Cup Final for Stevie G in his final season
In the lead up to the FA Cup semi-final with Aston Villa on April 19th, the discussion in the tavern surrounded the importance of lifting silverware, a tangible representation of Rodgers’ time in charge of the Reds.
Many would admit that Rodgers has instilled a favourable attractive style of play since arriving from Swansea with the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling proving the success stories in his ultra-modern formations.
Despite looking to establish a British core and being easy upon the eye, one of Liverpool’s darkest days this term was that day at Wembley only a month ago, a day which ultimately meant Reds fans wouldn’t be seeing club captain Steven Gerrard lifting another trophy in what would’ve been the ultimate send off after a glittering playing career in England.
Following the 2-1 defeat, Rodgers admitted his side were beaten by the better team, leaving our resident Reds to angrily question how a Tim Sherwood Aston Villa side could so easily brush aside a team of Liverpool’s stature in a major cup semi-final.
25/08/2014 – The signature of Mario Balotelli
Call him a scapegoat if you must but with just a few weeks of the 2014/15 season remaining, can anybody really claim Mario Balotelli has been hard done by in his debut season at Anfield?
In credit to the maverick Italian forward, he has gone about his life in England far more quietly since his unforgettable spell at Manchester City between 2010 and 2013 when setting fireworks off in his own apartment was more his style.
But ultimately, this debate is about quality. When Liverpool agreed to sell Luis Suarez to Barcelona on July 11th, every Reds fans knew that they had to bring in a reliable, goalscoring replacement for such an infectious talent as the Uruguayan.
Although no Reds fan could have foreseen Balotelli registering just a solitary Premier League strike for Liverpool to date, was he really the best option available at the time?
Call it hindsight but quite simply, Balotelli hasn’t been good enough for Liverpool and judging by Rodgers’ dodging of the ‘has Balotelli got a future’ question at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, it seems the Northern Irishman has become fed up with his lacklustre displays to boot.
With managers ultimately being assessed by their purchases nowadays, it is imperative that Rodgers buys sensibly this summer and gets more out of new incomings than he has the likes of Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Balotelli.
09/12/2014 – A dour UCL exit at the group stage
While 2013/14 ended up in huge disappointment for the Reds in terms of being pipped by Manchester City for the league title, at least Liverpool could look forward to performing in the Champions League once again for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign.
Our Reds supporting contingent in the tavern were rubbing their hands together when they saw Rodgers’ side being drawn against Real Madrid, FC Basel and Ludogorets in this season’s group stage with many seeing a clear passageway to the knockout phase, probably behind the Spanish holders.
But in reality, it didn’t work out that way with the Reds only winning just one game – the opening fixture against Ludogorets at home – in a largely forgettable group stage which culminated in a matchday six 1-1 draw to FC Basel which saw the Swiss side progress instead of the originally fancied Reds.
Lazar Markovic was sent off in harsh, yet foolish fashion on the night and a late Steven Gerrard stunner wasn’t enough to stop Liverpool sliding into an unwanted Europa League berth where they ultimately ended up exiting to Besiktas on penalties.
22/03/2015 – Unofficial Champions League play-off goes United’s way
For Liverpool, losing to Manchester United at any time of the year is bad enough – just ask Reds fans who had to sit and watch Rodgers’ side be taken apart by Louis van Gaal’s United outfit back at Old Trafford in a 3-0 triumph back in December.
But to lose at home to the old enemy and in such a pivotal game regarding Champions League qualification as well? March 22nd was a tough game to accept for all those connected with the Reds in 2015.
The day turned out to be Juan Mata’s finest in a United jersey thus far with the former Chelsea man bagging a brace to put Louis van Gaal’s side on course for Champions League qualification at his first attempt.
The day was doubly disappointing not only because Liverpool had given themselves a great chance, building positive momentum following a noteworthy 2-1 dispatch of now former champions Manchester City a few weeks before but the fact that Steven Gerrard’s last derby game ended up in total shame.
Arriving as a second half substitute, incredibly Liverpool’s number eight lasted just 43 seconds on the pitch after a stamp on Ander Herrera which was punished immediately by Martin Atkinson who showed Gerrard red.
The game ended up in a 2-1 triumph for United who had just inflicted a massive blow in the Reds’ quest for Champions League football next term.
04/04/2015 – Champions League football lost for good?
If March 22nd against United was the day in which Champions League football was slipping out of Liverpool’s grasp, April 4th at Emirates Stadium was the day in which they blew it for good.
While the Reds are still mathematically in with a chance of catching fourth-placed United with two fixtures remaining, the feat looks incredibly unlikely and if Reds fans could turn back time, they would have begged their team to have put up a better fight against Arsenal.
Going down 4-1 on a forgettable day in North London, it could’ve proved oh so different had Lazar Markovic and Raheem Sterling managed to combine to find the net early on in this fixture. With Markovic prodding a ball just out of comfortable reach for Sterling, this proved the turning point in which the game changed for good.
Hector Bellerin opened the scoring on 37 minutes courtesy of some neat work down Liverpool’s left hand side and this goal opened the floodgates as Liverpool collapsed with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez lifting the Gunners into an unassailable 3-0 half-time lead.
A Jordan Henderson penalty on 76 minutes was mere consolation before a Giroud finish added some gloss to the scoreline and in the post-match autopsy, Brendan Rodgers openly admitted that their qualification to Europe’s elite club competition was as good as over.
