By Mayank Gupta
2010 – 2011 is coming to an end. Lots of dead expectations are giving hope to many new ones. The team is looking better prepared. The players are good and the owners are great and the manager a living legend. The KOP is louder by every game and the smiles are broader after every 90 minutes.
What is bringing these emotions to us? Why are we genuinely so jubilant for the first time in a long time? Why we are taking envy in the banter of the opposition fans? Why is the media obsessed with LFC? Why is the Old Whiskey Nose already taking notice of LFC for next season? Are we living a RED dream?
Too many questions at the same time but the answer to every question is interlinked to the next success of LFC.
The game yesterday was an epitome of discipline, character and spirit. The shape of the defense was immaculate to completely restrict the passing movements of Arsenal. No holes, no desire to make a mistake or commit to foolhardiness. Patience in a big stadium like Emirates to completely numb the oppositions attack was the perfect manner to achieve something from the visit there.
After a mauling of Manchester City on Anfield last Monday with a display full of attacking intent, it could have been easy for the players to carry the party to the Emirates. However, the canny King had other ideas as he is well aware what a late hangover could do the spirits of a young team.
The difference in style of play from Monday to Sunday was so evident and will have every manager in the EPL thinking – What next to expect from LFC? Even injuries will not deter this team as there is talent sitting in the academy to be perfectly blended into the senior team.
Flannagan and Young Robinson slotted into the game so naturally depicting the experience of Carragher at flanks. A 17-year old Robinson with his play forced Wenger to take off Walcott in the second half – so nullified was the LFC fan by the LFC player. It shows the ability of the teenager.
Flannagan is a player who is as aware of his potential as KK is. Hence, he plays within ability never being carried away to make those runs down the flank when unnecessary. He sticks to his primary job of defending and breaking jaws – albeit unluckily his own captain. It was a mature display in laying Carra immediately on his side after the freak accident. It was so good to watch KK call him immediately and tell him to forget it.
Kelly, Shelvey, Spearing, Flannagan and Robinson are exactly the reason why I always purport we do not need to spend big. However, none of us have still seeing the best of these – Ayala – in the first team. Imagine a back four of Flannagan – Kelly – Ayala – Robinson. Getting carried away, am I? Yeah, but then I am genuinely jubilant in a long time and will be for a long time until I watch this back 4 line of LFC in the near/distant future.
I am personally experiencing a very strange social phenomenon in my life these days. Somehow, my friends on Facebook and twitter do not respond to my banter when we play well or their team loses. Their usual response of – You will win it next year – has been replaced by the innocuous action of deleting my messages or not responding to them. Either I could be annoying them or LFC’s performance is giving them strokes week after week resulting in their declining mental health. However, I hope they do recover in time to watch us play under King Kenny next season or they can just envy us all along.
Another unusual phenomenon is in the tabloids. They link almost every world-class player with LFC now. Up until last December, according to the newspapers no players wanted to join us as we were a team in decline and no strategy for the future. There was utter doom and we were on our path to becoming the next Leeds United. However, suddenly there is a complete shift in the thought process and players from Alexis Sanchez to Lukaku want to join LFC. The media also thinks we will hold on to Pepe Reina now whereas some time ago they were writing about his philosophy of No Eternal Love.
Today the media cries foul over Wengers demeanor yesterday but I am pretty confident the media of yesterday would have cried foul over KK using p*** off. What hypocrisy in this world! How everyone wants to be a winner and talk about champions without knowing to lose or suffering of a loss.
After the thundering black night, the club has raced back to where it rightfully belonged in the 4 months of tutelage of the Lord himself – KK. It comes not as a surprise to me this attitude of others who have ridiculed us and cried foul at each event of misfortune that we encountered in the last 2 years. I will stand tall and call them names as I can sense these arrogant fools going through the same phase – The Transition phase and the rebuilding phase.
Thanks to Rafael Benitez, we have the type of youth who will easily slide into out senior teams thus reducing the time for transition and rebuilding in the next future generation of LFC stars as I firmly believe the brigade of the current LFC stars is here in the form of Lucas (24), Suarez (24), Spearing (23), Caroll (22), Kelly (20), Shelvey (19), Flannagan (18), Robinson (17) and Pepa Reina (28) – 28 is a young age of a keeper. With N’gog and Pacheco in the wings and Ayala also accompanying them, I can say the future is bright and RED.
Such a sound system of youth reduces are dependence on oil money to build the future RED. We will not need to sell to buy someone big. And if need be when someone wants to sit on the bench in a so called BIG club, we can always respond in the manner of January, 2011.
We as RED stood together for the last 2 seasons that in my short 14 years of following LFC were the worst seasons ever. We deserve this envy and media sycophancy but I advise us to remain cautious of the odd traitor who will come join us at this dawn of glory only to ridicule us if the day is not so sunny. (I expect it to be as sunny as the Sahara Sun)
All the above reasons make me Excited like a 4-year old awaiting Christmas for his favorite toy and so I ask you, are you as excited as I am?
PS – Thank you John Henry and Tom Warner for bringing stability at our beloved club.