Here’s something we wrote the other day for official sister site of liverpoolfc.tv, LFC Xtra.
Do you agree with our awards…?
The 2014/15 campaign is over, and while it won’t go down as one of our greatest, there were some memorable moments that give us hope heading into the summer and beyond.
Coutinho’s jaw-dropping form, Henderson’s emergence as leader and a consistently youthful starting XI shows Liverpool’s potential and promise.
Here’s our favourite moments of the term, turned into End of Season Awards…
Best match of the season: Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham
The manic 3-2 victory away at QPR in October came close, but our home win versus Spurs makes the cut because of the increased quality in football. Mauricio Pochettino’s men came to play, with Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela dovetailing behind an in-form Harry Kane – and it made for compelling viewing. Lazar Markovic put us ahead and Kane levelled, before a typically accomplished Steven Gerrard penalty gave us a second-half lead. Spurs again pegged us back with a Mousa Dembele effort, and at 2-2, both sides fought frantically for victory under the floodlights. The passing was slick and ambitious, and it represented two offensively minded managers with a fleet of exciting attacking talents at their disposal. Mario Balotelli opened his Premier League account for us with an 83rd minute winner and the crowd went wild. Great stuff.
Best team performance of the season: Liverpool 4-1 Swansea
It really clicked on this December evening. The 3-0 away victory over Spurs at the start of the term was impressive in terms of scoreline, but against Gary Monk’s men we put on a real show. We led 1-0 at half-time thanks to Alberto Moreno, but it could and should have been plenty more. A brilliant second-half brace from Adam Lallana confirmed the win, while an own-goal from our former midfielder Jonjo Shelvey put deserved gloss on the scoreboard. Emre Can put in a real Rolls Royce performance in the back-three, but the linkup play between Lallana, Coutinho and Raheem Sterling in the fluid front-three was a joy to behold.
Best individual performance of the season: Coutinho during Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City
Our Brazilian magician taught the country’s most renowned playmaker, David Silva, a footballing lesson this March afternoon. Not only did he curl a now trademark beauty past Joe Hart from range, but he beat players at will, found clever pockets of space and played deft flicks and tricks to bamboozle Yaya Toure and Fernandinho in City’s midfield. Neither could get near him. It was a performance that symbolised Coutinho’s emergence as one of our most exciting attacking midfielders in recent memory.
Best breakthrough player of the season: Jordon Ibe
Ibe did not begin our season in first-team plans, but after a promising Championship loan spell under Steve McClaren’s tutelage, we decided the time was right to unleash him. Two Man of the Match performances against Everton and Besiktas proved that in Ibe we have another of England’s finest talents. The 19-year-old is devastatingly quick, but he combines it with power and work-rate that belies his age. Down the right or left, Ibe is effective going forward and back, and there really is no ceiling for his talent.
Best goal of the season: Coutinho’s wonder-strike v Southampton
The 22-year-old virtually staged his own Goal of the Season competition this term. His efforts against Bolton and Man. City were exceptional, but the Southampton strike was the best of the lot. Picking the ball up 30-yards out, Coutinho fizzed a curling drive with his instep into the top corner of Fraser Forster’s goal. It was postage stamp stuff, and set the tone for a comfortable 2-0 win. Now, whenever he finds possession in range, there’s an expectation that something special is going to happen.
