Dress for the trophies you want – comparing two Liverpool squads

The current Liverpool team: a promising bunch

Warrior have caught a lot of criticism for their “bold” away and third kits for the 2013-14 season. However, the home kit has been praised from top to bottom. It draws it’s design from the 1983-84 Liverpool team which won the European Cup in Rome. This article looks at that squad compared to the current one. That team won the treble in 1984 winning the League, League Cup and the European Cup. How does the 2013-2014 version of Liverpool stack up? Can they rise up to the calibre of one of the greatest teams of all time? Doubtful, but the squad certainly shows loads of promise.

GOALKEEPER

1983-84-Bruce Grobbelaar

The Zimbabwean keeper is widely regarded as one of the best ever to play for the club but in the lead up to the 1983-84 season there were still questions regarding his consistency and whether he could be the club’s number 1. He put much of this to rest, making 67 appearances during the treble season. He cemented his place in club folklore during the penalty shootout at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in the European Cup final. His biting of the net and his wobbly legs were given credit for Bruno Conti and Francesco Graziani’s misses in the shootout and Liverpool walked off the pitch in Rome as European champions.

2013-14- Simon Mignolet

Where Grobbelaar was guaranteed to make the majority of the appearances in 1983-84, the current keeper situation at Liverpool was far more murky at the start of the summer but now it is very similar. Pepe Reina was Liverpool’s first choice keeper since 2006, however he has been shipped away on loan to Napoli since the arrival of Mignolet from Sunderland. The Belgium international was one of the top performing keepers in the league last season and like Grobbelaar there are still questions regarding his consistency and whether he could perform for top club at the highest level. Where there was consistency in 1983, there is a bit of uncertainty in 2013.

Advantage: Push

DEFENCE

1983-84- Phil Neal, Mark Lawrenson, Alan Hansen, Alan Kennedy

The defence of the 1983-84 Liverpool squad was dominant. Allowing only 41 goals in 42 league matches and an amazing 3 goals in 9 European Cup matches, they laid the foundation for a treble winning season. On top of completely locking down their rivals, the defence also liked to get in on the scoring and it was right back Phil Neal who gave Liverpool the lead in the European Cup final putting away a failed clearance by Michele Nappi. Kennedy and Neal also converted their penalties in the shootout to help Liverpool to their title.

2013-14- Jose Enrique, Daniel Agger, Kolo Toure/Martin Skrtel/Mamdou Sakho, Glen Johnson

Three of the players who will most likely start at the back for Liverpool this season are holdovers from last season’s back line. Enrique and Johnson were fantastic going forward last season but the back line will definitely attempt to improve on a season where they allowed a lot of soft goals due to defensive lapses. Despite having kept 15 clean sheets in the league, most came against squads in the bottom half of the table. Tightening up against the bigger sides will be key to improvement this season.

Advantage: 1983