What the FA cup means to Liverpool FC
El Pistolero
Liverpool FC, the club with 18 league titles and five European Championships have not really lived up to the fans expectations this season. With 46 points from 34 matches, it is one of the worst performances by the club considering its history and caliber. This is after spending close to 110 million pounds on players like Carroll, Henderson, Downing, Adam etc. The ‘ Buy British ‘ strategy adopted by FSG and Kenny Dalglish has been a total disaster. They need to learn from Arsenal and Newcastle about buying players based on skill and quality and not on nationality or age. What the stats don’t tell you is that Liverpool have drawn at home against recently promoted sides like Swansea City and Norwich City and lost against West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic and Queens Park Rangers. They have also drawn or lost to relegation threatened teams like Blackburn and Bolton. This is not what the club used to be a few years ago or for that matter the 70′s and the 80′s where they dominated both in the League as well as in Europe.
Some will argue that Liverpool won a trophy (Carling cup) after six long years. Yes, it is a trophy in the cabinet, but is it of that great value when other teams play their reserves in it, I don’t think so. Liverpool are also in the finals of the FA cup , a trophy which will be more valuable than the Carling cup , in case they win it. They have to face a huge task in Chelsea who have lost only one game against Manchester City since the caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo took over. Liverpool have done well to reach the finals knocking out north-west rivals Manchester United and Merseyside neighbours Everton. However, based on their current form, it is unlikely that they will win it. Liverpool have lost six, drawn one and won four of the last 11 that they have played. Out of the four victories, two are in the FA cup. However, if they do win it, it will be their second trophy in three months time. However, the goal the club had at the start of the season was to finish in the top four after having spent 110 million on new players. Liverpool are instead languishing in the 8th spot , equal on points with Fulham and one point ahead of West Bromwich Albion. Now, I even doubt if they will finish in the top 10.
A victory in the FA cup final can neither make up for the awful performance in the Premier League nor hide the weaknesses and inconsistencies of the team. It will however give hope to the Liverpool fans world wide and who knows , it may just save Kenny Dalglish his job.