Liverpool now have the spine to be fine next season

By Richard Buxton in Liverpool Fans Blog

Published 13:45 27/04/10

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Steven Gerrard’s return to form against Burnley, although a welcome sight, was highly reflective of Liverpool’s season.

Too many players have been missing in action and the captain has been one of the biggest culprits so it was a case of better late than never that the real Gerrard resurfaced, especially with the small matter of a Europa League semi-final clash to look forward to on Thursday.

It was a typically vintage Gerrard performance and one that Liverpool fans have desperately sought since he appeared to come to the conclusion that the onus placed upon him to single-handedly drag his team-mates kicking and screaming out of countless holes had to stop.

The same has to be said for the club’s away form which has been very poor to say the least, with a handful of wins on the road that gave those who downplay this result some credence despite Turf Moor not being the easiest place for some top teams to visit this season.

When critics of Rafael Benitez claim that his side is far poorer one than it was a few years ago, they forget that the dependency on the skipper has all but disappeared. The spine of the team has the potential to resemble the Xabi Alonso-inspired class of 2008-09.

Alberto Aquilani’s contribution of three assists, meanwhile, dispelled the myth that he is destined to be a flop. In every game that the Italian has started, he has looked comfortable on the ball and offered an insight into what he can offer the team.

Benitez has emphasised Aquilani’s importance next season rather than in this disappointing campaign and, based on this showing, supporters can anticipate something special from the playmaker as well as from Maxi Rodriguez, who continues to flourish with every game.

The duo linked up fantastically with Gerrard to form a midfield partnership that has the ability to strike fear into Premier League defences across the country if the manager is given the right backing to avoid a repeat of this year’s injury crisis.

A run of bad luck and disharmony at both boardroom and dressing room level has seen things go very wrong at Anfield this year and that made the harmony running throughout the team on Sunday seem slightly ironic.

Some Liverpool fans believe that Champions League qualification is still within the club’s reach but, on the face of it, that dream slipped out of sight with the draw against Fulham earlier this month.

Fourth place is a very distant prospect whilst next weekend’s visit of Chelsea has thrown up a head versus heart dilemma in the minds of Kopites with the game potentially deciding if Manchester United will overtake their record of 19 domestic titles.

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