Liverpool’s home record in the Premier League is truly wretched. Are they getting worse under Brendan Rodgers or is it just teething troubles?
If you are a lover of statistics, here’s one for you, although it may not make pleasant reading if you are a Liverpool fan.
Liverpool’s home win percentage over the past five seasons:
2008/09: 63 per cent
2009/10: 68 per cent,
2010/11: 63 per cent,
2011/12: 32 per cent
2012/13 (so far): 17 per cent
A pretty shocking drop off over the past two years, which says everything about the way the Reds have fallen off the pace of the top teams in the Premier League.
The good news is, it can only get better for Liverpool from here on in, surely they have to pick up the pace get as many wins on the board as possible over the next few months, but with their injury problems and goalscoring troubles it will not be easy.
So how concerned should fans be?
The important factor to note, this season at least, are the tough fixtures Liverpool have had at home this season. Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle United are among those to visit, and the Reds have failed to win any of those games.
It was always going to be a tough start for any new manager, facing such a run early on, and Brendan Rodgers has found that. Nevertheless he will be disappointed not to have picked up one big win so early in his reign.
After all, Liverpool used to win the big games and drop points against the ‘easy teams’ – At least that is how the theory went. Now the pressure is really on to win the ‘simple’ games.
Yet a 0-0 draw against Stoke last month showed that this problem remains too. Brendan Rodgers was supposed to bring in a high possession game which would wear the opposition down, but it simply hasn’t worked so far.
The real damage was done last season, under Kenny Dalglish, when he invested huge transfer figures into the team, and contrived to make it worse. Rodgers is still picking up the pieces, and starting from scratch with the schedule he had he was always on a hiding to nothing.
Now is the time for improvement, Liverpool’s next three home league games are against Wigan, Southampton, and Aston Villa. Maximum points will be desired. But with an injury ravaged strikeforce, winning home or away is a worry, but if the Reds have real ambitions this season of competing for the top positions, they will want to claim seven or nine points from the above fixtures and get back on track.
The statistic is shocking and concerning, but the reasons behind it are no mystery. Now it’s time to do something about it.
How concerned are you by Liverpool’s home form? Are you confident it will pick up over the next few weeks?
image: © helly – b
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