Time to believe...

It was 1.45pm on Sunday the 6th of November and Arsenal and Spurs had just played put a 1-1 draw, 2 points dropped for both sides whichever way they looked at it. Not only that but Man City had dropped points the day before. Of the leading pack only Chelsea had gained ground with a comprehensive 5 nil win over Everton.

Liverpool were playing Watford at Anfield in a 2.15pm kick off. Win and we went top.

"This is exactly the sort of game we'll lose" I said to myself. The old cliché. I even messaged my mates What's App group saying "Win and go top. Cue a 1 nil defeat."

Despite having seen Jurgen Klopp's rejuvenated Liverpool side tearing teams apart all season, scoring goals for fun, beating Arsenal and Chelsea in their own back yards, I still couldn't believe. For the older generation who actually saw us win leagues my attitude might seem incredibly defeatist but despite having witnesses Istanbul and a cup treble, a few FA Cups, pessimism is still ingrained in me. 

I have also witnessed us throw away a 3 nil lead at Palace, Gerrard slip right in front of me as I stood on the Kop. I've lived through years of Man Utd dominance. I've never witnessed us win the league. My brain just isn't trained to expect Liverpool to succeed, not in the league.

Well now it's time for me to believe, for us all to believe. We didn't just beat Watford to go top, we annihilated them. Strangely enough they actually had their moments, more so than Hull earlier in the season. But even so, it could have been 8 or 9.

We even had a so called "make shift" centre back in the form of Lucas Leiva coming in for the ill Lovren against a physical Watford side and Troy Deeney who supposedly loved bullying Martin Skrtel so much. Barely got a sniff did he?

Going forward we were sensational and I mean actually sensational. A word that is over used. Our new slightly nervy looking keeper looks to be growing into it and Henderson is becoming the top class midfielder and captain that a lot of us have always known her could be.

At 5 nil Klopp was still furious, demanding more. He is relentless, just like his team. There is still so much to improve on still and that is what makes it so exciting. You get the feeling that we haven't reached our best yet. 

Klopp eats, sleeps and breathes winning. And now so do his team. And that is why we have to believe. Get on board... there will undoubtedly be pain and heartbreak again but my God it's going to be fun. Rock & Roll football? It's going to be one hell of a tour. Buy your ticket now.

The Lucas Leiva Situation

Only one game into Liverpool's season it is very difficult and far too early to read into a lot of things. I got a little tired of just how much our win at Stoke was analysed and poured over by both the professional press, unofficial bloggers, podcasts and on social media. I could understand it though, we've all been so desperate for the season to start, we're all so full of hope, we want to know that the signs are good. For me it was difficult to gauge much from our hard fought win at Stoke, other than we are naturally still a work in progress (hard not to be in the first game of the season) and that Coutinho is going to be absolutely vital for us again. 

However, something which we could see from the opening day with some certainty are which players are in favour and which aren't. We all knew Borini, Enrique and Balotelli were out in the cold, but the omission of the likes of Sakho, Markovic and Lucas from the match day 18 was very telling. 

Yes it is a long and busy season, particularly for us with the Europa League to contend with and a large squad is essential for any top side. But this opening game was as important as it gets and you would have to assume that Rodgers started the season with a match day squad made up of those he rated the highest and trusted the most. 

We have rejected a loan for Sakho which suggests that we are looking to keep him, and rightly so considering we aren't flooded with quality centre backs. You would like to think that Sakho will still play a big part in our season. Markovic is still very young and Rodgers has openly said that he will definitely be needed (perhaps largely  in Europe). It is the omission of Lucas which both concerns me and intrigues me the most. 

I've lost count of the number of times Lucas has had to prove himself at Liverpool, and each time he has done it emphatically, but to be left out again feels like one time too many for the Brazilian enforcer to come back from the brink. Carragher has spoken out to say that he expects him to leave - he knows him well, and confirms what we all assumed; Lucas is a top professional, a good man and a guy who wants to play football. He feels he is more than good enough to be starting for Liverpool, and if he isn't, he will have to look elsewhere for regular football. 

I don't think anyone would bemoan him for taking that view. He is a high quality payer who deserves regular football at a top club. Many would say, and perhaps rightly, that the pace of the Italian league may suit him better for the remainder of his playing career. But the thought of Lucas leaving still leaves me with some nagging concerns and worries. 

It worries me because I still think our best periods of what was a pretty awful season last season were when he was in the side. Ok we have made some good looking signings and it all feels very different from last time out,  but we're still yet to find out. Ok, Emre Can has a season under his belt and more experience and perhaps he is ready to step into a dominant midfield role. He's younger and quicker than Lucas, but very much unproven still. Ok, Joe Allen can do a job defensively and again is very dynamic, but you wouldn't say he was an out and out DM who can shield a back four. 

What worries me most is the idea that Rodgers simply doesn't see the benefit of a truly defensive midfielder. I would love to see the return to our full flowing attacking football as much as anyone. We nearly won the league with that approach (and a truly world class forward in our side) but ultimately we didn't win the league and that was down to some very poor defending at times. We don't have Suarez any more and although I'm confident we'll score more goals this season, we also need players with the guile, grit and experience to close a game down, to make it ugly. Lucas has all those qualities. 

I've already mentioned our busy season and the need for a large squad, and the brilliance of a large squad is that it can contain a variety of players with a variety of qualities. Were Lucas to leave I would worry that we would be left with no players who have the true ability to shield a back four, break play up and grab the momentum of a game back. 

I would also be worried that we are losing a great professional with a lot of experience who can really help our young players develop - we all know we've lost a fair few of them already. 

Time will tell whether my concerns are well founded, and I truly hope I'm wrong if Lucas does go, but I'm afraid although Rodgers has my backing, he still hasn't quite retained my trust.