Stoke cloud hangs over reeling Reds
Print Edition
A gloomy shadow was hanging over the proceedings at Merseyside yesterday as the Liverpool squad which staged a famous comeback in Istanbul to win the 2005 Champions League final held a 10-year anniversary celebration.
Everyone connected with the club is in shock after a stunning 1-6 defeat by Stoke City in Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season.
It was Liverpool’s biggest loss since Tottenham Hotspur beat the Reds 7-2 in 1963 and came on a day when Steven Gerrard was hoping to say farewell to the club on a high.
Gerrard, captain of the team that beat AC Milan on penalties in Istanbul 10 years ago after trailing 0-3 at half-time, scored the only goal at Stoke but looked as embarrassed as his teammates when he walked off the pitch. He is now leaving to join Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States after 17 years at Liverpool.
It never won the league title in that time, finishing second last season and dropping to sixth after Sunday’s defeat.
Manager Brendan Rodgers has said he would resign if the club’s American owners wanted him to following their review of the season. “I still feel I have a lot to offer here,” Rodgers, who was barracked by fans at Stoke, said.
It has been a difficult season from the start following last season’s improvement. Leading scorer Luis Suarez left for Barcelona, and England striker Daniel Sturridge was injured for much of the campaign, finishing with only five goals.
Fellow England international Rickie Lambert fared even worse, scoring two league goals and Rodgers was the latest manager unable to bring the best out of Italian maverick Mario Balotelli.
Overall Liverpool’s total dropped from 101 goals in 38 league games to 52, which is the first area Rodgers must address in the close-season — if he is given the chance.
Media speculation
Meanwhile, Besiktas coach Slaven Bilic said yesterday he will leave the club at the end of the season as media speculation grew that he may replace Sam Allardyce as West Ham United manager.
“I won’t be Besiktas’ manager next season. I’m proud of what I’ve done here,” Bilic told reporters after Sunday’s 0-2 derby loss to Galatasaray saw Besiktas miss out on Champions League qualification.
“As I said before, I am the first one who is going to take responsibility for not winning the league for two years. I have already made my decision.”
Bilic has been working with Besiktas since June 2013. The 46-year-old spent a little more than a year at Upton Park as a player from 1996.
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