The stilted attempt at a fly's-view
series has attempted several times to conjur interest where, simply,
there is none. The result is that the combination is mildly
irritating and yet another rod with which to beat the Reds.
Downplayed so far in the farcical docudrama has been the role that
the three youngest members of Liverpool's first-team squad (Suso,
Shelvey and Sterling) have to play in the rebuilding and rebranding
of Liverpool led by the confusing
psyche of Brendan Rodgers.
Raheem
Sterling is perhaps the best youngster to emerge from the
Liverpool youth ranks since poster boy Steven Gerrard. The
Jamaica-born tyro has been the brightest of Red spots since being
thrust into the starting lineup; it was his
goal that earned the Reds a 1-0 win against promoted Reading on
Saturday. Shelvey has emerged alongside Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin as
the future of a three-man midfield, while Suso
adds bite to a lineup that last year seemed very one-paced.
After a start to the season best
described as a disheveled, the alliterative trio have been the
semi-precious stones – if not diamonds – in Rodgers' rough. The
plastic quality that comes with youth has meant that the younger
Liverpool players have adapted best to Rodgers' multiform gameplan.
There's nothing (much) to be unlearnt. If Rodgers is given time –
and indications are that he will be – then this trio should be the
offensive trident around which the Reds are based.
The most appealing story around this
Liverpool team has been their combative youth and how it has
manifested organically into positive steps. Suso, Sterling and
Shelvey all came to the club in their teens and have had the
opportunity to grow into potential superstars. This is in direct
contrast to the modus operandi
employed by Rodgers' predecessor Kenny Dalglish, who
flung money at flops Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie
Adam and, most notably, Andy Carroll.
Just as amateur
gardeners tell you that their own produce always tastes better,
there's something instinctively pleasant about a club emerging behind
home-grown youth. You could argue many of the world's most
attractive and successful teams developed naturally and without
artifice: Borussia Dortmund, Fergie's Fledglings, Barcelona and
ultimately Spain have all benefited from prudent investment that
didn't overrun youth development.
Time to develop and
instinctively problem-solving the optimal expressions of their gifts
in a system placed above the player develops a gestalt creation of
interoperability, a unit where understanding evolves naturally rather
than being inserted by screaming coaches. It's early days, but the
promise of Sterling, Suso and Shelvey offers this chance to the red
half of Merseyside.
It's
also fortunate that we've got the artificial opposite brewing in West
London. QPR boast more talent than
anyone outside the top six yet the whole has never felt even the
sum of its gifted parts; they're a concoction of tantalising
ingredients (and Armand Traore) that hasn't even approached the sum
of its parts. The components grind uneasily against one another and
the club looks to be staring down at an embarrassing relegation.
There
are – of course – exceptions. Real Madrid features two (ish)
players who played for the club's youth setup and it's common
knowledge that only Micah Richards, Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart
pre-date Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City. Both teams won their
respective leagues last season; the construct that is Paris
Saint-Germain looks likely to do the same in Ligue 1 this term. That
said, however, both City and PSG have struggled
to create a definite identity, while strength of will alone has
prevented similar grumblings in the Spanish capital.
We
reside in the time of the Team of Champions; but this doesn't mean
the end of the Champion Team. In part because of their need to rely
on their fledglings, Liverpool are highly unlikely to finish in the
top four this year; but that doesn't mean that they won't be worth
watching.
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