We probably won't win any cups nor trophies this season. There, I've said it. Soak it in and accept it because most likely, it's the truth. If you're a Liverpool fan because you're seeking glory, don't let the door hit you on the way out. Go join the hordes of Man United and Chelsea zombies, because you're not welcome here.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have lowered my expectations of our club. Not because we have failed to set the world on fire, but because it's become quite evident that we just don't have the talent and depth to compete with the other big three at the moment. Sorry, that's just reality. We haven't spent near the amount of money as either Chelsea or the Mancs and Rafa has only been around for a fraction of the time Wenger has and certainly not long enough to establish any sort of youth development system.
Having absolutely no expectations has lifted a tremendous weight off of my chest and allowed me to laugh a little, mostly when things don't go our way. Sure, it's nice to win, but honestly, I have unconditional love for my club. If they win nothing, so be it, cups are only icing on the cake.
Anyone who thinks that just the addition of Fernando Torres was going to take us to the next level is sorely mistaken. Babel is a nice addition, but he's only 20 years old and is playing in a major league for the first time. His potential is aplenty and it shows at times, but it's going to take a few years for him to fully develop. Benayoun has been a solid addition as well, but he's not a world class player.
I look at it this way, Torres is exponentially better than Bellamy, Voronin is certainly better than Fowler, I would rate Benayoun on the same level as Luis Garcia except the Israeli is younger, and Babel already appears to have surpassed the efforts of Gonzo. Consider that we've also added an already praiseworthy player in Lucas and a solid prospect in Leto, and I'd be hard up to say we aren't clearly a better side than last year.
Of course, at this time last year we only had 14 points from 10 games, sat 11 points out from first, and had a goal difference of zero. The only reason there wasn't a mass hysteria anti-Rafa movement then was because we were on the top of our Champions League group on the 31st of October last year with ten points. The Premiership was easy to forget.
It's going to take at least £50-60m more worth of players for our side to be close to the level of a Man U or Chelsea. Another class striker and centre back will be crucial before we will even be able to consider ourselves as a league contenders. If all of our players stay healthy, we would have a slight shot this season, but that would require a tremendous amount of luck. Injuries happen and if we don't have class back-ups to plug into those spots, which we don't, points will be dropped.
So all I'm saying is calm down, breathe a little and learn to laugh at all the moronic pundits and press who criticize and ridicule Rafa's ways. They only do so because they're egos are bigging then their brains and they for some reason think they can do a better job. Trust me, they can't.
If Rafa sticks around for ten to fifteen years, we'll win our fair share of cups and trophies, but panicking and overreacting aren't going to get us anywhere. Let's enjoy the ride no matter how bumpy the road, we can always take solace in the fact that we aren't glory-hunting Man U nor Chelsea fans.
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