2008/2009 SEASON Review
From the time I began watching the mighty Reds in the season of 1998-1999, and a year later being a supporter of them, I never dreamt that we would ACTUALLY be challenging for a title. In the majority of seasons, Liverpool have finished in between fourth and fifth, with a few thirds thrown in and of course that 2nd place in 2001-2002… although we never really looked like winning it the way Arsenal had been playing. So 2008-2009 was a new experience, with the title very much an actual possibility. Top scorers in the Premiership, four wins in four matches against Chelsea and Manchester United, and plenty of sparkling matches to warm the soul. It was truly an exciting year full of joy and late drama, but in the end it still finished without a trophy.
In this season, Rafa finally seemed to grasp what his style would be and who he wanted in his lineup. Any changes or “rotations” were typically with the fringe players rather than with the players who should have always remained in the side, and this created a sensation never seen in the British Media during his tenure… “support.” The media began to support Rafa’s ways, even praising him and practically forgetting about his shaky rotational past. The season began brilliantly, defeating both United and Chelsea, and charging to the top of the table when the pattern had always been losing out on the title chase by Christmas. That is, of course, until the fateful speech of early January where he listed GENUINE facts about “Sir” Alex Ferguson’s bullying of the FA, the refs, the schedule-makers, etc. He was spot on, but Fergie’s media cronies were having none of it and it all blew up in his face. In fairness, we looked awful during those months, blowing a lead at the summit and falling back in to 2nd and 3rd place. From that place, however, Liverpool were spurned on and continued their great form, finishing the league with a whopping 86 points… a Premiership record for us, and usually enough to take home the league title.
This was a season where free-flowing football and spectacular goals led the way, not to mention late winners. Benayoun, Kuyt, Torres and Gerrard all found ways to strike at the “stroke of midnight,” giving the season a real fairy-tale feel to it. Alonso and Fabio Aurelio rediscovered their form, Gerrard and Torres continued to excell together on the pitch, and even Dirk Kuyt found a way to put the ball back in the net. Last, but not least, Sami Hyypia played his last moments for us in the red shirt, moving on to Germany for Bayer Leverkusen after 10 hugely legendary seasons.
Things overall went quite well for us in 2008-2009, and much can be expected in 2009-2010.
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