Though Liverpool shirts took over Toronto on Saturday afternoon for the start of the club’s pre-season US tour, events on the pitch struggled to live up to the hype as Brendan Rodgers’ men drew 1-1 with Toronto FC, who sit bottom of the MLS’ Eastern Conference despite improved recent form. For those who bought tickets in the hope of seeing star names, there was understandable frustration in some quarters.
With a list of absentees – largely due to rules regarding rest for players after major international tournaments – that included Steven Gerrard, Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez, Jose Reina, Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger and new man Fabio Borini, locals were left to focus on Jamie Carragher, Charlie Adam and Jose Enrique.
On the positive side, that meant a number of promising but unproven Liverpool talents were given a chance to shine as Rodgers took the chance to assess the full range of options at his disposal. That included 16-year-old Jordan Ibe on the right wing, reserve team captain Andre Wisdom filling in at right back and 21-year-old Nathan Eccleston as the spearhead of the attack.
The collection of fringe players and youngsters had mixed fortunes in the heat of the Toronto summer, with Toronto FC proving worthy opponents. Of course, for the Merseysiders this was just the beginning of their tune-up for the new Premier League season – and rust and heavy legs were to be expected. Toronto FC boss Paul Mariner – no stranger to the English game himself – admitted as much.
"You’ve got to temper your thoughts with where Liverpool are at, the squad that they brought over, but all you can do is your best and I thought we did well under the circumstances," Mariner said. "Let’s not get carried away. If Liverpool bring their first squad and they’re further on in their pre-season or the season, they’re a top-class team with top-class players."
All good points – but what happens if Gerrard or Suarez miss time during the season? Should that happen, squad depth will be critical. And the Reds’ performance certainly drew attention to the squad depth issues that Rodgers is faced with.
Rivals Manchester United are currently touring South Africa without Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Ashley Young, Phil Jones, David de Gea and Nani. Yet Ferguson’s team selection for a friendly against Ajax Cape Town featured Rio Ferdinand, Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Anderson, Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov (from the bench) and new signing Shinji Kagawa. Therein lies the difference. Likewise, champions Manchester City boast a squad with two top class performers in every position, allowing manager Roberto Mancini to shuffle the pack whenever he feels the need to.
Rodgers’ first choice starting line-up should be a match for any team in the Premier League – but his bench is ill-equipped to provide the all-important spark over a 38-game campaign. Of all the revelations since the former Reading manager stepped into the Anfield hotseat, this should be the most concerning. It is unlikely to affect Rodgers’ unshakeable confidence but it does represent a major obstacle to the club’s dreams of becoming title contenders once again, given the strength of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.
The US tour, however, is a chance for the ex-Swansea boss to assess his options and learn a little more about the young charges he may need to call upon as the 2012/13 season takes shape – and, for the record, Rodgers was mightily impressed with the support for his team in Toronto. Liverpool head to Boston next for a clash with AS Roma before moving on to Baltimore to face Tottenham, with more of the big names expected to join the team in time for these fixtures, and better performances no doubt lie ahead.
Meanwhile, the countdown to the new season is now down below a month. The capture of Borini was a shrewd first move from Rodgers, but the need to extract every ounce of talent from the group that laboured in Toronto may yet decide whether Liverpool have a chance of climbing back into the race for a spot in the top four.
