According to the result of a Newstalk.ie poll, conducted three weeks ago, the perception is that Liverpool are moving in the right direction.
70 per cent of voters suggested that Brendan Rodgers has the compass needle pointing at a more positive future, while just over 20 per cent think stock should be taken in the summer.
Heading into their game with Aston Villa today, the Reds are all but certain of missing out on the Top Four for a fourth straight season.
But there are positive signs to take into next season. The January signings have been positive particularly Daniel Sturridge, while young Brazilian Philippe Coutinho has made a promising start to his Anfield career.
And of course there is Luis Suarez, the clear favourite for the Player of the Year award who has been a revelation and keeping him at Anfield will be key to any progression next season.
But Liverpool remain consistently inconsistent despite the upturn in form.
Since Liverpool suffered a shock 3 – 1 defeat at home to a struggling Aston Villa in mid-December, they have won seven and drawn twice in their last 13 games.
And aside from away losses to Stoke City and Manchester United, Liverpool’s upturn in form has been punctuated by shock defeats to West Brom and Southampton.
The defeat to the Baggies followed a run of two creditable draws away to Arsenal and Manchester City and a 5 – 0 win over Norwich.
And the loss to the Saints came after a run of three straight victories that saw the Reds score 11 times and concede just twice, including a 3 – 2 win over Tottenham.
Jekyll or Hyde
It is that ability to confound expectations that makes Liverpool hard to back with any conviction, and gives Aston Villa a good chance of picking up points.
Based on their form since December, Liverpool are either brilliant, notching convincing wins or exceedingly poor as 3 – 1 defeats to Aston Villa, Stoke and Southampton have revealed that grinding out results when the tide turns is a skill this team needs to learn if they hope for a Top Four place next season.
Lack of consistency is often a mental block within a squad but depth is also an issue for Liverpool even after their January outlay.
The loss to West Brom at Anfield in February saw Suarez start up front, with Jonjo Shelvey in behind because of a thigh injury to Daniel Sturridge who had been in excellent form in his first month at the club.
The Reds dominated possession but lacked a clinical presence as Shelvey – a regular earlier in the season – proved ineffectual as a presence in the starting line-up.
Most of Liverpool’s decent form has come in spite of Joe Allen who has been supplanted in midfield by Lucas Leiva. But at St Mary’s two weeks ago, Rodgers chose to start with Allen who provides less of a platform than his Brazilian counterpart. The Welsh midfielder, who had been carrying a shoulder injury for quite some time, had a poor game and ended up getting subbed off just after half-time, while Martin Skrtl proved a weak link at the back in his first start for a month.
Whether there is money in the coffers to address the problem of depth this summer is unknown after a number of seasons without Champions League football, but if they want a return to that tournament soon, investment will be required.
