The start of the season doesn’t seem that long ago, probably because it’s not. In fact it’s only 16 days since Liverpool were beaten 3-0 at West Brom.

In those short 16 days we’ve witnessed 5 matches, two against Hearts in the Europa League, the league opener against West Brom and 2 home matches against last season’s champions and most recently, against Arsenal. We’ve also witnessed the curtain come down on the Summer transfer window.

I’ve watched all the matches, and I’ve read a lot of match reports. I’ve also had the (mis)fortune to have been on twitter during some of the matches (all bar West Brom and City) and also on Friday night as the closure of the transfer window crept ever closer.

What’s happened in those 16 days? The world (or at least the Liverpool “supporting” element of it) has gone bonkers!

I seen variations on all of the following comments this weekend –

Sack Rodgers

Sack Ayre

Sack FSG

We can’t play football #wecomenottoplay

We have no strikers

Carroll out!

Glad he’s gone #donkey

Why did we let Carroll go?

Dempsey would have answered all our prayers

No deadline day signings, we’ll be lucky to escape relegation!

Toothless, utterly toothless!

And, finally –

This is game number 3 of a 38-game season, with a new manager, new players and a new philosophy. We’ll be fine come May. #perspective (some sensible chap tweeted that after the Arsenal match….may or may not have been @Dakotadc47 😀 ).

Now I realise that as you’re reading this you are well aware of all of the above.

From what I’ve seen during the 5 matches thus far, I don’t think that there’s a great deal wrong. In fact, I think Liverpool are further ahead in the transition to Rodger’s system than he would have expected. The signing of Joe Allen has helped that immensely.

It’s true that Liverpool have looked a touch profligate in front of goal, and are on course to match last season’s woodwork count! A lot of people are saying that Suarez and Borini are not natural goal-scorers, and Liverpool need a proven striker to take those chances.

That argument reminds me very much of something that Alf Ramsey (supposedly) once said. On announcing that he would not be playing 4-3-3 and would be switching to 4-4-2 with no wingers and with an inexperienced lad called Hurst as the main striker, he was asked “Who’ll score that goals?”. His response? “The team will score the goals”.

I like that. It fits well with my understanding of how a team actually works. Admittedly, Ramsey had Hunt, Charlton, Peters and Ball who all had good goal-scoring records given their respective positions. But Liverpool have Gerrard (89 goals for the Reds), Suarez (scores 1 in 3 for the Reds, 28 international goals), Borini (9 goals for Roma, ahem), Downing…….errrrr……Skrtel…..Joe Allen? 7 goals in 100 games for Swansea? Really? Oh. What about Nuri Sahin? Hmmm, not much luck there either, 13 goals for Dortmund and a couple for Turkey.

Actually, when you look at it like that, we are screwed. Absolutely.

Or not, you see statistics are an interesting thing.

Yes Borini is unproven, but he’s only 21. He’s scored goals at phenomenal rate at youth level, and also has a very good senior level record, better than 1 goal every 2 games. Sahin at Dortmund was a playmaker – his role in the team was to create chances, not score them. The same could be said of Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing before their Liverpool careers commenced. Even Lucas used to be a semi-prolific goal-getter at Gremio. And young Raheem Sterling and even Adam Morgan have not had a chance at senior level. Yesil looks to be a natural scorer, built like Drogba, finishes like Fowler (from the little footage I’ve seen).

Yesil intrigues me – he came with a glowing refernce from big Sami, but if he’s really that good, or at least has the potential to be, then why didn’t the Finn fight to keep him at Leverkusen?

Where was I?

Oh yes. On the pitch I really can’t see a lot that needs to change – positionally I think that Rodgers has been slightly hamstrung by injuries, first to Enrique and then to Lucas. you might put this down to squad depth, but at this transistional point, I don’t hink you really can.

Enrique’s injury saw Johnson play left-back and Kelly on the right – players we all know can play those positions in a regular back 4. Except, Rodgers system doesn’t use the same attacking or defensive approach as a regualr back 4. The full-back’s in Rodgers system are deployed higher up the pitch, almost as wing-backs, but without the defensive shield of a third center-back.

Lucas’s injury is much more serious and I think may do real harm to our chances of a top 4 finish. He is vital in Rodgers midfield. Without him, certainly during this transitional period, Joe Allen will be asked to cover the defensive role in the middle. This probably means that Sahin will cover Allen as a more naturally gifted passer, and Gerrard, Henderson and Shelvey will battle it out for the most attacking midfield role.

Talking of our erstwhile captain, I’ve seen several calls for him to be dropped, especially after his ever-so-dynamic, but ever-so-shambolic display against the Gunners. For me, if he is to play under Rodgers he should be on the right-hand side of the front 3. He is no longer the player he once was, but is still worth his place, especially given the current squad depth issues.

And what of little Luis? He’s also come in for a lot of criticism in the games so far, but I personally think he’s had a good start to the season – he’s worked hard to win back possession, been (mostly) good with the ball and has even scored a couple of goals! For me, though, he shouldn’t be the focus of the attack. That role should fall to Borini, a poacher (but so much more than just that), with Suarez taking one of the wide positions.

Given the situation that Rodgers walked into, allied to the fixture list being less than kind (especially with the Europa League games now confirmed), I’d be suprised if Liverpool are in the top half of the table by the end of November. That said, I would hope that by then the transition will be complete and I fully expect Liverpool to surge up the table in the second half of the season, especially with a couple of key signings in January – a new (or old, if the club decide to recall Carroll) striker is a must, regardless of how Morgan, Ngoo or Suso do should they get the chance.

And so, one final thought for every time you watch Liverpool’s team of youngsters and young stars attempting to play a controlled, passing game and get frustrated –

At least you’re not watching a team walk out at Old Trafford with Paul Konchesky at left-back, behind Joe Cole, being fed by Christian Poulsen in the middle of midfield! It could be, and has been, worse.