Everything's the Worst: Rocky Balboa Edition

There comes a time when one must assess once again. When this moment arrives, it is of enormous help if you can see what is around you with clarity and humility. In such times, it is wise to realise that cooler climes are part of the times. It is not a case of sitting in a dark room, pondering recent events with requisite gravitas and earnestness befitting the most sincere of summer interns.

In the last outing of Everything's the Worst, there was an attempt to assess the away defeat to Arsenal that contradicted earlier thoughts shared below the line. Questions were posed and answers were offered. However, time's eyes fix firmly on what is to come and now Liverpool FC must look to the next game. Certain problems will still haunt Liverpool even if Brendan Rodgers does what we think he should do to remedy them. Even if he doesn't visit TLO to pick up some wisdom and still makes the right call, Liverpool's deficiencies will remain until certain additions are picked up in January.

What Liverpool can do is remain competitive between now and January. Even with a Merseyside derby in the belly of the beast and a December schedule that is devoid of seasonal gifts to warm the soul, Liverpool could very well be around the top four when we enter the Year of the Horse. There is nothing more Liverpool can do but move forward day by day and game by game. Football speak never sounded so fitting as it does now but in a season when the best sides will predictably drop points with noted deficiencies in their respective squad setups, Liverpool can look to focus on each game as it comes. For a side with such illustrious history, the task is perfectly simple. Focus on the league because nothing else matters. Focus on the league because nothing else is available. Focus on the league because that's all we have. The Premier League is our all and our everything. The land of milk and honey awaits and the only avenue is through a domestic competition we have not won for quite a while.

Looking at Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey, they're the domestic team and player of the moment. Rising from what seemed to be endless questions of their current status compared to previous promising prospects. What happened to Arsenal? What became of Ramsey? How could they change their trajectory? Crisis, bloody crisis. Yet both excel and while this may not last for the duration of the season, patience was instrumental in their rise to prevailing prominence. Winning at home to Liverpool in the manner they did and then away to Borussia Dortmund is not the stuff of fragility. Arsenal still have their weaknesses but Liverpool could rise in such a similar fashion in the years to come.

A philosophy is not built over a brief period in time with a succession of managerial appointments but for now, it seems that building a way of working is taking secondary importance for Brendan Rodgers in the second year of his contract. It is understandable as there are opportunities to seize a top four spot appear to be within Liverpool's stratosphere with the right approach and taking each game as it comes. We need to take whatever comes our way, deal with it, process it, and move forward from it. Fulham are coming to town. Let's see what Liverpool have learned.

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows" - Rocky VI