Everything's the Worst: Weekend Wrapup Edition

Everything really is the worst and so soon too, which is great news! We lost a friendly and haven't signed any players. Okay, we may have made a few purchases but our piggy bank is still full of pretty pennies after the Andy Carroll, Jay Spearing, and Jonjo Shelvey boot sales. Can one be legitimately optimistic about but dissatisfied with the current Liverpool lot? Sure. We want more and need more. Some of these things would include victories in competitive matches, hearing that Champions League song again, getting top top top top top top players, winning things, and doing things in a generally decent way compared to other clubs.

However, what can we reasonably expect right now? Not as Liverpool Football Club. Not as a club with great history that others don't have. As a club that exists today. As a club that has an average league placing of 7th over the past four seasons. That club. Our club. Rodgers may or may not prove to be the right manager to get the club back in the top four and beyond but he needs time to show us what he can do. One friendly defeat isn't a sign of biblical end of times.

It's Question Time, so did our defeat against Celtic tell us anything new?

1. Liverpool have three gamebreakers - Suarez, Sturridge, and Coutinho - but started only one started against Celtic. One is 21, one wants to leave, and one might not be fit for more than 30 league games.
2. Our fullbacks are good players, sometimes brilliant but need competition. A left back will be signed soon to challenge Enrique and Kelly will hopefully at least be fit enough to deputise for Johnson this season.
3. Rodgers wants Papadopoulos or at least, a starting centre back to replace Skrtel. Until then Kolo approves of his status as first choice stopper alongside Agger.
4. We're trying to buy at least one gamebreaker to add to our three. If one leaves then we must assume that another will be lined up. No CL football makes it hard to lure players especially when we finished not one place, not two places, but three places outside the fabled top four.
5. We've spent some money this summer but have recouped most of it (if not all) with well-judged player sales. I believe that the additions have been correctly targeted but we are actually trying to buy players, yet this is the reality of being outside of the Champions League. There is currently no aversion to investment and there hasn't been in the past under FSG.

We lost. We didn't play well. It happens. It will happen again. Be prepared.

• Speaking of taking time to create something worthwhile, there's a new book out on Bill Shankly, Red or Dead, by David Peace. Peace also wrote the critically acclaimed The Damned United - gloriously made into a film with the brilliant Michael Sheen - his fiction-fact take on Brian Clough's infamous 44 day spell at Leeds. The author himself explains why Bill Shankly was chosen as a subject for his latest book, which is followed by a brief extract detailing the aftermath of Liverpool's 1974 FA Cup victory. Here's a bonus review from The Guardian because you deserve it.
• Watching Manchester United beat Wigan at Wembley as part of the prawn sandwich brigade with diabolical intent wasn't much fun. Manchester United won and finally gave Moyes his first ever trophy. He's a winner now. Wilfried Zaha is the one I was looking out for because he is a player I rate. The youngster has lots of tricks with flitting end-product but is brave and has that effervescence that can make a player stand out. Michael Carrick, Patrice Evra, Robin van Persie, and Danny Welbeck all impressed. Life can be cruel, just ask Luis Suarez.
• A bit of news from France's weekend games. PSG and Monaco "finacially doped" quite a bit this summer but how did they along with their marquee signings get on? Current champions PSG drew with former surprise champions Montpellier but Cavani started on the bench. The former Napoli man did come on but missed a big chance. Apparently. Falcao scored on his debut to help Monaco to an opening victory so there's a two point gap now between the two new giants of French football. Insurmountable. Lyon are top in Ligue 1 after thrashing Nice with Yoann Gourcuff in fine form.
• In the Bundesliga, Pep Guardiola has quelled a lot of initial criticism by winning his first league game in charge of Bayern Munich but the focus on him must be unbearable at times. Rivals Dortmund picked up a clean sheet and scored four goals away to Augsburg. Robert Lewandowski is still the spearhead and his goal-assist combo is more evidence of why Jurgen Klopp wanted to keep him. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started on the right with only a hat-trick to show for his debut. Heung-Min Son scored on his first league game for Bayer Leverkusen while Sidney Sam and Stefan Kießling added their names to the scoresheet. It's always nice when the front three gets the goals to push a team to victory.
• This has been an eye-catching transfer window for Cardiff City and that continues with breaking their transfer record with the signing of Gary Medel. He was a regular starter for Sevilla - a top ten La Liga side - in central/defensive midfield and he also chipped in with quite a few goals. Medel is an international in his mid twenties so that is quite a coup for Cardiff and Malky Mackay. The fans will be happy too after signing Steven Caulker, Tottenham's young and talented centre back. There's Andreas Cornelius, the first shock, and the spending will probably continue especially considering the 20 year-old will probably miss the start of the season.

There's been lots of noise on players potentially coming in and out over the weekend along with the overbearing Suarez issue but if we take deep breaths it might go away. Until then let's take a listen and find some small measure of peace.