So last night was a predictably late night for me with the Confederations Cup followed by Game 7 of the 2013 NBA finals. As many know a year ago, I'd have given the NBA a miss but the Olympic's changed my perception from it being a boring, pointless sport to a sport full of drama, big moments, tense moments and the insane. LeBron James' recent interest in Liverpool FC gave me a team to support in the Miami Heat. But really I only started watching matches and not just keeping an eye on the standings until early this year. Quite soon after I'd started watching some matches the Miami 27 game winning streak started.
So last night Miami won their second NBA title in a row and rather than looking at the success Miami had, I want to move the elements of their success and think about how certain elements could be replicated by Liverpool to try to create another amazing period for the football club. Five different elements will be discussed and I'll look to see if Liverpool have or can fill these elements.
1. The Tactical Coach - Both Miami and Liverpool share one thing here, each team has a young coach, admittedly after the last couple of years Miami's coach Erik Spoelstra has less to prove than Liverpool' Brendan Rodgers. Although this is now the case, Spoelstra did have to wait a few years to get the success that has helped him prove himself as a coach, Brendan Rodgers has not had that time at a club with the ability to eventually get success. Both also had come through to their jobs by assisting head coaches who have gone down in history as some of the best in their respective sports. So hopefully in this section Rodgers can prove his worth and lead Liverpool to success.
2. The On Pitch Leader - Less needs to be said regarding this, Miami Heat get a lot of motivation and leadership from Wade and James, Liverpool have Steven Gerrard, possibly the best captain in his sport currently. Until the end of last season Liverpool also had Jamie Carragher, this has left a gap that does need filling as having that second leader on the pitch is more needed today, plus he was a player that could organise the defence to a high level, Liverpool will miss this if they can't fill it.
3. Experience - This is where there is a bit of a gulf, Miami have title winning experience in players like Ray Allen and lets be honest Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James have been playing for a number of years before you go into some more fringe players like Miller, Battier etc. Liverpool lack this experience to a degree now with a lot of players in their early days such as Sterling, Coutinhio, Ibe, Wisdom etc. However Liverpool do have a few experienced players around, such as Gerrard and Johnson, but considering the amount of players on the pitch compared to a basketball court there is a gulf in the experience Miami players have and the experience of Liverpool players. It is also worth pointing out that Kolo Toure is coming in to help with this but the other possible signings are all pretty young.
4. Top Young Players - This is where Liverpool may be better than Miami to an extent, although it is yet to be seen or proven, with many players gradually getting a chance in the Liverpool first team and actually proving their worth. Coutinhio is very good in this section and Sterling, Ibe, Wisdom, Henderson and more look like they can prove theirs too. In Miami there are less younger players, but not too many vetrans either, Cole is a good young player, but if you look at how old some basketball players play till you could argue that Chalmers and James still aren't too old.
5. Fans - Now this is where both teams do well, they both have very good, loud, passionate fans. Both have some of the best in the country and that is what makes these teams great, although it must be said I know a lot more about Liverpool fans and some Miami fans, admittedly like myself have been swayed by either a player (namely LeBron James) or the success, whereas with Liverpool, people still support them today through the rougher times. It is my belief that Liverpool fans are at the very top, along with teams like Dortmund and possibly Newcastle when it comes to passion. This is something many teams lack, like Real Madrid and Manchester United where the fans may as well be at a funeral gathering.
So what can Liverpool learn from Miami's success? Well the never say die attitude appeared in game 6 with the 6 points caught up in the last 28 seconds, otherwise the NBA right now would be in Texas. But Liverpool could also learn the right mix of experience and youth from the Miami Heat as well as giving the young coach Rodgers a chance as long as there is a steady progression, because as Miami proved, you sign the right experience, the right talent to go with the players you have already got together, some for the entirety of their careers, like Gerrard for Liverpool and Wade for Miami then you can build a team to win titles and maybe, just maybe, it may not be decades away.
Thanks for reading guys!
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