Six months ago Liverpool were owned by Gillett and Hicks, run by Christian Purslow and managed by Roy Hodgson who, being English and a fan of 4-4-2 (plus big centre-forwards, and not a proponent of zonal marking), was much loved by Andy Gray.

How times change. Hodgson was proud of his 1970s tactics (and openly eschewed innovation), and despite his gadgets, Gray seemed a relic from the era. Ironic, then, that it should take one of that decade’s leading lights to take Liverpool into the future.

This post is for Subscribers only.

[ttt-subscribe-article]