But won nothing.
We didn't no. But that was a very good, balanced side, who played some gorgeous football.
It is the best side we have had in 20 years and this for me should be the blueprint of anything Kenny should be looking to build.
If I were Kenny and Commoli in the summer I would go from there, look at the players we have and how they would fit into it and then identify the problem positions which are most notably defensive ones.
4-2-3-1 is highly flexible, if you have the players that fit into that you can easily switch to a 4-3-3 and you can have the offensive FB's that Kenny seems to like whilst still providing enough protection to your centre halves with 2 men playing relatively deeply in the midfield.
In that summer after we finished 2nd and we bought Glen Johnson I could see what Rafa was trying to do.
Off the back of that season, many said and rightly so it was the draws that cost us, and on many occasions we could control the game but we just didn't have enough to break oppositon down and do what United do so frustratingly well which is get those 1-0 victories, grind down opponents.
Introducing Glen provided us with another offensive asset without messing up the shape that had provided so much baalnce, had we kept Xabi and lets not get into that on here and not lost the midfield axis of Masch and the Basque behind Gerrard giving him so much license to get forward we would have been better placed to get out of Glen what we have started to see from him under Kenny, effective forward play without exposing ourselves at the back.
But high tempo, pressure high up the field, value of possesion, all qualities that this side had in abundance and qualities we need to move forward.
I know you aren't a fan of Rafa, it is something I will never understand.
But surely you can see the merits of taking alot of examples from the side Rafa assembled and the philosophy of it.
And I don't believe for one second that you didn't enjoy that run in, or watching that side play.
That as a blueprint, with added finesse Kenny will be more willing to have than Rafa and we are onto something.
A player like Suarez would have thrived in that playing just behind Torres in that 4-2-
3-1 formation.
But if we want to play this possesion football, the building from the back sort of thing, the back needs dealing with.
CB and LB are massive problems for us. Not just because Carra is past his best, Soto though God loves a trier isn't the bets, Skrtel struggles to partner either of them and the fella he has done well alongside Agger is injured. But because there is a real tendancy within much of our back line to play long, hopeless balls up the field. And we can't be doing this possesion based football when we have defenders who launch the thing. We need composure at the back, we have it with Daniel, but we hardly have Daniel. We need a bit of a clear out and we need some heavy investment at CH.
At LB we look set to lose Insua, we have to lose Konchesky and we can no longer make the arguement for keeping Aurelio, a wonderfully technically gifted player though he is.
I think we have the basis for a very good possesion based play side, but the squad needs heavy investment, and heavily coaching.
Pepe, Johnson, Kelly Agger, Skrtel, Lucas, Gerrard, Raul, Maxi, Suarez, Carroll, plus unestablished youngsters isn't a bad start but we need change.
I don't see massive overhaul in the summer I don't see how we can afford it but the philosophy of the side will change under Kenny and hopefully a good amount of personnel to boot.