The Kopite View

Ignoring Striking Problem Coming Back To Haunt Liverpool

Liverpool supporters were looking forward to another exciting season after manager Brendan Rodgers transformed the Reds last season into the most exciting team to watch in the Premiership, but more importantly into title challengers again.

Ultimately Rodgers’ men fell at the final hurdle in the race for the Premiership after being pipped by Manchester City, but the transformation in such a short space of time was quite remarkable from the season before that resulted in Liverpool failing to qualify for European competition.

Expectation levels have been raised after last season’s heroics and the return of Champions League nights at Anfield has also been a welcome return for Reds’ supporters.

Supporters were also buoyed by the amount of money spent in the summer as Rodgers strengthened his squad despite the loss of Luis Suarez.

But although Rodgers added strikers Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli to his squad, they have not come close to replacing Suarez.

Rodgers still has the other half of the famous S.A.S. strikeforce in Daniel Sturridge but he has been unavailable for most of the season through injury and the news that he could be out until Christmas is a hammer blow as the Reds boss sees his team struggle for goals.

It was a big mistake by Liverpool to rely on Sturridge with his already poor injury record and they had to buy a top class striker in the summer to provide an attacking threat after losing such a great player like Suarez.

Rumours circulated during the summer that Liverpool were after Sanchez, Falcao, Cavani, Reus, Remy but in the end they only signed Lambert and Balotelli, whom not many clubs would touch with a barge pole in a massive gamble that so far looks like being a massive failure.

Rodgers has to try and keep Liverpool in the hunt in the league until January and then spend big on a striker or last season will count for nothing and the Liverpool boss will be lucky to keep his job.

Reds’ Summer Signings Report Card

Liverpool spent well over £100 million in the summer as Brendan Rodgers tried to strengthen his squad to take his team to the next level, but things haven’t worked out as well as planned.

Here’s my analysis of Rodgers’ signings so far –

Alberto Moreno – The Spanish left-back has probably settled in the best at Anfield out of Rodgers’ summer signings and has become a regular in Liverpool’s defence. Moreno likes to bomb forward and his pace helps him out defensively as well. Looks like a good signing and will improve with age and games.

7/10

Mario Balotelli – I think the controversial striker was a panic buy by Rodgers and so far the gamble hasn’t paid off. But in fairness to the Italian international, Rodgers insistence in playing Balotelli is a lone-striker is not helping his cause and maybe Daniel Sturridge’s return from injury could be just what he needs. The jury is still out on Balotelli.

4/10

Adam Lallana – Rodgers spent £25 million on the Southampton captain but injury in pre-season hasn’t helped his cause as he settles into life at Anfield. Lallana is a very talented player but at the moment it looks like Rodgers is unsure of how to get the best out of him. There is a lot more to come from Lallana and he will prove to be a good signing.

6/10

Dejan Lovren – Is possibly the most disappointing of Rodgers’ signings as he tries to justify his huge transfer fee by playing him regularly in Liverpool’s defence. He needs to turn things around quickly or Rodgers will run out of patience.

2/10

Emre Can – Like Lallana injuries have set him back but in recent weeks he has shown what he will bring to the team. Looks to be a promising signing and will add strength and power to Liverpool’s midfield that has been lacking in recent years.

6/10

Rickie Lambert – A strange signing by Rodgers but even stranger why the Reds’ boss doesn’t give the big striker a chance. Doesn’t suit Rodgers’ style of play, looks to be a waste of money.

2/10

Javier Manquillo – On loan at the moment but featured regularly in the right-back berth due to Johnson and Flanagan’s injuries but his industrious performances have warranted a regular place in the team and supporters have appreciated his efforts. His move to Anfield could become permanent if he keeps up his form.

7/10

Lazar Markovic – Rodgers paid a lot of money for the youngster with a big reputation, but so far looks to be waste of money other than a few glimpses against Real Madrid the other week. Markovic Needs to start proving his worth.

2/10

Positives For Liverpool After Real Madrid Defeat

Liverpool lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League again, but Brendan Rodgers’ much criticised team selection could provide a few positives for Liverpool in the future. The Reds’ boss decided to rest a number of first team regulars for the clash with the Champions League holders, and many supporters feared an embarrassing defeat, but the makeshift team produced a hard-working, disciplined performance that filled most supporters with pride with their gutsy effort.

Rodgers obviously showed a lot of faith in his fringe players by selecting them for such a tough game and although I didn’t agree with his team selection, he can take many positives from the performance.

Kolo Toure has struggled during many of his appearances for the Reds with some high profile mistakes, but the experienced defender showed what he is capable with a commanding game at the centre of Liverpool’s defence and his organisational skills were impressive as he constantly barked the orders to keep his defence tight. Toure deserves to keep his place in the team after this performance.

Lucas is another player that has struggled to feature this season and injuries looked to have taken their toll on the Brazilian midfielder, but his display in the heart of Liverpool’s midfield proves that he is still an important player and he is the best defensive midfielder at the club.

Two other player that are worth a mention are Emre Can and Lazar Markovic, the pair have suffered injury problems since arriving at Anfield and have struggled to show what they are capable of, but against Madrid Can produced a strong performance in midfield and Markovic made some penetrating runs with pace and confidence that impressed and the two players must have impressed their manager.

It is encouraging to take so many positives from players performances in a defeat and Brendan Rodgers must have learned a lot from a few players.