Shy Reds Still in Dire Need of Experience

Signing young players with huge potential is an extremely exciting avenue to take in the transfer market. This is what Liverpool under Fenway Sports Group and Brendan Rodgers have attempted to do, however fans are starting to voice concerns over the lack of experience and leadership in what is a very youthful squad.

Players such as Andre Wisdom, Raheem Sterling, Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson have all received regular playing time throughout the season, with other youngsters such as Suso and Fabio Borini also seeing significant time on the pitch.

Liverpool’s January transfer activity saw Rodgers bring in 23-year-old striker Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea, and 20-year-old attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan.

Fickle Fans Need Longer Memories

In the wake of Liverpool’s exit out of the FA Cup at the hands of League 2 side Oldham Athletic, fans were quick to criticize the team, the manager, the owners, and just about anyone associated with the club.

Fans called for certain players to never wear the Liverpool shirt again, for Brendan Rodgers to be sacked, and also condemned the American owners for not putting in adequate investment into the side despite the imminent arrival of Inter Milan’s Philippe Coutinho for £8.5mil, which will take Liverpool’s January spending up to £20.5mil.

Valid concerns were raised regarding the progress of the club, the readiness of certain youngsters, and the quality of both the overall squad and the man in charge.

Sturridge Provides the Reds with a Wealth of Options

Liverpool finally confirmed an early contender for worst kept secret of 2013 when they announced the signing of Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea for a reported £12mil on January 2. Ever since manager Brendan Rodgers was shortchanged by owners Fenway Sports Group on transfer deadline day back in August, the squad has had little to no support in the attacking department for Luis Suarez, especially with Fabio Borini sidelined for the past three months. The signing of Sturridge has gone some way to correcting that.

Sturridge comes to the club with mixed reviews. While there is little doubt surrounding his talent and potential, many concerns are raised over his attitude and his ability to cut it at the top level. He made defenders look like fools on a regular basis throughout his youth career at Manchester City, and there were a number of clubs waiting to snap him up when he ran down his contract with the Citizens.