Attacking Spark is there – Need Defensive Reinforcements

Liverpool have been relatively active in the transfer market very early on this summer – which is not a bad thing. However, Manager Brendan Rodgers needs to be wary of the risks involved with making wholesale changes to his squad. Last summer, Tottenham Hotspur went on a spending spree (mostly funded by the eventual sale of Gareth Bale on deadline day to Real Madrid), and only one of a whole host of new players really impressed: Christian Erikson. The others faded in and out of form and Spurs struggled because of it. Rodgers needs to make sure he isn’t making the same mistake.

The Reds have already signed Rickie Lambert from Southampton and Emre Can from Bayer Leverkusen, with Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren – also of Southampton – and Belgian youngster Divock Origi of Lille seemingly a matter of when rather than if they join. Liverpool have also been heavily linked to Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri who plays for Bayern Munich, Benfica winger Lazar Markovic, and Barcelona duo Alexis Sanchez and Pedro.

Most of these players are attackers. Liverpool scored 101 goals last season in the Premier League – their best tally since the Premier League began in 1992. Surly attackers should not be a priority if everything clicked last season. Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling were all prolific in front of goal, helped by the supporting cast of Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Phillippe Coutinho.

Excellent Start Masking Problems in Midfield

Liverpool head into the weekend’s Merseyside Derby sitting pretty in second place with 23 points, just two points behind leaders Arsenal. It has been a surprising start of the season for both of the top two teams, with many expecting Chelsea and Manchester City to contend a two-horse race after their string of exuberant signings over the summer – Willian (£30mil), Andre Schurrle (£18mil) and Marco van Ginkel (£8mil) for Chelsea; Fernandinho (£30mil), Jesus Navas (£15mil), Alvaro Negredo (£20mil) and Stevan Jovetic (£22mil) for Manchester City. 

Both Liverpool and Arsenal were fairly prudent in the transfer window, making sensible signings rather than splurging big on one player (until the Gunners signed Mesut Ozil on deadline day). Liverpool signed the likes of Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto, Simon Mignolet, Tiago Ilori and Mamadou Sakho for a combined £45mil, much of
which was offset by the sales of Andy Carroll, Jonjo Shelvey, Stewart Downing and Jay Spearing for a total of £28mil.

Poor Market Makes Keeping Suarez a Real Possibility

With speculation continuing to circle around the future of Liverpool forward Luis Suarez, Reds manager Brendan Rodgers is sure to have looked through the market for possible replacements and will have been worried with what he found. The club’s stance has always been that Suarez is not for sale but Rodgers has also conceded that every player has his price and if Liverpool receive an offer in the £50-60mil region they are sure to seriously consider it, especially if the bid comes from a foreign club.

While some believe that Liverpool could build a potentially better squad without Suarez with the fee the club would receive for his transfer, a quick glance at the quality of players available in the transfer market this summer means that it will be no easy task finding the right players to replace a key player in Suarez. Most quality attackers that were available this summer have already been snapped up by Manchester City, Monaco, PSG and Napoli, with the talents of Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic, Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez, Edinson Cavani and Gonzalo Higuain already changing clubs. Other talents such as Jackson Martinez, Hulk, Stephan El Shaarawy and Christian Benteke all have either no interest in leaving their current club, or have no interest in joining a club that cannot provide Champions League football. 

No Need to Panic after Missing out on Mkhitaryan

Liverpool’s well publicized pursuit of then Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan came to a disappointing end with the player instead signing for Champions League Runners-Up Borussia Dortmund. It is hard to argue that Dortmund were not the more attractive option, especially for one of the most promising up and coming midfielders in Europe. As frustrating as it was for the Reds to miss out on one of their top summer transfer targets, signing Mkhitaryan was not the be all and end all of Liverpool’s transfer plans.

While many fans are bitterly disappointed to have missed out on a player that seemed destined to sign for the club a short time ago, there was always the question of where Mkhitaryan would play in the team, and whether the potential signing impacted Luis Suarez’s future in any way with many believing that Liverpool could only afford Mkhitaryan if Suarez was sold.

2012/13 Season Review - Progress Has Been made

Liverpool signed the season off in style with a 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season to give Jamie Carragher a fitting send off as he prepares to put his feet up in retirement. It was yet another season of magic moments and blunders, culminating in a 7^th place finish for the Reds, which was suitable due to their consistency issues throughout the season. Last summer important players left that needed to be replaced, with the small factor of a new manager at the helm as well in Brendan Rodgers. This article seeks to explore every facet of what went right and what went wrong throughout the 2012/13 campaign.

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.

From 17-year-old Reserve Player to Household Name

The diabolical conclusion to the transfer window which saw Brendan Rodgers thoroughly starved of financial support from the executive side of the club in his pursuit of Clint Dempsey – who eventually found his way to Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day – was a huge cause for concern for Reds fans. It was clear that Rodgers would be forced to dip into the gold-mine that is the Liverpool academy to fill his first team squad until he can bolster his options in January.

Three youngsters have gone straight from the U21’s side to the starting XI this season. English winger Raheem Sterling, defender Andre Wisdom, and Spanish playmaker Suso have all been drafted into the first team to fill the gaps left by the departing Dirk Kuyt, Maxi Rodriguez and Andy Carroll, as well as the injuries to Fabio Borini, Martin Kelly and Jose Enrique.

Game Recap of Fixtures with Anzhi, Everton and Swansea

Liverpool 1-0 Anzhi Makhachkala

After finally getting that illusive first home league win of the season against Reading, Liverpool welcomed Russian super-spenders Anzhi Makhachkala to Anfield in the Europa League. Brendan Rodgers recognized the strength of the Dagestan outfit and fielded a strong line-up of his own including the likes of Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.

The Reds were on the front foot for most of the first half but struggled to make a breakthrough. Jonjo Shelvey missed an excellent opportunity to give Liverpool the lead but could only scoop his shot over the bar from 18 yards with only the keeper to beat after great work from Suarez. Liverpool were also denied a host of penalty appeals, the most forceful being when Glen Johnson was tripped from behind just as he was about to pull the trigger from six yards out.

Recent Games Round-up Part 3

Liverpool 2-3 Udinese

After finally securing their first league win of the season with the 5-2 thrashing of Norwich, Liverpool’s attentions shifted to the Europa League and the visit of Italian side Udinese.

Jonjo Shelvey was making his first appearance since his sending off against Manchester United, and it took him 23 minutes to make his mark as he headed in a floated cross from the much-maligned Stewart Downing – who was also making a rare start. The lead stayed with Liverpool until half time with Udinese posing little attacking threat and little evidence that they would be able to get back into the game.

Recent Games Round-up Part 2

West Brom 1-2 Liverpool

Liverpool travelled back to the Hawthorns in an attempt to gain revenge for their season-opening 3-0 drubbing against West Brom with a tie against the same opponent in the Capital One Cup. Brendan Rodgers used the cup competition to throw youngsters and new signings into the deep end yet again, with Sebastian Coates, Andre Wisdom, Jack Robinson, Dani Pacheco and Samed Yesil all awarded a starting spot, as well as opportunities for new signings Nuri Sahin and Oussama Assaidi.

The game started in the worst possible fashion for the Reds as Gabriel Tamas capitalized after reserve goalkeeper Brad Jones had dropped a lofted free kick, with replays showing that the Australian keeper was in fact struck in the face by West Brom defender Jonas Olsson just as he went up for the catch. 

It took only 14 minutes for Liverpool to reply though, with Sahin firing in a speculative shot from thirty yards only for Ben Foster to make a complete hash out of the save and could only watch the ball bounce into the back of the net for the Turkish internationals first goal for the club after his loan move from Real Madrid.

Recent Games Round-up Part 1

It has been a while since I last had a match report write-up, so I am going to quickly cover all the games I have missed since the draw with Sunderland.

It will be split into three parts with the first covering the games against Young Boys and Manchester United, part 2 will cover the Capital One Cup game against West Brom and the trip to Carrow Road to face Norwich. Part 3 will cover the next Europa League fixture against Udinese, and the two back-to-back home league games against Stoke and Reading.

Sunderland 1-1 Liverpool - Match Review

Liverpool couldn’t find their way passed a stubborn Sunderland defense as the Reds are still looking for their first league win of the season. It was a game which Liverpool deserved to win but in some way or another Sunderland held out for a point.

Steven Fletcher gave Sunderland the lead in the 29^th minute after poor defensive play first from Luis Suarez and Glen Johnson, and then from Martin Skrtel who let Fletcher get around him and tap Craig Gardner’s cross into the empty net. It was against the run of play, which is becoming a nasty habit for Rodgers and his team.

Liverpool struggled to muster a response for the remainder of the first half, but they did have two penalty appeals with Johnson first being hauled to the ground only for referee Martin Atkinson to wave away his appeal, and then when Suarez was seemingly clipped by John O’Shea the striker was booked for diving.

Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal - Match Review

Liverpool succumbed to their second defeat of the season with an abysmal showing against Arsenal at Anfield. Goals from Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla either side of half time sent a lack-luster Liverpool back to the drawing board.

Both sets of fans were left frustrated and disappointed over their clubs lack of activity on transfer deadline day, and this game was always going to show which team had more glaring gaps in their squad.

Unfortunately it was Liverpool who were found wanting as they produced another performance on-par with their opening day defeat to West Brom.

The first half was relatively even, with both teams showing flashes of excellent play but were generally sloppy in possession. Powerful midfielder Abou Diaby caused the most problems for the Liverpool defense as he broke through the midfield with ease time and time again.

Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City - Match Review

Liverpool were left bitterly disappointed as Manchester City snatched a draw at Anfield in a game the Reds really should have won.

After City dominated the first 15 minutes, Liverpool took control and opened the scoring with Martin Skrtel’s thumping header 11 minutes before half time. An error from Martin Kelly got City back in the game on the 63^rd minute as Yaya Toure turned the ball into the net.

The score was not level for long, as it took only three minutes for Suarez to curl in a sublime free-kick after former Evertonian Jack Rodwell had blocked a shot with his hands. However, any hopes of coming away with three points were dashed as Skrtel played a blind back-pass to Reina, which Carlos Tevez pounced on and slotted into an open net after rounding the goalkeeper.

It was a harsh lesson for Liverpool’s defensive unit to learn, as two individual mistakes essentially cost the entire team the three points. There was nothing wrong with the general play or the tactics; it was just lapses in concentration which cost them.

West Brom 3-0 Liverpool – Match Review

The new Premier League season got off to the worst possible start for Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool at the Hawthorns.

Recent 3-0 and 3-1 victories over FC Gomel and Bayer Leverkusen respectively had fans in an optimistic mood ahead of the new season, but Liverpool were punished for a combination of poor individual performances and wastefulness in front of goal, as West Brom embarrassed the Reds in a 3-0 win.

Zoltan Gera opened the scoring with an absolute beauty, volleying the ball into the top corner after Martin Skrtel only half-cleared a corner. Two penalties in quick succession essentially defined the game in the second half, with Daniel Agger given his marching orders by referee Phil Dowd for the slightest of nudges on Shane Long as the Irishman ran through on goal.

Long missed the penalty but earned his side another one moments later, catching Skrtel in possession inside his own area before the Slovak tripped him up. Odemwingie took the subsequent spot-kick and West Brom were 2-0 up while Liverpool were down to 10 men.

Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku finished the scoring with a close-range header as Liverpool went out with a whimper. 

Liverpool 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen – Match Review

Liverpool wrapped up their pre-season preparations by welcoming back living legend Sami Hyypia to Anfield.

The Finn, who made over 450 appearances for Liverpool over a 10-year spell at the club, is now testing his managerial prowess with German side Bayer Leverkusen.

Both Hyypia and Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers selected relatively strong teams and a good mix of experience and youth, with youngster Raheem Sterling getting another pre-season run out for the Reds.

And it was Sterling who opened the scoring within three minutes. Jose Enrique slipped a through ball in between the Leverkusen right-back and center-back, which Sterling raced onto before skipping away from another challenge and slotting the ball into the far corner. It was the perfect start for Liverpool as it settled down the team who then got into a calm passing rhythm.

Liverpool 3-0 FC Gomel (4-0 on Aggregate) – Match Review

Liverpool confirmed their place in the Europa League play-off qualifiers with a confident and dominant performance against FC Gomel in Anfield’s opening fixture under the leadership of Brendan Rodgers.

Goals from home debutant Fabio Borini, Captain Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson sent the Belarusian side home without really getting a sniff of goal all night.

The biggest positive from the night for Liverpool fans will have been the appearance of Daniel Agger after several days of speculation linking the Danish defender with a move to Manchester City.

Agger, sporting his new “YNWA” tattoo across the fingers of his right hand, had a relatively simple night alongside center-back partner Martin Skrtel. Both brought the ball forward to good effect, essentially starting attacks from the back. The two wing-backs in Johnson and Jose Enrique had a great night, constantly bombing forward and getting themselves heavily involved in many attacks, culminating in Johnson’s beautiful 20 yard volley in the 71^st minute.

Closing the Chapter on Alberto Aquilani

On August 3, it was finally confirmed that Alberto Aquilani had left Liverpool to join Fiorentina in a permanent deal. This follows two years straight of constant speculation about where the Italian international’s future belongs.

Aquilani was brought in from hometown club Roma by Rafael Benitez in the summer of 2009 to replace outgoing talisman Xabi Alonso, who had just finalized a £30mil move to Real Madrid. Liverpool only paid 5mil Euro’s up front for Aquilani, with the following 15mil Euro’s all being paid within the next two years in installments.

Despite being highly rated, Aquilani arrived on Merseyside carrying an injury and did not make his debut for Liverpool until October 28, 2009 with a substitute appearance against Arsenal in a 2-1 Carling Cup loss at the Emirates.

He went on to make 26 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool in the 2009/2010 season, scoring two goals in the process. His link-up play was excellent once he re-gained his fitness and many fans believed he would go on to form a formidable midfield alongside Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard.