The rumours currently circulating regarding Charlie Adam’s potential move to Liverpool have drawn a wide array of attention. In particular Ian Holloway has suggested that Liverpool’s offer is ‘ridiculous’, ‘derisory’, ‘farcical’, the list goes on, pick your quote.
What I want to discuss here concerns not the transfer fee but the transfer itself. Are Liverpool mad?
Liverpool’s second choice striker is David N’Gog. With 9 goals in 55 appearances in his Liverpool career he is hardly flattering to deceive. Granted, he has not played many full games but that does not detract from the fact that he is distinctly average. Again I grant that he is only 21 and has potential but again that does not detract from the fact that he is not ready. Not ready for Liverpool’s first team, not ready for the Premiership, and not ready for a team that wants to contend to finish in the top 6, let alone the top 4.
In fact, to my knowledge, David Ngog is the 52nd best striker in the Premiership.
I do not see the point in spending £30 million on a few decent players that will strengthen a weak squad when one player costing £30 milllion could dramatically improve the state of Liverpool’s predicament. The lack of depth in their midfield pales into insignificance when you analyse just how thin their strike force is.
Further still, a world class striker would allow Gerrard to play the role he is best in. Stevie has made the ‘box-to-box’ midfield role his own in the last ten years. He has only recently been deployed just off the striker. To be fair, he had an excellent season in 2008/9 playing this role but his skills as a midfielder cannot be forgotten. An extra striker would allow him to use these.
If Gerrard played under the best manager in the Premier League (Sir Alex Ferguson), he would play the role that Darren Fletcher currently plays. Ten times out of ten I would choose Gerrard ahead of Fletcher. It would mean playing 4-4-2 and not 4-3-3 and changing from the formation that saw them finish second. Surely Man United must be doing something right?
NEW Lynx Excite TV ad
Instead of looking for another Alonso (a label banded around with Adam) they should look for a genuine partner for Fernando Torres. They should evolve, just as Man Utd have done over the years and adapt to suit what they currently need. Not try and recreate an excellent side of yester year (that did not actually win anything!)
Spending big cash may be a tough financial decision, but if they do not do it now they will lose more money in the long run. Key players like Carragher and Gerrard are getting on now and only have a few years left in them (Carra maybe even less). Crucially though is the question of how long will Fernando Torres continue to be content not playing Champions League football. If they lose their big guns, it is only a matter of time before even more serious financial investment will be needed to compensate for the money they have lost in missing out on European football.
Liverpool need to bite the bullet and splash out on a striker of genuine quality. They do exist (Llorente, Suarez, Aguero, Pazzini are a few off the top of my head). It would send such an exciting message to everyone involved at the club. A club that’s famously supreme morale is in a deep, deep trough.
And for those who are interested in the 51 Premier League strikers in the league I rate higher than Ngog, here you are…
(Van Persie, Chamakh, Bendtner, Bent, Agbonlahor, Heskey, Carew, Jerome, Santa Cruz, Davies, Elmander, Anelka, Dempsey, Saha, Zamora, Torres, Tevez, Dzeko, Adebayor, Jo, Balotelli, Bellamy, Van Der Vaart, Defoe, Pavlyuchenko, Crouch, Odemwingie, Piquionne, Cole, Rodallega, Fletcher, Doyle, Beckford, Benjani, Kalinic, Roberts, Klasnic, Johnson, Berbatov, Rooney, Hernandez, Carroll, Ameobi, Jones, Fuller, Gyan, Welbeck.)
The article was written by Joe Austin for FootballFancast.com. Make sure to check out the latest news, blogs and podcasts at FFC – ed.
Follow us on twitter @live4Liverpool
Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at live4liverpool@snack-media.com
This week it is former Liverpool WAG Joanna Taylor!
————–
CLICK ON THE IMAGE OR HERE TO GET TO THE GALLERY
–
I think Liverpool are looking for both kinds of players mate. You mentioned them in your article. Striker=Suarez and the mid-fielder=Adam. I believe in Kenny’s opinions if the targets are really his!
You are forgetting, of course, that we played 442 under hodgeson and it did not work.
To successfully play that system (wheather it is even possible in todays game is debatable), we would not just need a better strike partner. Torres has been shown to not play as well in a striking duo, so his efficacy would likely be reduced. We would also need 2 proper out and out wingers, which would doubtless cost a lot.
Crucially, we would also have 1 less man in the middle of the park to protect against teams that DO play 4231 (or a variation thereof), which has been our favoured style and also one favoured by a lot of top teams.
I don’t doubt that David N’gog is not good enough, but that is his fault, not the system.
In addition Stevie is not disciplined enough anymore to play in the middle all the time (as shown against man utd) and has much more impact in all out attack.
you lost me when you said fergie was the best manager in the league.i think kenny has a better record if you compare years managed to trophys.
also get of ngog’s back,i remember rush wasnt too hot to begin with. one day paisley pulled him aside and told him if he didnt start scoring he would have to let him go,and we all know how that turned out. have a little faith.
sorry mate, the best manager in the league has had Rooney playing on the left wing for large chunks of his time there. but would you say Rooney is better at left wing than he is a striker ??
the most important thing for a teams success is shape and balance. if you play Stevie G in the middle he is not attributed tactically enough to defend. and why would you want him defending or picking up an opponents midfielders ??
you also skim over Stevie Gs best season, which also coincdied with Liverpools best points haul for 2008/09 when he played off Torres !!?!?!
surely this should be case closed, his best position for the team is the position that got the best out of not only him but the team as well !
too many times has Stevie G played in the middle (as he done most of this season) and has been at fault for goals (not picking up his man). we have conceded more goals this season already (just over half way) than in any entire season in the past 6 !!
how Kenny will accomodate him with Meireles will be interesting. but probably the key will be who else plays with them and what position they’ll be playing….and is Stevie G guaranteed a starting slot no matter how well everyone else performs in his needless absence?? probably, as hes the captain, but id like the level of personel around him to be so great, that makes it less of a guarantee for him and get even more out of him !
ps- if rumours are true that Stevie G and Torres are no longer on the same page, or had a falling out, these up coming games will quickly prove 1 way or the other. If anyone can get them working together, its Kenny. but if they dont work things out for the team, then 1 will surely be moved on. but which one ?!
We need a centre back to replace Martyn Skrtel more than any one else I cant believe no one else see’s that. Lets start from the back, stop leaking in goals and improve the rest of the team
I found it very surprising when Hodgson decided to play Ngog up front with Torres. In the begininng of the season, we got thrashed 3-0 by Man City cause we were outnumbered in midfield when we had Lucas and Gerrard there. It was quite clear that 4-4-2 was not working out, especially with Ngog up front and Meireles on the right(he should be playing in the centre). Hodgson had other options avaiable even if he wanted to play 4-4-2, such as Babel, Cole and Pacheco. Surely any of these players would offer more than Ngog?
Ngog has done very little to convince me that he is good enough for Liverpool. I just don’t see what he contributes to the team. He’s physically weak, doesn’t score enough goals and doesn’t create enough chances.
I prefer to see the team play 4-5-1 with Gerrard, Meireles and Lucas in midfield. We should never play with Ngog and Torres up front again. Kenny has reverted back to 4-5-1 and quite rightly so, the formation that is best suited to the team. If a striker such as Suarez joins then he should be playing just off Torres, in a 4-4-1-1 formation. What we need now is one top striker and one fast winger. The rest, such as a quality defensive midfielder and a left back, should be looked at in the summer but right now, we really need to strengthen out attack and bring in a winger and striker.
One of the best and right on articles i have read!
Matter of opinion but half of them are old on that list and they may do well for clubs with no pressure on to do well. I think Ngog as improved alot and will do so in future, though we still need a striker but not for the 51 players you mention.
Harsh on Ngog.
He is better and has more potential than some of the strikers you name. In fact some of them aren’t even strikers.
You are blind to talent and potential if you think otherwise.
Terrible article. Why bother.
As you said, Gerrard has done well playing just off the main striker, i.e. Torres. LFC are looking at a class striker, but till then I believe Lucas (in a holding role), and Meireles (in a central midfield role or interchangeable with Gerrard) can compensate, freeing him. Also, hopefully under King Kenny, the passing philosophy means that the midfielders push up to support Torres,putting nos in the box, thus not making another striker (or N’Gog for that matter) an absolute necessity. However, Torres getting injured in another matter altogether!!!
If the owners want a world class midfielder and striker and they see value in the purchase they can and will buy both. Why in your wildest dreams would you think a business spends hundreds of millions on a football club not wanting to see it successful and making them a fortune???????
It’s simply ur opinion does’nt mean u’re right.
It’s simply ur opinion and does’nt mean u’re right.
Don’t want to split hairs but Bellamy plies his trade in the Championship now, so 50 reasons. Also, Glen Johnson is the underlined ‘Johnson’…??? also, Jason Roberts?
You need to get a grip mate.
firstly most people say 442 didnt work for Roy. I do agree, but he did not have the right players for this formation.
suarez will be a genuine strike partner for torres.
gerrard and raul in the centre mid
young and honda on the wings
kelly RB auerilo/johnson LB
skrtel/agger CB
reina GK
i think this would benefit liverpool simply because these players would be playing in their positions.
unlike with roy when he was playing kuyt up front, he is a winger and has been moulded to that role by rafa.
we also have a decent amount of young players, give these guys a run too like, shelvey, pacheco, spearing, ayala, ngoo.
Lets just pay the money for Suarez 18-25mil and pay 7mil for Adam and then concentrate on a winger or left back (even though Glenn is playing great on that side!)
What Blackpool have achieved is BLOODY FANTASTIC – Adam is worth £8 million easy – if he played for Spurs you would gladly pay it. Any Dutch League signing is very risky – Babel – total failure and Kuyt failes as a striker for which he was bought
It’s Adam’s first year in the top flight and he’s already 25 for goodness sake. He may be good for Blackpool but the guy is not Liverpool quality. Only a retard like you would pay 8 million for Adam. As for Babel, he scored 10 goals in his debut season, got us into the Champions League semi-final, scored the winner against Manutd etc so how can you say he’s a ‘total failure’?