AFTER a slightly disappointing end to an otherwise very good year, LFC kicked off 2014 with a routine home win against Hull City.
It wasn’t too pretty, but it was a controlled and professional performance. There was a clear element of hangover after really having the squad stretched over the festive period, which was why it was good to see Liverpool get the three points without ever getting out of second gear.
The usual fluidity in the final third wasn’t there, but the players did the basics right and had their solidity rewarded with three deserved points.
Now that they get a mini-break from league football it’s a good time for a body count, to assess the squad and see what is needed to keep up the points average in the second half of the season – or even improve it. Currently occupying the much coveted fourth spot, only six points off the top, Liverpool FC is in a very good position to make a genuine assault at the league title; and for the first time since the 2008/2009 season there seems to be reasons to believe the Reds actually have a chance of joining Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in the race and be within touching distance when we enter the final stages of the season.
For me there are two good reasons to believe in this.
Number one is the fixture list; apart from away games against Southampton and Manchester United, Liverpool are playing all the current top half teams at home. This isn’t automatically a huge advantage of course, and it doesn’t guarantee more points than in the corresponding fixtures, but given the nature of the game and the slim margins at the top it could end up being a decisive factor – providing they keep picking up the points against the bottom half teams, which normally is the strength of this Liverpool team.
The second good reason is the fact that I believe Liverpool is the team up there with the biggest potential in terms of short term growth through signings. I’d argue that with the exception of Everton, all the remaining title challengers have little room for improvement in their squads and particularly their starting elevens.
Arsenal, City and Chelsea all have more or less settled teams with top class players in every position. They may do one or two tweaks in this transfer window, but looking at it from the outside I don’t see neither room nor need for big changes. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United both have big squads who need to find their expected level more than they need new players. As for Everton, their disadvantage is the lack of money compared to the other top teams.
At Liverpool though, there are – for me at least – more obvious holes in the squad and therefore a bigger opportunity to give the team an immediate lift by injecting quality in one or two areas where the team currently.
The counter argument here is of course that since the squad is still in what we can call a building phase, most of the other teams have the advantage of having more settled squads and teams. New signings doesn’t necessarily mean improved results, no matter how good those players are on paper.
It doesn’t guarantee short term growth and the extra spark that could be needed to cross the finish line. However, it does enhance the potential for growth and with it Liverpool’s chance of establishing themselves as a top team again.
one thing lfc should do is buy players in the same level us suarez to push for top four and the tittle.
Suarez has few or no peers
…..there is messi or Ronaldo
Why do guys always say we are building yet u expect top 4 from Brendan.If not bcos I want Brendan to succeed and that Suarez needs top 4 I don’t see the seriousness of the rest of the players esp Johnson and Gerrard.Hendo may run and fight everything but what about the goals that we lift us.Coleman of everton currently boasts 5 league goals.Minus Suarez,Sturridge and Hendo then the rest not good enough.ASAP
I beg you in the name of God to get us One Selah of Basel Two Rakitic of Sevilla Three Rolando of Porto. and the trophy is sure for us.
The thing is we have a weak squad:
And we still have too many dead wood average players at club:
In the next two transfer windows:
The owners need to back B Rodgers heavily and well:
In January: They need to invest 60-70M in five class quality players to help club achieve our top 4 position all the way through season until the end .
And these are the positions and players needed to fill those positions: DM, CM, RW / RWF , LW / LWF and a FD
1: DM: Fernando(26) Of Porto Or M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan , One of these mobile, powerful, physical , tall, tough tackling Defensive midfielders needs to be brought to club for 4-12M , so that they can compete, cover and put Lucas Leiva on the bench.
2: CM: Y Cababe(27) Of Newcastle Or I Rakitic(25) Of Seville, One of these creative, mobile, box to box, goalscoring centre midfielders needs to be brought to club for 8-20M , so they can compete, cover and put Henderson on the bench. As our club is struggling for goals from centre of park and from out wide.
3: RW / RWF: M Salah(21) Of Basel needs to be signed for 7-12M to compete, cover with Sterling
4: LW / LWF: B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle needs to be signed for 10-14M to compete and cover Ibe , so we can send V Moses(22) back to chelsea As soon as possible
FD: L Remy(26) Of QPR( Currently on loan at Newcastle) needs to be signed for 7-10 to compete and to cover Suarez and Sturridge
Those 5 players would cost the club between 60-70M, but those 5 players would help rectify the main problems we have had this season. Lack of mobility, physical presence, power, protection of back four and size in centre of park, lack of class, creativity and goals from centre of park and out wide on the wings. And lack of competition and cover for our two main strikers
With those 5 players we could pick very strong line ups and trouble any side in league:
Team 1: 4 2 3 1
Mignolet
Johnson Skrtel Sakho Enrique
M’Vila Cabaye
Salah Gerrard Arfa
Suarez
Team 2: 4 3 3
Mignolet
Johnson Skrtel Sakho Enrique
Cabaye M’Vila Coutinho
Salah Suarez Arfa
Team 3: 4 2 1 1 2
Mignolet
Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique
M’Vila Gerrard
Cabaye
Coutinho
Sturridge Suarez
in what world is cabaye a box to box midfielder he does not defend at all and is. more of a liability than gerrard. cabaye. is an overhyped attacking midfielder whose goals and assists return dont justify he lack of input defensively
How is Cabaye(27) not a box to box midfielder? He does the dirty work when he oes not have the ball, then when newcastle have the ball in key attacking areas he bombs forward and gets goals.
You must know nothing about football if you think Cabaye(27) is not a box to box centre midfielder, he is better tackler and harder in tackle than Allen and Henderson. He also creates more and scores more than both of them.
So what are you trying to say, he does not play as an AM he play besides Tiote in CM.
Not ahead of him besides him
Stop repeating denis d ,it boring
Obajay, its boring to know our club keep trying to loan and borrow rejects? Out of all the loan signings B Rodgers has made, how many have come good or justified club bringing them in? None
And for an attack minded manager, Rodgers has brought in more average players than class, quality players and that is pathetic.
Out of these players brought in since Rodgers Reign : Alberto, Aspas, Assaidi, Borini, Coutinho, Moses, Sahin and Sturridge.
Only Coutinho and Sturridge look like Liverpool players as they hit the ground running away straight away with their class and quality.
Rodgers has been linked with Kalou, Tello, Pastore, El Shaarwaay, Cabaye, Rakitic, Fernando, M’Vila, Arfa, Pedro, Salah and Sigurdsson.
Rodgers should not bring Kalou, Tello or Sigurdsson to club. They are pointless buys, kalou is past it, Tello has rejected club three times to warm Barcelonas bench and Sigurdsson chose tottenham for financial gain.
The five players i have said we should get will get us Top 4 position
And 4 out of the 5 are better than what we have
M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan Or Fernando (26) Of Porto are both much better than Lucas Leiva in DM position, both more mobile, with bit of pace/speed about them, both have physical size about them and height advantage
Y Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle or I Rakitic(25) Of Seville are both better players than Allen and Henderson, both offer more class, creativity and goals from centre of park.
B Arfa(26) Of Newcastle is three times the player V Moses(22) Of Chelsea is and would offer more class, creativity and goals from the left wing than Moses or Young IBE
M Salah(21) Of Basel would offer the club more creativity, class and goals from right wing than Young Sterling
L Remy(26) is an out and out Goalscorer, who has scored goals in every level he has played at, he offers more class, quality cover and goals to Sturridge and Suarez, than Aspas and Borini together and where they cost the club 18.2M, Remy(26) would cost the club 6-11M
Rodgers needs to stop bringing in dead wood average players: No more potential, we need class, quality players to hit the ground running straight away.
And in Y M’Vila(23) DM , Y Cabaye(27) CM, B Arfa(26) LW / LWF, M Salah(21) RW /RWF and L Remy(26) FD club would have five players who would hit the ground running from the off once they joined, as they are class, quality players of Champions league level and standard.
The same cannot be said about Alberto, Aspas, Assaidi, Borini and Moses
I agree with Denis D
y not 2 go 4 Badu & Rakitic if not cabaye or everton rabiero & 2 wingers plus montaya
Brendan Rodgers has not impressed me with his signings since taking over from Kenny Dalglish.with the exceptions of Phillipe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge who have justified the amount spent to bring them to Anfield,i have come to the realisation that Rodgers is not seeking to bring world class talents but rather has interest in bringing players who will cost between 7 to 10 million pounds.with a club who has been out of the top four for some time,regaining the top four is not an easy task as the rivals battling for the top four have quality in all departments and subsequent backups to compete for the whole season.it’s high time Rodgers consider bringing quality rather than quantity to bolster our squad and increase our chances of finishing in the top four.