After the traditional summer optimism Liverpool were brought back down to Earth with a bump in a 3-0 reverse against West Brom.
Liverpool's striking problems precede Fernando's departure
To be fair Liverpool started brightly enough in the game, Joe Allen's debut in particular giving the supporters something to look back upon positively. And there was little Reina could do with Zoltan Gera's first strike since 2010. Add in to that a sending off for the reds and a bonus round of penalties awarded by the athletic Phil Dowd and on reflection three points was going to be mission impossible.
But it seems Liverpool, for yet another season, seem almost determined to handicap themselves by playing without a goalscorer.
Luis Suarez is not a prolific goalscorer - he is a huge creative talent but there is too much pressure on him to create and then finish off his own moves. If Liverpool are going to play a front three then Suarez needs to be able to have options in the middle for him to offload the ball to.
Can Fabio Borini be the man? Who knows. What we do know is that using him out wide is not going to help him be the man ready to feed off Luis' twists and turns.
Stewart Downing in the front three? Now - who are we kidding.
Andy Carroll it seems has been effectively frozen out - he received a brief cameo when Liverpool were 3-0 down - and it seems his purpose then was more simply to try and stop the waves of West Brom attacks from building.
In what has become a recurring summer theme - the reds continue to go out and do most of their transfer business in the wrong part of the pitch.
We've a glut of defenders and defensive midfielders. The latest speculation is all about Nuri Sahin turning down a move to Liverpool - another midfielder.
Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva are not going to score us many goals. Glen Johnson can chip in with the occasional couple - but not when he is being shifted over to the more unfamiliar left back as he was on Saturday.
Steven Gerrard can put the ball away - but from midfield he no longer has the drive to get involved in as many attacks as he used to - his match-winning performances over the last 18 months can be counted on one hand.
This summer we have lost Dirk Kuyt, Maxi Rodriguez and Craig Bellamy - all players approaching the twilight of their career - but all players who knew exactly where the goal was and how to find the penalty area. To replace all those goals with a punt on a young Italian striker suggests that the Liverpool management have still to learn the obvious lesson.
The fact we are eleven days before the transfer window and this problem remains should concern all Liverpool fans.
From the moment that Fenway refused the funds for Jelavic the warning signs were there. Everton have gone out and secured two more strikers this summer - to give them by far the better goalscoring options out of the two teams.
We can tika-taka all we want. We can retain 70% possession in a stunning feat of football prowess. But unless someone at Anfield deals with the glaring problem - then this season will be another long slog.
Liverpool need to bring in attacking talent urgently - they need to give the forwards some competition. Steven Gerrard would even be more effective relieved of his midfield duties and used as part of this front three than Stewart Downing.
Fenway need to ensure Rodgers is given the money to boost the front three positions because at the moment we are being asked to play baseball with a paper bat.
After watching yesterday performance and the fsg statement from henry, i genuinely fear that fsg don’t know what the hell they are doing. it seems that they want champs league on championship budgets. crazy!
While i’m not saying he is a big goalscorer Sahin plays a Gerrard role in midfield so it is possible gerrard will now be used as a right winger.
Agree with MikeW283 and you could sense Stevie G when up the field Saturday he laid to Downing only for Stevie G to have returned and WBA is that crap or what “if u ain’t bothering to go 1 on 1 with the opposition least to get a throw in, where you talent on wing? Brenda over backwards for YNWA
Couldn’t have put it better, brilliant insight into the decade long saga of Liverpool without a full blooded striker of note. When will they learn? Brendan boys will be firing blanks at the goal until someone in Fenway Heaven cops on to it eventually, if ever or should we shout it from the rooftops, ‘Striker, Striker, Striker’!!! Carroll was a major disappointment but Fenway need to fix it urgently with an experienced replacement or else we end up paper tigers who will never be in the race for the premiership title and with a drought of goals. Benitez, Roy the Boy, nor King Kenny never sorted it out during their time at Anfield and the story goes on!! What a shame for a club to become more obsessed with Midfield and Defense to the complete detriment of a striking partnership up front. Surely, someone at the top has the basic intelligence to grasp the most obvious of solutions and put it right for once!!!!!!!!!
your all right in what your saying but the fact is liverpool are not as big as they used to be, they havent played in champions league for 3 years now and they are not going to be for a long time im a strong liverpool fan but, when your getting managers from swansea and players from teams lower in the premier league we just going to end up the same, hence why sahin won’t join us its obvesous we not as big, benitez was a great manager brought some quality players in sacking him after finishing 7th was the biggest mistake he would of got us back on track with a few signings
Adam,Carroll,Downing,Shelvey,Spearing, all not good enough sell for £40 Million and buy Huntelaar £22 Million and Falcao £18 Million goals galore guaranteed as Suarez will become top assist earner in premiership and Allen and Gerrard wil have a field day and Sterling will do more than Downing ever could even now – come on Brendan its not Rocket Science —-Suarez to play behind Falcao and Huntelaar with Sterling out wide Gerrard and Allen in midfield with lucas behind and Johnson and Kelly ( or Enrique) as overlapping wingers with Agger and Skrtel in the centre of defence —SIMPLE AS
i think shelvey has a spot in the game. he is amazing and will be great in the coming seasons. he is the only one we should keep out of your list. other than that, agree with you completely
Rodgers is still learning but needs to go to evening school to catch up quick. Play with the players you have therefore use Carroll rather than an untried Chelsea reject! Carroll is not a classic old fashion striker and can play the ball on the floor as well. Although not one of my favourite and we paid too much for him we should make the best use of him. Otherwise another painful season
dempsy is the best option in the middle with Gerrad . He can get more goals thats he did in fulham .coach should bring in squad urgently
sterling is a good option with dempsey on other hand
plz bring in dempsey , we sorely need him.
He(B.R.) has to sign dempsey at all , only addition of american can make this kind of attack work effectievly.
give cavani big money,then he will come ,we need him
plz sign adebayor or huntelaar
JKHn’telor could be the best possible signing for us. Since longhand been saying that we need a poacher, there is enough quality buildup & once Aassidi benches garbage Downing, there ‘ll be more opportunities created. Like last Saturday, someone like RVP, JKH, Cavani or Ibra could have got a hat trick. Among those, I guess only JKH is a realistic possibility.
championship and trophies cannot be won with overrated and average players BD you need to fix few things asap … bring back Xabi Alonso try n get a good striker… Rather the buy favorite player of you own .. you should have buyed favorite players for the club Buy Allen and Borin result would have more favorable if we have buyed ADAM JOHNSON & THEO WOLCOTT Still try and get atleast one of them and starty believing in rahem sterling Adam Morgan and Shelvey Then can do woulders if they have been give confidence and change
How dare little West Brom beat us don’t they know we’ve won the the european cup five times.
It was the refs fault as usual when we lose
The owners have already admitted they can’t compete with the arabs so we’re kind of stuck buying players and managers doing well in smaller clubs, paying them less (than usual) and hoping they step up for LFC.
Above everything, it will be interesting to see if the cowboys have enough cojones to stick with Rogers if we are in the bottom half come December. Sadly I doubt it.
After all, does he have anything in his CV to show he can pull a top club out of a slump? So why should the players, fans have any faith?
If the players won’t give it all for their manager, club, and fans, ship them out ASAP and rebuild with new players who will….
we will wait till last minute and then panic like when we bought caroll and pay over the odds then cry poverty again because of iy liverpool are not skint they have amassed money in pre season look how many sponsors or partners they have not good enough fsg back the man you replaced with some funds otherwise you will lose on your investment as fans will not put up with another season of woe we will be calling for a change in ownership also get someone in to deal with transfers as ayre is not up to the job
Should sign Dempsey he has been brilliant last season and Borini should play in the middle with Suarez on the right. All three of them scored 10+ goals for their clubs last season and that should take some weight of Suarez and Gerrard being the ones we count on.
Cant agree more with you on that
Everything you have said, I`ve already said on two to three different sites, obviously I agree with you on all your points, but too be honest I was a little bit less tactful, I think “Downing” should be shifted out asap, Cole, Spearing, and maybe Adam, should be looking elsewhere to ply their trade? Carragher who we all know, as been a fantastic servent for LFC, but if he was being true to himself and the club! should be honourable and hang his boots up. Coates should be introduced into the back four, he needs too have a bit more game time than he was afforded by Dalglish? Im sure he will be an asset to our central defence, along with Skrtel and Agger. With the money that we so badly need, from the sales of the afore mentioned players above, Brenden Rodgers would be able too bring in a much needed Goalscorer, and someone who can actually, beat a defender and put a precise cross into the opposing teams danger area. I would like Brenden Rodgers to become a bit more ruthless, with players who are under performing, its just not acceptable anymore, if he wants too reach his personal goals, for the coming season? He needs too fine players, for not reaching the standards that they should be capable of acheiveing? and why shouldin`t we expect our players, to give 100% in every game, IMO this would keep each and every employee of LFC on their toes, and would put the message across too players, if you want to play for our great team, be prepared too give it your all, and if not, dont bother.coming too Anfield. RedManfor40years.
Have to agree with the majority of the article. Thing is even before the 3 left , there was a need for a goal scorer (or 3) and has been for at least 3-4 years. Need one young form goalscorer and a couple of squad players to cover for injuries. Could do worse than the 2 MU cast offs for the squad role.
The treatment of Andy Carroll is both disgraceful and misguided. Rodgers is buying players that he has managed before. The problem with that policy is that all those players have played with Swansea and are unproven at the top level Liverpool FC craves. Andy Carroll is 23 years old and has shown he will deliver at Premier League and International level if given a chance. His stats at Liverpool are distorted by the fact that many of his performances were from the bench for 10 to 20 mins. He has scored in all the big games for LFC twice against Everton, Man City and in FA Cup final. Rodgers needs to wake up and appreciate Carroll.
for that carroll should be able to control the damn ball with his legs other than his head…in brendans game things dont work that way…whn he learns how to pass and move fast…he will definitely be in the team
Didnt work brendans way on Saturday did it?
couldnt have put it better myself.And the fact that for some reason rogers is so against playing carroll is beyond me. Fair enough, he has his own game plan but dont simply through away all other options,particularly an in form striker,on the assumption that it will work.Thats plain ignorant
Not a fan of LFC but a sstudent of the game. Putting the ball inthe onion bag is what it’s all about. It’s why Man Utd spent so much on RVP: he guarantees goals, when fit of course. Transfer time’s running out considering LFC’s need to sell before buying. For me I’d give Carroll a real run in the team and try two wide men with Gerrard/Lucas holding, Suarez in front of them.
I’ve been more patient than most with Downing but Saturdays display was atrocious – he’s a liability
You are talking to the wall. Fenway will not give the money to rectify our striker problem. They appear to be settled into the acceptance of any 10 to 15 place in the ESP this season. The excuse of ” building for the future” is becoming a little thin as there will be no base for this as we slide ever downwards.
Dalglish wasted the money that should have this team up there and raring to go but for the likes of Downing and the ludicrous 35 mill paid for Carroll.
Liverpools spending in the last three seasons has been awful and this season though there is yet to be an expensive signing apart from Allen is the sanest in a while.
Daglish wasted money his only meaningful purchases are Suarez, Enrique, Henderson whom he misused and Coates whom he did not use
Adam Morgan will score goals if he gets a chance, please BR get rid of Downing asap