The January transfer window seems a long way away for Brendan Rodgers, and he will have to cope for most of that time without Daniel Sturridge, the player who, until his latest injury setback, was tasked with kick-starting Liverpool’s Premier League campaign.
Sturridge has had three separate injuries this season, and has not featured for Liverpool since August. And excluding the 3-0 victory against Tottenham, when Sturridge last played, there has not been a single performance that has come close to the standards set last season. During Sturridge’s injury layoff, Liverpool have won just four out of 15 matches – a statistic that makes grim reading for any Liverpool fan.
And this weekend’s loss, 3-1 to Crystal Palace, was yet another reminder of how far Liverpool have slipped in just a few months.
Liverpool Misery: Brendan Rodgers’ Problems Won’t Go Away in the January Transfer Window
But Rodgers’ troubles won’t go away with the opening of the transfer window. Liverpool have shown this season, as Tottenham did last year, that the purchase of a number of mediocre players does not make up for the sale of one world class talent.
The partnership of Luis Suarez and Sturridge last season plastered over a number of serious faults that have now become apparent. The defence, despite the addition of Alberto Moreno, Dejan Lovren and Javier Manquillo, still looks shaky. The difference is that this season Liverpool have been unable to score their way out of trouble, amassing only 15 goals in their first 12 Premier League matches.
Now, when the transfer window does open, it will be considerably more difficult for Rodgers to attract world class talent to Anfield. Unless something changes significantly between now and then, it will be impossible to guarantee Champions League football for any prospective players.
The time to sign players was last summer. On the back of finishing as runners up in the Premier League, and with guaranteed Champions League football, it should have been possible to sign a forward of the same calibre as Suarez.
Instead, Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli were bought, and Fabio Borini retained.
This is a glaring contrast to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. He saw where their weaker areas were and invested in the signings of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. Now, from their third place finish last season, they are running away with the Premier League.
It is imperative that Liverpool improve their Premier League form, as they know better than most how difficult it can be to regain a Champions League place. Otherwise, they could face another extended spell without European football – or worse, in the Europa League.
By no means is Liverpool’s season over. At this stage, they still have a chance of qualifying from their Champions League group, they are in the quarter final of the Capital One Cup, and with the way the Premier League season has gone so far, there is still a possibility of securing a top four finish.
However, in order to be successful this season, something needs to change. Whether that is through shrewd investment in the transfer window, the return to fitness of Daniel Sturridge, or a purple patch for Mario Balotelli, if Liverpool are to play in the Champions League next year, they will need to significantly improve their performances.
Nobody expected Liverpool to do as well as they did last year. The added expectation this year, combined with a squad deprived of its two leading goal scorers, has so far proved too much for Rodgers and his team to handle.
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