A finish above arch-rivals Everton, two domestic cups and a Europa League spot to help give the youth a run out next year will be okay for Kenny. But the Champions League will be the key objective and it is absolutely imperative for Kenny Dalglish that he gets it to secure the additional revenue required to help take the club back into the upper echelons of European football. The period will help provide reflection upon what has been a torrid league season it has been where inconsistency has been rife and the club’s finishing in front of goal has been abysmal.
Living up to the creed set out by the American owners, Kenny was told to buy British, buy young talent and buy players with the potential of a greater sell on value. With the help of Damien Comolli, he assembled a squad that had set about launching an assault on the Champions League spot, whilst harbouring a veiled desire of even pushing on for Championship. This however didn’t commence, on the contrary it appears the club has gone further into the abyss, at least going by league standings.
A war chest of one hundred and ten million pounds has been spent on largely a British contingent of players; many will say the money was spent wastefully. I too was among the large portion of fans dismayed by the acquisition of Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adams. Andy Carroll was not suited to our passing style, Henderson and Charlie Adams were both central midfielders acquired, in spite of us boasting the likes of Alberto Aquilani and Raul Meireles along with Steven Gerrard and Lucas. Stewart Downing is already twenty-seven and a player who serves more as a full-back then a winger in my eyes. An Adam Johnson he is not indeed and the return on the investments have illustrated this with the limited amount of goals and assists between them this season despite the numerous amount of appearances they have made this season.
My view drew the ire of many fans on the website who thought I was simply chatting out of my backside. I felt with good pre-seasons, Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani would thrive this year, not to mention Maxi Rodriguez who with only seven Premier League starts has four goals, more than Henderson and Downing combined. If given the chance and feeling wanted, I feel Aquilani would have stayed as would have Raul Meireles. But knowing you have Charlie Adams and Jordan Henderson as your replacements, one would have felt disheartened and sidelined hence their desires to seek a move elsewhere. Wrongfully so in my opinion considering the talent they possess compared to the players we brought into the club.
I’m not one to boast of my predictions but I feel that I’ve been proved right and this summer will be pivotal in the development of the club. Liverpool has a solid base to start from knowing we have a good defence and keeper. What we require is pace in abundance and a deadly finisher. Perhaps a throwback to the days of Michael Owen, a striker with pace and agility that plays on the shoulders of central defenders and has an eye for goal in the box. Wingers are a must, Dutchman Elias of Hamburg for instance would be ideal. A player that can jink past a full back within a blink of an eye and can score goals, unlike Stewart Downing this season.
Many wishful thinking fans will throw out names such as Eden Hazard and Edison Cavani whereas the die-hard loyalists will call for patience and to stick with our current crop with maybe one or two additions without a complete overhaul. I prefer to take the middle-road and believe a clear out of some players, a promotion of some of the youngsters and a couple of signings could make all the difference to our campaign next year.
In dealing with the youngsters, I clearly believe the club need true impact players. Looking at our bench, we are over-loaded with the likes of Coates, Dirk Kuyt and Jonjo Shelvey, players that are unlikely to rock the proverbial boat so to speak during games when pace and skill can be decisive against tiring legs to pinch a result. Raheem Sterling who came off the bench just a few weeks ago along with Toni Silva are two players who stand out from the youth system. Both play for their international teams at the under-age levels and both possess the required attributes that will shape their careers. In the context of next season, coming on for fifteen or twenty minutes here and there will definitely garner them more experience maybe even the possibility of a first team position if they manage to impress.
With the likes of Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani returning I would keep them because of the experience they possess and quality they bring. There are talks of off-loading them because of the wages they command and the burden it’s putting on the team’s resources but I feel they possess far more quality than the likes of Charlie Adam’s and Jordan Henderson. With Lucas coming back into the fold next season, I feel Liverpool have more than enough depth in the middle of the park.
What will be crucial for Liverpool are a right-sided winger and a finisher. Ibrahim Affelay has become disenchanted with the limited minutes he has received at Barcelona. I feel at a cut-price he would be happy to move away from the Catalan giants to gain regular football having fallen behind the likes of Telo and Cuenca. He has the pace and skill to not only provide regular assists next season but to chip in with a few goals, something our current “wingers” Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing have failed to do on a consistent. A goal scorer in the guise of Walter Lavezzi would perhaps be an ideal position. His goal record in Italy isn’t the best because he has often played the role off of poacher Cavani, but given the chance playing with the likes of Suarez; both will provide and scores goals all day long hopefully forming a deadly partnership. Another position we may need cover for is left-back but this is less of a priority. What do you the fans think we need?
MIracles for a start!
Lol and what mircacles would you to happen at Anfield?
Left back to provide competition for Enrique, Def. mid to provide cover for Lucas, Right winger or someone who can operate across the line, and a striker.
mbia has been mooted as defensive midfield reinforcement, i personally think he’s better than lucas and wouldn’t mind buying him. which right winger and striker would you buy? Has to be realistically possible to buy as welll, can;t throw names like eden hazard and expect him to come to liverpool cos i just dont see that happeneing. I do like that aly cissokho at qpr, think’e he’d be a decent buy.
Football is a game of losers and winners! We have won a lot more than we won! John hemry, tom werner and kenny need to have the biggest talk/argument, what ever happens, if kenny honestly feels he can make us what we need to be! Than we have to trust him, he has so much knowledge and love for liverpool , that he won’t want to see us go backwards! He will step aside if he isn’t sure! But if he stays, to me he is sure we will come good! Just can’t wait until what decisions are made! But COME ON LIVERPUDLIANS we are the best fans in the world and we will come back strong! And come city, don’t let the redshite in manchestewr get 20, we’ll be on 19 neXt year! Y…N…W…A
Won a lot more than we have lost!
haha loving the enthusiasm, i agree with much of what you say, i think kenny deserves one more season to crack the top 4. he has to buy right and sell the deadwood languishing at the club at the moment.
one more season of Kenny could lead us further down the table if he buys more rubbish… come on people, stop looking at sentiment all the time and start looking at results, after all it is a results business…. we need quality all over, and kennys purchases last summer were dismal. how charlie adam is a footballer, let alone CM for one of the worlds biggest clubs is ridiculous…. kenny needs to buy right this summer, but to be honest, id rather have someone else bring in the quality players that kenny seems to look past to buy british mediocrity. if he buys all british again then we are doomed….. hope bologna accept our bod for gaston ramirez…
We have several holes that must be filled but we could start by adding some players with a little more pace.
Oyur attacking is currently feared by no teams.
I’ve always maintained this stance that pace is required to win leagues. Wingers who score 15 or twenty goals between them and get loads of assits. Fergy and Harry play the right kind of football for me. pacey strong full backs and pacey wingers like bale and lennon, backed up by kyle walker and benoit eskotu(spelt wrong i know) but p;laying this style helps decimate opposition from more than a few areas of the pitch.
I have said this before –
We need to replace Pepe Reina
With Begovic. We need a defensive
Midfielder like Javi Martinez.
A winger that is willing to take on
the full backs & a striker.
We also have some good
youngsters coming thru.
KK must play the youngsters
next year or even for the
Last few games.
I would love to see javi martinez come to us, whether it’s possible is tricky depending on where he wants to go. I think liverpool would appeal to him. I agree with everything you said except getting a keeper in. I know reina has made some mistakes but he;s been a key figure for the club for so many years and im sure he;s not even in his 30’s yet!
youngsters aren’t going to win us the league or bring us towards the top 4. we need international players.. fact
i think that is quite an accurate and positive post. i do believe robinson is good cover at lb but another would not harm
thank you for the positive comments but i disagree with robinson being able to cut the mustard at anfield. HE lacks pace, despite his fantastic debut against ARsenal where he kept theo walcott quiet. If he adds to his game a yard of pace perhaps he willl be adequate cover.
True Chris,Reina has lost his focus conceding simple goals,replace him with Al Habsi who has tremendous reflexes for point blank shots,
I would prefer gettin Yann Mvilla or Kagawa,Elm,Arfellay,Soldado,we need 3 strike options instead of 2,look at City dey hav got 4 strikers,also y not try to get Tevez as an impact player or Cardoza,what we need is quality,leave the likes of Hendo,Adam,etc if we don’t sell dem for the cups…..also bring the youth into the team….FOREVER RED
kagawa has een mooted as a possibility and he does look like a player we require. But i feel a lot of big teams will bein for him. Affelay and soldado are great optoions, Elm I’m not so sure about in spite of his great shooting ability he looks a player who thrives on playing in the middle of the park, dont think we need another centre mid.
great article. i believe such changes should actually be made in order for liverpool to be able to match the likes of top clubs
Cheers Ritesh, who do you reckon we should buy? I was saying this at the start of the season about our current players, but a load of liverpool fans were throwing about accusations of me being an undercover man utd fan cos they wanted to give the likes of hendo and CA and downing a chance. I’ve seen enough football to know who will thrive and who wont unfortunately some fans are blind.
Poor article. For a start you can’t force players to stay, Alberto Aquilani and Raul Meireles wanted away for different reasons.
Suarez was brought in to partner Torres who decided at the last minute he wanted the Chelsea lucre. With Carroll the only game in town and a couple of hours of the window to go the whole game plan for the coming season was shot.
Gerrard has been out for most of the season, we lost Lucas early on, Reina has had his worse season ever, (I think he’ll be gone before next season), our injury situation has been dire all season with very poor substitutions available thanks to Woy Dodgson.
I reckon we’re lucky to have got a cup and finish the league were we have.
I didnt say we should force players to stay, on the contrary the three players u metion were forced to leave. Berto and joe cole certainly were whereas meireles was told to force his way into the team form the bench, which i couldnt fathom because of the players that were in front of him. Jordan henderson and charlie adams? do you seriously think they have more quality than these two seasoned internationals? If i was meireles benched just to give a poor signing a chance in the team, id have left too. That may also have been the case pertaining to suarez and he would have complimented suarez, so why did kenny panic and buy carroll for for £35m!!1? doesnt make sense does it?
And im sorry as much lucas has improved, i still think he isn’t liverpool class. he isnt a mascerano or a xabi alonso, there’s better players than him in that position. and what injury situation are you referring to? lucas is the only one out for the season and gerrard has been out for half the season yes, hence my article stressing we should never have got rid of joe cole and alberto aquilani. I’m srry u cant blame roy either. he wasn;t given a war chest like dalglish was. Dalglish messed up with most of his signings and he knows it.
think we need a knew keeper Reina has been so bad this season hes been beaten to many times at the near post this season
alot of people have been calling for his head and its understandable. i think he deserves another year. No keeper in the world can be consistent throughtout their career without the odd mistake. he’s been great for us, i think he;s earned the right to a lapse or two over the course of this season.
Cole and Aurelio have to go, and i reckon maxi and kuyt would also leave at the end of this season only because of no game time. Suarez must get a strike partner. Carroll should be given more chances, but i feel send him on loan so he will get more game time and gain more confidence. Aqua man could be a could bench strength if he is given a chance at Anfield. Coates should not be picked after carra! Downing definately should be given more chances. hope kenny brings in good buys this season and we have a fit and inform gerrard and Lucas.
I’d keep Joe Cole because of his experience. He had a good pre-seaosn last year and thought he’d play a pivotal role on the right sid eof midfield cutting in with glen bombing on, instead kenny loaned him out for jordan henderson to play on the right and he;s been nothing short of a joke. Aurelio is injury prone but id like to see him on the bench unless we buy a left back full of pace in the mould of clichy who can compete with enrique. I think maxi will leave on a free, kuyt is being courted by hamburg and I agree carroll deserves at leas another season despite his indifferent year. a pacey striker is required. coates will become third choice centre back i feel and i just dont know about downing. I think he hasnt got the bottle to play for us. he’s suited to an everton or a villa. doesnt get enough goals for my liking and lacks pace and skill to beat wingers. Adam Johnson would be my choice. pacey, skillful gets goals and can ghost players for fun.
sale cole,auilani,shelvey,kuyt,agger,nd throw caragger 2 support staff, buy odemwingi,tarrabt,scott sinclair, colloccini.give chance 2 young talented academy players like sterling,martin keely, robinson. nd rodriguez should b given priority over downing in starting 11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
As i said id keep aquilani and cole cos of they’re international pedigree and experience. id loan shelvey out, sell kuyt and keep carra on the bench as 4th choice centre back. Sell agger? are you mad? he’s our first choice centre back. odemwingie would be adecent forward for us but he needs a lot of chances to finish, so id avoid hm. taraabat is eays on the high but not a hard worker. scott sinclair id love to have, full of quality, collocini wont be sold and isnt required, sterling should be igiven more game time, robsinson i dont think will make it and rodriguez as much as i like him will be sold. And your right downing shouldnt start, he not good enough.
I think we need 3 players. First, Luuk de Jong, he is a very prolific and young striker. Second, Gaston Ramirez is a very exciting player, and we should definitely buy him for the future,since Gerrad is sadly aging.
Third, a winger, why don’t Kenny make a contentious effort to bring in Payet from Lille or Valbuena from Malaga? Please reply.Thanx
Luuk de Joong does look prolific in front of goal and Luis Suarez has proved that the transition from the dutch league to the premier league can be done. But I hear he is being courted by many clubs. Gaston is a player i am a fan of, again sadly I just dont see him coming to liverpool because of the fee his club would command. A winger is a must, I prsonally prefer affelay to payet or elias of hamburg as i stated in my article. But a player of pace and skill andproven at international level is something i would appprove of in this regard. And valbuena is a quality winger for sure, drifts inside right alot so dont know if he fits the mould of an out and out winger however during the days of benitez, I was a staunch believer that we should have put a bid in for him. unfortunately he is a few yars older and an option i wouldnt now pursue.
yous are making it out as if we are poor and have no money :/ 16 million for gaston ramirez is easily within our means. did yous not hear tom werner sayin these things 1/ ”we have the resources to compete with anyone in football”….. 2 ”we will spend, and continue to spend until we get to where we want to be”…. see whoever has said things like ”we are only getting 20million to spend this season” and ”we cant afford good players”, I’d love to know where they get their information from, we have money if we need to spend it…..
It’s a coy tactic but i dont think there’ll be a hundred million to spend like last season, probably 40 to 50 million with addiontal revenue raised with the sale of players, so maybe 60 to 70 million. Even with the vast amount of funds we’ll possibly be able to spend, i dont think henry trusts dalglish after what he brought in last season. we’ll have to wait and see who comes in, either way is gaston a player we need? another central midfielder aint required, we need wingers and a striker.