Liverpool have become accustomed to failure over the last few years. They currently lie 12th in the Premier League table this season (though with just 7 more points, they’d move up to 3rd). This doesn’t paint a pretty picture for transfer targets, most of whom have come to expect Champions League football and regular competition for trophies.
The truth is Liverpool can’t offer this, haven’t been able to for a while and likely won’t for the foreseeable future. It’s a vicious circle that negates the Reds negotiation powers and has turned what started as a slump into ‘the norm’. This mediocrity now threatens to overwhelm the club and it’s up to summer managerial recruit Brendan Rodgers to try and lead Liverpool back to the righteous path.
But it’s an uphill battle. He’s pretty much admitted as such: “There is a bigger picture for sure and it goes back to affordability. We will spend money in January to try and bring fresh faces and give us that support at the top end the reality is all the names bandied about are they going to be available?
Certainly we will bring in what we can and help us and then we will revisit it again. All our problems were never going to be solved in this window because the January window is one of the least productive and the least movement goes on there.”
This looks to me to be a tacit admission on the part of Rodgers that the problems that Liverpool have can’t be fixed by the next transfer window. It’s a rallying call to the fans to give him the time he needs.
The Daily Mail claim that Liverpool will unveil both Daniel Sturridge and Tom Ince within the opening days of the January transfer window.
Now, despite both being smart buys, it’s clear that these are not instant fixes for Liverpool’s problems. Brendan’s right to urge caution.
Tom Ince is a player with a lot of potential, who could go on to play a major role for the Reds – in the future. He will do little to ease the current pressure on Liverpool’s shoulders.
Daniel Sturridge, on the other hand is an important signing. Liverpool need extra firepower upfront and Daniel is a top young talent. However, it strikes me that Sturridge alone simply will not be enough. The Reds are more or less a blunt instrument moving forward and as a result they often struggle to break (barge, shatter, etc) opposition defenses. Sturridge will help, but he can’t fix the problem alone.
I hate to be the pessimist, but it looks like the second half of the season will be just as tough for Liverpool as the first.
What’s your take? Can Tom Ince and Daniel Sturridge stop the slump at Liverpool?
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