Speaking recently on the Football Writers Podcast, Miguel Delaney discussed issues with Liverpool’s recruitment this season.
Having suffered a quite ridiculous amount of injuries so far this season – with first-team regulars Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Thiago, Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah all having been sidelined at some point this term – Liverpool’s title defence has not got off to the best of starts, with Jurgen Klopp’s side currently occupying sixth place in the Premier League standings – 19 points behind league leaders Manchester City.
However, speaking on a recent episode of the Football Writers Podcast, Delaney suggested that the club’s poor league performance does not necessarily reflect badly on Klopp, but more on Michael Edwards and the Liverpool board for not backing the 53-year-old in the transfer market.
He said: “I suppose there’s another angle there in that, when Liverpool were going very well last season, their backroom team and their recruitment was praised to the heavens as if this was all a meticulous plan. We’re not so hearing so much about Michael Edwards at the moment.
“This isn’t a criticism, but the best practice in football is to have everything very well run and to have the right structures in place but it’s still a game that is dictated by having the right manager in place. And if you have the right manager in place, it will make everything else look better.
“So, I still think most of Liverpool’s success is attributable to Klopp, which is of course why he deserves backing now. There is a view within the club that once they have all their players back these problems won’t look so bad.”
Has LFC's recruitment been good enough this season?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Miguel Delaney’s comments regarding Michael Edwards and Jurgen Klopp…
Indeed, with Liverpool having suffered a number of injuries to many of their most crucial players this season, there is only so much Klopp can do in inspiring performances from the players he has at his disposal.
And, with Liverpool waiting until the end of the January transfer window to bring in a centre-back, only after their third and final fit senior centre-back, Joel Matip, also picked up a season-ending injury – over which time Liverpool endured a five-game winless run in the league – it would appear, in our opinion, that Liverpool’s recruitment has been one of their major drawbacks this year.