I am a Liverpool supporter and this is my blog:
Dear Brendan Rodgers!
If you feel the need to strengthen our squad, then please don’t buy a couple of good players – instead use the money to buy ONE WORLD CLASS PLAYER! Thank you!
LFC has an excellent squad with great depth in it. But if we want to be a serious candidate for top 4 we need one or just a few world class players – not a lot of fairly good players!
BR has stated that some of the signings so far this summer were meant to improve the squad and not the team. And they were probably good sighnings, but from now on the most important thing is not to waste a lot of money on players who isn’t good enough for Man City or Man United. Liverpool has a great squad and BR must be ambitious and should only consider adding new players to the team if they are world class.
Because this is the deal:
if LFC starts to buy fairly good players, then we will establish ourselves as a team which belongs in the middle of the Premier League table!!!
We still have the ability to attract some great players, due to our great history and our acceptable finances. But we could lose this ability if we don’t return to top 4 in the next 3-4 years. So there is a lot at stake right now! We have to realise that.
So this is the test:
look at a player outside (and inside) Liverpool FC and ask yourself: would he be signed by a team which could seriously challenge for the title?
Of course I’m not saying, that LFC are favorites for the title next season, but we should try to recruit players as if we were.
Now who should we sign then?
THE LUIS SUAREZ QUESTION?
Whatever happens with Luis Suarez will be crucial in terms of who BR will try to recruit. But as John Barnes says, we shouldn’t wait to sell him until the last minute, because then there will be no time to find a replacement if we need one.
I actually happen to believe that a deal with Real Madrid which included a large amount of money and Karim Benzema, would be great for Liverpool. But the latest signs from Carlo Ancelotti has cooled down the expectations of a Real Madrid bid for Suarez. And I believe selling him to Arsenal or Chelsea would be nearly impossible, considering those clubs are some of our main contendors for the top 4. Which is why I wouldn’t be surprised if Luis Suarez didn’t leave Anfield in this transfer window after all……….
However we should not obsess about Luis Suarez. He is a fantastic player obviously. But I noticed how fluent our the passing were in some of the last games of the last season – WITHOUT Suarez. And it wouldn’t be the first time a great player attracts to much attention, not just from fans and medias, but also from co-players, who instead of playing their own game, unconsciously deliver the ball to the genius and expect him to make miracles. Sometimes a team is better unit without the star.
Now don’t get me wrong, I believe Suarez is one of the best players in the world and we should try to hold on to him, because I actually believe him to be enough of a team player to a part of a great Liverpool-unit. But let’s not obsess about him. And who knows? If the Brendan Rodgers project works out in the next season, Suarez might be here for the rest of career.
What I also noticed last season was the great impact of Daniel Sturridge! In particular in cooperation with Suarez. Luis Suarez is not the type of striker who plays well when he’s alone on top in a 4-2-3-1 system. He is not a “target man” kind of striker. He needs someone he can play with, and left alone on top he’s using most of his time struggling physically with the opponents central defenders, and that is a waste of Suarez’s abilities. We saw that during the last time of King Kenny’s managerial run. Luis Suarez is one of the best strikers in the world (perhaps the best!), but he’s no “target man”. In Brendan Rodgers 4-3-3 formation the other attackers on the pitch create space for Suarez which enables the uruguayan’s creativity to flourish. We saw that with Daniel Sturridge last season. No matter if Suarez is here next season or not, when Sturridge comes back from injury, we have a top striker in Daniel who I believe will be good enough for a team which wants to challenge for the title.
The defense:
The defense is looking good. Kolo Toure was an excellent addition – well done BR! But we have to be honest, Kolo is 32 and we should keep our eyes open for a new central defender. For me, the perfect solution (and long-term Carragher replacement) would be Micah Richards. Rumors claim that he’s interested in leaving Manchester City, where has been used mainly as a full-back. He could play that position in Liverpool as well, but he’s still only 25 and in time (or perhaps right away), I would see him as a perfect partner for Daniel Agger in the central defense. A brilliant alternative could be Toby Alderweireld.
The midfield:
I believe Lucas is one of our most important players. He’s a world class defensive midfielder and he sort of “binds the chains together” on the team. However, my biggest concern regarding the LFC midfield is that we don’t have a replacement if Lucas should get injured. I would prefere not to use Captain Fantastic as a defensive, deep, ball winning midfielder and perhaps Joe Allen lacks the strength for that position. I guess those two are better off in front of Lucas as they most recently were against Thailand. I actually believe we should seriously consider signing a new defensive midfielder – perhaps Maxime Gonalons from Lyon. A brilliant addition and were he to be added to the team as a defensive midfielder, Lucas could play the other midfielder position just in front – if Rodgers wanted to use them both at the same time.
Another possiblity is Kyriakos Papadopoulos from Schalke 04. Rumors claim that Brendan Rodgers are interested in the greek central defender. That would be a great signing no matter what. He’s a central defender, but a rather short one. He’s actually also capable of playing defensive midfielder, and he could also be a substitution for Lucas once in a while.
The attack:
We should try to sign the brazilian winger Bernard from Atletico Mineiro at any cost. He’s an excellent young player who would fit right in with his pace and great skills. Having Coutinho, Sturridge, Suarez, Sterling and Bernard on the same team, would make the Liverpool attack (even without Suarez) the fastest in the Premier League. And that would not be a bad thing. As a part of the rising Brazilian national squad, this could prove to be the last time we have the chance to buy Bernard – we should try to sign him no matter what.
If it doesn’t work out though, we should definately try to buy the Serbian winger Adem Ljajic from Fiorentina. That would also be a major coup for LFC.
The reason why I’m looking for wingers such as Bernard and Ljajic, is because Coutinho is outstanding as a central attacking midfielder. But one could use Coutinho as a winger, and then try to sign Danish Christian Eriksen from Ajax Amsterdam. But having Coutinho in the squad, I would find it more reasonable to try to sign a winger.
Finally, I have a crazy idea. Why not make a bid for Sergio Agüero? He is pure magic and would fit in perfectly in Brendan Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system. The great Manuel Pellegrini has since his arrival as City boss, signed two star strikers: Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo, and with Edin Dzeko, John Guidetti and Sergio Agüero already in the team, City now has 5 strikers in the squad – but someone has to give. I know it’s probably not realistic, because Agüero – and Dzeko by the way – will probably not be interested in playing for Liverpool, but who knows….? Perhaps a swap deal with Suarez?
Brendan Rodgers should make a bid on Agüero – or Dzeko – if he wants to add a striker. Specially now Roberto Soldado seems lost to Tottenham. But we already have the brilliant Daniel Sturridge (and the promising Iago Aspas) in the squad, so even if we lose Suarez, we should only buy a new striker if he’s world class.
If we want to be among the best teams again, then we have to sign the best players.
woldemort1 