by Bad Bob » Sat Sep 01, 2012 3:11 pm
Christ, what a roller coaster ride yesterday ended up being. As the dust starts to settle a bit, it's time to take a look at the big picture. On the bright side, we kept hold of all of our defenders, fending off interest in Agger and getting Skrtel on a new deal. Once these lads grow more comfortable with Rodgers's system, I expect we'll be very solid at the back once more. Since being hard to beat is the foundation for any successful football side, that's a bit of a result right there, albeit a quiet one since it wasn't part of all the deadline day hoo-hah.
Also on the bright side is the central midfield. Sure, we've lost Lucas to an extended injury again but Joe Allen looks to be a hell of a player and Shelvey is starting to come on nicely (he was one of the few bright spots against Hearts the other night, kicking on from a very good performance against City). We've got this Nuri fellow in on loan who sounds a player by all accounts, we've still got Stevie (who seems to be slowly adapting to the new system), and the lad Henderson's still there for the Europa League matches and the odd cameo. That's allowed us to ship out some deadwood in the shape of Adam and Spearing, who most of us recognized were not quite Liverpool standard a while ago. Job well done there.
So, that brings us to the attack and here's where things start to go a bit pear-shaped. First off, we've lost three veterans who were all past their best but who all could be counted on to work hard for the team and chip in with the odd goal: Kuyt, Maxi and Bellamy. No problem, we'll just replace them right? Well, we've sort have done so if you consider Borini, Assaidi, Morgan and young Sterling. The latter's certainly impressed so far and is a cause for optimism, although it remains to be seen if he'll be able to make the big step up to a regular role at 17. Assaidi is yet to make his debut and is largely an unknown quantity but hope springs eternal that he'll be a hidden gem. Morgan's a young prospect but I don't expect he's ready to really step up and fill the void this season. Hopefully he'll chip in a few, though, when he gets his chances in Europe or the League Cup. Borini has shown flashes of quality and works hard but I remain to be convinced that he's going to make a telling impact for us. I hope I'm wrong but...
Thankfully, we've still got Suarez and thankfully he's starting to find the net after some early season misfires. Hopefully, he develops a ruthless streak for finishing like he already possesses for tying defenders in knots but, if not, our game plan in the final third is going to have to be 'get Luis on the ball and flood the box to finish off all the chances he'll create.' Oh, and we had better wrap him in cotton and pray he stays fit or we're a bit fooked.
Which brings us at last to the biggest head-scratcher we've had on a transfer deadline day since signing Andy Carroll for 35 million pounds: loaning Andy Carroll to West Ham for nothing without bringing in a replacement. It's infuriating and bewildering all at the same time. Given how goal-shy we were last year, given that three of our veteran attackers have already moved on, given that their replacements are young and untested, given that Stewart Downing can't seem to find his ***** with both hands let alone the net...why in the f*ck would we loan out a striker who, on his day, can be virtually unplayable? Granted, those days have been few and far between but we might have seen more progress on that front and, even if not, he still gives opposition defenders loads to think about every minute he's on the pitch (giving our other attackers more freedom to operate). I realize he doesn't really fit the style Rodgers wants to play but he's a hell of a Plan B. At the very least we could have used him in Europe and the Carling Cup to give our other attackers a rest.
I'm not sure who decided to loan him out and who decided to drop a bollock when it came to replacing him yesterday but the end result is that the good work we've done in other areas of the squad may not count for much, results wise, if we can't find anyone to stick the ball in the net. What we're going to need, at least until January, is a bunch of young and untested lads to play out of their skin and get us the goals we need to stay competitive. It's a massive ask and we've made it extra hard on ourselves by loaning out a Plan B. I hope these young lads have the minerals to rise to the challenge and spare the blushes of whoever's been making the daft decisions of the last two days.
