Liverpool's transfer strategy. What strategy?
Both fans and media have praised Liverpool FC’s
performance in the transfer window this summer, because its management team and
owners are perceived to have acted quickly and decisively to sign players. I don’t agree with this glowing
assessment. I’ve struggled to understand
a recruitment policy which seems poorly thought out and haphazard.
I’m not querying necessarily the ability of the players
Liverpool have bought. Some of them are proven
performers and others have the potential to do well, if they’re developed
properly and given opportunities. My
question is whether the manager, Brendan Rodgers, identified where his team had
problems last season and addressed them through the transfer market, or instead
bought in volume, including for positions where his squad already has adequate
cover.
Damien Comolli, the club’s former Director of Football
Strategy, attracted fierce criticism last week when he suggested that Liverpool
has taken a ‘massive risk’ by bringing in eight players in close season. Comolli, who was in charge of recruiting talent
to Anfield, was sacked from his post and he can’t be regarded as an impartial commentator,
but he might have a point.
To field eight newcomers in the first match of the season -
against Stoke - would mean incredible disruption, but, despite another
significant investment by Liverpool, it’s almost inconceivable that Brendan
Rodgers will make those changes. Yet
there are still positions where the squad has serious weaknesses. So what was the strategy driving the summer
spending spree?
At the end of last season, it seemed the ‘spine’ of
Liverpool’s team was where its problems mainly lay.
The goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet, recovered well from a dismal
start to the campaign, but the consensus was that some proper competition for
his position was needed. The Croat defender,
Dejan Lovren, was an unadulterated failure and the club clearly needed a much
better option at centre-back. In
midfield, Steven Gerrard’s departure left a void of dynamism & leadership,
while injuries had taken their toll on Liverpool’s first choice holding
midfielder, Lucas Leiva.
Most famously, Luis Suarez had not been replaced after Anfield to go to Barcelona
the previous summer and Brendan Rodgers badly needed another goal-scorer,
particularly with Daniel Sturridge spending more time on the treatment table
than in training.
There were other frailties too. Particularly in the full-back positions,
where the Spaniards Moreno and Manquillo had fallen short of expectations for a
Premier League club aspiring to be in the Champions League.
Admittedly, there have been signings for some of these
problem areas. For instance, securing
James Milner’s services was a genuine coup for Liverpool. The Yorkshireman is consistent, experienced
and he’ll attack effectively from midfield positions. It wasn’t possible to replace a player like
Steven Gerrard, but signing Milner is a decent attempt.
At right back, Nathaniel Clyne, purchased from Southampton,
looks like he will strengthen the team, adding an unfussy, competent attitude
to defensive duties, allied with the ability to get forward. He inspires more confidence than an ageing
Glen Johnson.
Brendan Rodgers has bought an expensive striker too. Christian Benteke wasn’t most fans first
choice candidate to lead the attack, but he has an international reputation and
scored goals for Aston Villa, in the Premier League. We’ll find out whether choosing Benteke is
the right decision, but, in theory at least, he’s ready to go straight into the
Liverpool team and addresses a genuine weakness.
In other areas, though, the strategy behind transfers has
not been so obvious.
Rodgers bought a goalkeeper.
However, Adam Bogdan is 27 years old and spent the last eight years at
Bolton Wanderers. He’s unlikely to
challenge Simon Mignolet for a first team place, unless the Belgian plays
catastrophically badly. A young
defender, Joe Gomez, arrived from Charlton.
He’s played well in a number of pre-season friendlies, but his role is
likely to be peripheral for the time being.
The other three signings were attacking players, but not
centre-forwards. Danny Ings and Roberto
Firmino are play-makers who can play in and around the front three. Divock Origi is another un-prolific forward,
who can play up front or a little wider.
Liverpool already has the likes of Coutinho, Lallana, Markovic and
Jordan Ibe, competing for these positions.
That’s not to mention more conventional midfielders like Can, Henderson
and Allen, the first choice centre-forward, Daniel Sturridge, or younger
hopefuls like Brannagan, Rossiter and Dunn.
The arrival of Firmino, who cost £21 million, caused quite a
bit of excitement. I can’t pretend to
know very much about his abilities, but I question whether Liverpool’s priority
this summer should have been signing a Brazilian play-maker, given that they’ve
already got a tremendously good one in Phillipe Coutinho. Meanwhile the weaknesses at centre-back, left
back and defensive midfield have not been addressed.
From the friendly games so far you would assume that
Liverpool intends to play four defenders this year. James Milner and club captain Jordan
Henderson are likely to be selected in midfield, presuming they stay fit. Having cost £32.5 million, Christian Benteke
is going to be picked, more often than not, as the team’s centre forward.
That leaves three empty spots for the plethora of tricksy
playmakers stroke forwards stroke attacking midfielders stroke wingers who
Brendan Rodgers likes to collect (and, actually, for a balanced line-up it
would be best if one of those positions were occupied by a deeper midfielder). Phillipe Coutinho was the club’s best player
last season and Firmino cost a fortune, so, even allowing for injuries and the
Europa League, it’s difficult to see why so many similar players are needed.
Have Brendan Rodgers and his colleagues really evaluated
carefully how they want Liverpool to play and bought what they need to realise
that vision, or have they bought on the basis of availability? What is the point of buying someone who might
be very similar or no better than a player you’ve already got? Should there not have been clearer
priorities, based on a smaller number of problem positions?
I hope the answers will be clear as the season progresses
but, for the time being, I’m sceptical.
Comments