Liverpool's season is now over, the Premier League finish will be fourth (on a few more points than was needed to secure third last season) and there will be no consolations in the cups. A simple explanation of Liverpool's poor league showing (in a four horse race finishing fourth is poor) is that the first team can compete with anyone - but the back-up is inadequate.
Rafa Benitez has built a big squad at Anfield in his four years, but it is not quantity that is now needed but quality. If Liverpool move on ten fringe players in order to bring in four first-teamers a title challenge would have significantly more depth. The players that need to be moved on are easy to spot.
In goal Charles-Hubert Itandje has been given seven domestic cup games and has conceded goals against the likes of Cardiff, Luton, Havant and Barnsley; at 25 years-old he simply doesn't look good enough. In defence Sami Hyypia, like Didi Hamman before him, is now struggling, John Arne Riise is increasingly error prone and Steve Finnan's previously impeccable consistency has been undermined by niggling injuries. In midfield Harry Kewell will clearly be off this summer, with Sebastian Leto likely to join him. Up front Andriy Voronin is short of the required quality.
But those seven players are unlikely to generate much more than a nominal transfer pot; so players that are unsettled but plainly good enough may have to be considered. Peter Crouch is unhappy on the bench and is not pressuring Torres and doesn't really fit either of the two flanking roles - so is probably superfluous, the £10m he would generate is therefore great value. There must be a better right-sided midfielder available than Dirk Kuyt, who is willing but limited - but would still probably be worth £6m. Jermaine Pennant has not burst through at Anfield but would still yield a promising £7m. Scott Carson's value is probably somewhere around the £5m mark - but Liverpool need a decent understudy to Pepe Reina and there would be little value in selling and replacing.
The big potential sale is of course Xabi Alonso, who is regularly linked with a move to Spain; the continental sides don't tend to overpay for defensive midfielders (which was why Chelsea were able to buy Claude Makelele at his peak for barely £16m) so £15m would probably be the top price available - about the same that Gareth Barry could be acquired for.
So selling Alonso, Pennant, Kuyt, Crouch and six or seven fringe players would probably yield around £45m which if added to by £20m from the owners would give a transfer pot sufficient to land reinforcements in every major position: Daniel Alves to make a much needed progressive full-back, David Bentley and Gareth Barry would improve the midfield energy and creativity, a left-winger/striker like Roma's Mancini would encourage Babel and probably a young fourth striker could be bought and allowed to be brought through gradually.
The article is courtesy from SquareFootball.
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Personally, I would prefer these players as Liverpool’s next season first eleven (should Benitez managed to buy them of course):
Formation: 4-3-3
GK – Reina
LB/LWB – Gareth Bale/Philip Lahm
RB/RWB – Dani Alves/Sergio Ramos
CB(left) – Agger/Skrtel
CB(right) – Carragher/Woodgate
CM(left) – Barry/Karim Benzema
DM – Mascherano/Yahya Toure
CM(right) – Gerrard/Alonso
LW – Babel/Downing
RW – Bentley/Lennon
ST – Torres/Bojan
Your views on this is highly appreciated. Thanks.
Rafa Benitez has built a big squad at Anfield in his four years, but it is not quantity that is now needed but quality. If Liverpool move on ten fringe players in order to bring in four first-teamers a title challenge would have significantly more depth. The players that need to be moved on are easy to spot.
In goal Charles-Hubert Itandje has been given seven domestic cup games and has conceded goals against the likes of Cardiff, Luton, Havant and Barnsley; at 25 years-old he simply doesn't look good enough. In defence Sami Hyypia, like Didi Hamman before him, is now struggling, John Arne Riise is increasingly error prone and Steve Finnan's previously impeccable consistency has been undermined by niggling injuries. In midfield Harry Kewell will clearly be off this summer, with Sebastian Leto likely to join him. Up front Andriy Voronin is short of the required quality.
But those seven players are unlikely to generate much more than a nominal transfer pot; so players that are unsettled but plainly good enough may have to be considered. Peter Crouch is unhappy on the bench and is not pressuring Torres and doesn't really fit either of the two flanking roles - so is probably superfluous, the £10m he would generate is therefore great value. There must be a better right-sided midfielder available than Dirk Kuyt, who is willing but limited - but would still probably be worth £6m. Jermaine Pennant has not burst through at Anfield but would still yield a promising £7m. Scott Carson's value is probably somewhere around the £5m mark - but Liverpool need a decent understudy to Pepe Reina and there would be little value in selling and replacing.
The big potential sale is of course Xabi Alonso, who is regularly linked with a move to Spain; the continental sides don't tend to overpay for defensive midfielders (which was why Chelsea were able to buy Claude Makelele at his peak for barely £16m) so £15m would probably be the top price available - about the same that Gareth Barry could be acquired for.
So selling Alonso, Pennant, Kuyt, Crouch and six or seven fringe players would probably yield around £45m which if added to by £20m from the owners would give a transfer pot sufficient to land reinforcements in every major position: Daniel Alves to make a much needed progressive full-back, David Bentley and Gareth Barry would improve the midfield energy and creativity, a left-winger/striker like Roma's Mancini would encourage Babel and probably a young fourth striker could be bought and allowed to be brought through gradually.
The article is courtesy from SquareFootball.
_________________________________________________
Personally, I would prefer these players as Liverpool’s next season first eleven (should Benitez managed to buy them of course):
Formation: 4-3-3
GK – Reina
LB/LWB – Gareth Bale/Philip Lahm
RB/RWB – Dani Alves/Sergio Ramos
CB(left) – Agger/Skrtel
CB(right) – Carragher/Woodgate
CM(left) – Barry/Karim Benzema
DM – Mascherano/Yahya Toure
CM(right) – Gerrard/Alonso
LW – Babel/Downing
RW – Bentley/Lennon
ST – Torres/Bojan
Your views on this is highly appreciated. Thanks.
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