With a month to go until the new Premier League season ask yourself this: As it stands, have Liverpool for the players that can score the goals to give them the title?
Personally, I don’t think they have. My biggest bug-bear with Liverpool is that they need to realise it’s okay to lose some games as long as you’re trying to win them.
Put another way, the defence is fine, especially now Daniel Agger is back. So forget playing things safe because that’s where draws come from – and Liverpool had far too many of those last year.
They took only one point from almost a third of their games but draws mean nothing now. When it was two points for a win, a draw was half a win but now it’s a third, it’s worthless. Especially when Manchester United and Chelsea are winning so many week-in, week-out.
So my point is, who is going to make sure that if Liverpool go all out to win games that they will score the goals to ensure it happens?
Obvious answer is Fernando Torres.
But 33 goals weren’t enough to sustain a challenge last year and the odds are he won’t score that many again this season. He needs help.
And what if he falls over at Sunderland on the opening day of the season and is out for months?
Now Peter Crouch has gone that currently leaves Andriy Voronin and Dirk Kuyt – and he can’t really be trusted to come in and bang the goals in as he’s been more used to a role wide on the right.
There is of course the possibility of Robbie Keane coming in but good player though he is, he’s more of a streaky scorer.
He’ll go on a run and get 10 in 10 but the that’s half his average season’s tally gone in one go.
He can’t guarantee the kind of regular goalscoring Torres was making a habit last season.
I have to admit that being negative this early on isn’t always wise – I’m sure Rafael Benitez does have some ideas up his sleeve for when the market speeds up.
The Spaniard David Silva would be an exciting addition and although that is unlikely to come off, at least some-one of that ilk would at least get Liverpool some way towards matching the top two in terms of firepower.
But at the moment I think it must be a worry for the Anfield faithful that there isn’t that kind of player they can pinpoint as being good enough to turn them into genuine contenders.
And with Javier Mascherano and Ryan Babel looking set for the Olympics it could be a very tricky start to the season if Benitez is unable to boost his forward line before the big kick-off.
It’s even got to the stage where I’m reading reports of Jermaine Pennant leaving for Blackburn and being concerned about losing him.
After all, he’s quick and creative and in terms of players who can operate in the vital wide areas he is an option.
And Benitez is going to have to gather an awful lot of those in the next month.
Personally, I don’t think they have. My biggest bug-bear with Liverpool is that they need to realise it’s okay to lose some games as long as you’re trying to win them.
Put another way, the defence is fine, especially now Daniel Agger is back. So forget playing things safe because that’s where draws come from – and Liverpool had far too many of those last year.
They took only one point from almost a third of their games but draws mean nothing now. When it was two points for a win, a draw was half a win but now it’s a third, it’s worthless. Especially when Manchester United and Chelsea are winning so many week-in, week-out.
So my point is, who is going to make sure that if Liverpool go all out to win games that they will score the goals to ensure it happens?
Obvious answer is Fernando Torres.
But 33 goals weren’t enough to sustain a challenge last year and the odds are he won’t score that many again this season. He needs help.
And what if he falls over at Sunderland on the opening day of the season and is out for months?
Now Peter Crouch has gone that currently leaves Andriy Voronin and Dirk Kuyt – and he can’t really be trusted to come in and bang the goals in as he’s been more used to a role wide on the right.
There is of course the possibility of Robbie Keane coming in but good player though he is, he’s more of a streaky scorer.
He’ll go on a run and get 10 in 10 but the that’s half his average season’s tally gone in one go.
He can’t guarantee the kind of regular goalscoring Torres was making a habit last season.
I have to admit that being negative this early on isn’t always wise – I’m sure Rafael Benitez does have some ideas up his sleeve for when the market speeds up.
The Spaniard David Silva would be an exciting addition and although that is unlikely to come off, at least some-one of that ilk would at least get Liverpool some way towards matching the top two in terms of firepower.
But at the moment I think it must be a worry for the Anfield faithful that there isn’t that kind of player they can pinpoint as being good enough to turn them into genuine contenders.
And with Javier Mascherano and Ryan Babel looking set for the Olympics it could be a very tricky start to the season if Benitez is unable to boost his forward line before the big kick-off.
It’s even got to the stage where I’m reading reports of Jermaine Pennant leaving for Blackburn and being concerned about losing him.
After all, he’s quick and creative and in terms of players who can operate in the vital wide areas he is an option.
And Benitez is going to have to gather an awful lot of those in the next month.
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