Rafael Benitez seems to be pleading poverty over Liverpool’s transfer budget but I don’t want to hear it. It’s not a lack of money that might de-rail the club’s hopes of winning the title, it’s the way the manager has chosen to spend what funds he had at his disposal.
Only £1.5 million left to buy a centre back? Then why splash out £18.5m on Glen Johnson earlier in the summer? Add in the £20m for Alberto Aquilani and Benitez has spent nearly £40m on an injured midfield player and a right back. I find it strange.
Johnson looked good against Stoke City but his defensive shortcomings will be exposed by stronger opponents. My two problems with his signing is that he is overpriced (Portsmouth have had to sell to survive during the summer) and right back should not have been Liverpool’s priority.
It wasn’t a strength but it wasn’t a problem area either. Jamie Carragher can do a decent job there if need be. Alvaro Arbeloa, sold to Real Madrid for £3.5m, is actually a more solid defender than Johnson. Portsmouth must have thought they had Manchester City on the telephone making the offer, not Liverpool.
There’s nothing wrong with buying big as long as you’re buying in the right areas and it is obvious that Liverpool were and are in dire need of an experienced striker to ease the burden on Fernando Torres. Both Andriy Voronin and David Ngog are not the solution. Voronin showed in his first season that he’s the poor man’s Diego Forlan, not good enough for the Barclays Premier League; and Ngog might be a player one day, but he’s not going to help you win the title this year.
The pressure on Torres will be so great that I wonder whether he’ll have as prolific a year as he should. Liverpool will rely on Steven Gerrard to link up with the Spaniard or he’ll become isolated. If Torres isn’t getting involved, the temptation will be for Liverpool to pump the ball long out of desperation but that doesn’t suit his game and defenders will clatter a player who we know is prone to niggling injuries.
Liverpool’s best XI is a very good side but there isn’t the depth in attack that Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal or even Tottenham Hotspur have. If United only had Wayne Rooney up front, how many people would tip them for the title?
Benitez has done great things at Anfield but he does seem to have blind spots. It’s almost as if the failure of Robbie Keane at Liverpool has put him off buying another striker - as if the manager is worried about a second high-priced forward proving a flop. He didn’t give Keane much of a chance to prove himself. Yet it’s so clear that a centre forward to take the heat off Torres is no less vital now than a year ago when Keane joined.
Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t stop signing passing midfield players just because Juan Sebastian Veron was a flop. He decided that was the kind of player he needed, so he went for Michael Carrick, who worked out. That’s a far more logical transfer strategy than the one we’re seeing at Liverpool.
Only £1.5 million left to buy a centre back? Then why splash out £18.5m on Glen Johnson earlier in the summer? Add in the £20m for Alberto Aquilani and Benitez has spent nearly £40m on an injured midfield player and a right back. I find it strange.
Johnson looked good against Stoke City but his defensive shortcomings will be exposed by stronger opponents. My two problems with his signing is that he is overpriced (Portsmouth have had to sell to survive during the summer) and right back should not have been Liverpool’s priority.
It wasn’t a strength but it wasn’t a problem area either. Jamie Carragher can do a decent job there if need be. Alvaro Arbeloa, sold to Real Madrid for £3.5m, is actually a more solid defender than Johnson. Portsmouth must have thought they had Manchester City on the telephone making the offer, not Liverpool.
There’s nothing wrong with buying big as long as you’re buying in the right areas and it is obvious that Liverpool were and are in dire need of an experienced striker to ease the burden on Fernando Torres. Both Andriy Voronin and David Ngog are not the solution. Voronin showed in his first season that he’s the poor man’s Diego Forlan, not good enough for the Barclays Premier League; and Ngog might be a player one day, but he’s not going to help you win the title this year.
The pressure on Torres will be so great that I wonder whether he’ll have as prolific a year as he should. Liverpool will rely on Steven Gerrard to link up with the Spaniard or he’ll become isolated. If Torres isn’t getting involved, the temptation will be for Liverpool to pump the ball long out of desperation but that doesn’t suit his game and defenders will clatter a player who we know is prone to niggling injuries.
Liverpool’s best XI is a very good side but there isn’t the depth in attack that Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal or even Tottenham Hotspur have. If United only had Wayne Rooney up front, how many people would tip them for the title?
Benitez has done great things at Anfield but he does seem to have blind spots. It’s almost as if the failure of Robbie Keane at Liverpool has put him off buying another striker - as if the manager is worried about a second high-priced forward proving a flop. He didn’t give Keane much of a chance to prove himself. Yet it’s so clear that a centre forward to take the heat off Torres is no less vital now than a year ago when Keane joined.
Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t stop signing passing midfield players just because Juan Sebastian Veron was a flop. He decided that was the kind of player he needed, so he went for Michael Carrick, who worked out. That’s a far more logical transfer strategy than the one we’re seeing at Liverpool.
2 comments:
Torres is number one striker!!!
It's true that Liverpool need another forward to help Torres. Last season he wa injured and it really showed how thin the squad is. Torres is perhaps the best striker in Europe but he needs a good replacement and a good partner. I agree witht the post that Benitez needs to look past the Keane fiasco and go after a good forward if he really wants the title this season.
Post a Comment