18 Yard Box's Rishabh Ghai has a look at what Liverpool have done to improve upon their dismal performance of the last season.
Its been a long time since the Reds have actually challenged for the league. In this race of hare and the tortoise, United have stolen their thunder. Reaching a record 19th title in the 2010-2011 season, United stamped their authority over the tag of the England's best club ever.
While United are on their way top Liverpool have suffered alot. A radical change since the departure of Rafael Benitez sees the Liverpool decaying with only few glimpses of their old self. Resorting back to their original 'King' Kenny did little to help Liverpool regain their former glory.
The impatient board has thought that a change is needed and a change is certainly what Liverpool are undergoing. 18 Yard Box has a look at the transfer dealings Liverpool have been involved in this summer and also analyses how they will fair this season
What they lacked last season
Overspending especially on wrong players saw Liverpool lose their financial resources last season. Moreover selling Meireles to Chelsea and sending Joe Cole away to Lille was a poor gamble played by Kenny Dalglish. The midfield looked out of sorts with the slow coach Charlie Adam not replicating his Blackpool form for the Merseysiders. Steven Gerrard spent most of his time on the sidelines and the goal scoring burden lay entirely in the hands of Luis Suarez. The South American wasted a lot of opportunities that came his way and still continues to do so. The other big disappointment was the 35 million man Andy Carroll. Getting rare opportunities to play, Carroll never looked the man to lead the Liverpool attack.
Liverpool lacked what most top teams dont. A top home form. Liverpool were very poor at their once upon a time fortress. Losing and drawing most of their matches at home, Liverpool failed to capitalize on the home advantage.
A poor attack backed by a poor midfield lead to Liverpool's demise last season.
Ins and Outs
IN: Joe Allen (Swansea, £15m), Fabio Borini (Roma, £10m), Oussamma Assaidi (Heereven , £2.5m), Nuri Sahin (loan, Real Madrid)
OUT: Alberto Aquilani (Fiorentina, free), Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbahce, £1m), Maxi Rodriguez (Newell's Old Boys, undisclosed), David Amoo (Preston, free), Fabio Aurelio (Gremio, free), Craig Bellamy (Cardiff, free), Stephen Darby (Bradford City, free), Lewis Hatch (Accrington Stanley, free), Joe Rafferty (Rochdale, free), Toni Silva (Barnsley, free), Connor Wearing (Shrewsbury, free), Charlie Adam (undisclosed, Stoke City), Andy Carroll (loan, West Ham United), Jay Spearing (loan, Bolton Wanderers).
What they improved upon
New manger brings a new hope for the Merseysiders. The recruitment of Joe Allen and the call for Sterling from the youth set up have been the best things to happen for Liverpool this season. Bredan Rodgers has tried to instill the possession game which he so famously did at Swansea. For this very reason he has bought in the likes of Joe Allen to control the midfield. Moreover the loan signing of Nuri Sahin makes sense since Liverpool lack depth following Lucas' injury problems. The Real Madrid midfielder has already impressed many with his performances so far and looks to be one of the additions of the season. Shelvey has also looked impressive and certainly the future for Liverpool is bright.
The capture of Fabio Borini has also helped ease the pressure on Suarez. The former Roma and Chelsea man is looking for goals this season and will surely help share the goal scoring burden once he gets going.
Where they still lack
Liverpool's home form is still not good enough. Moreover losing to teams like West Brom this season has costed them dearly. Borini hasnt got going and Liverpool still lack the striking option other than Suarez. The selling of the hard working Dirt Kuyt was a poor decision as the Netherlands man would have helped Suarez by sharing goals.
To add to this Liverpool's defence lacks serious depth. With the ageing Carragher the only capable centre back to replace Skirtel or Agger, Liverpool will need to sort out their defensive problems quickly.
A poor start to their season has seen Liverpool pick up just a win. With only 5 points from their opening 6 fixtures Liverpool are in a miserable 14th place. Liverpool need to get their season up and running as soon as possible if they want their dreams of a top 4 finish turn into reality.
Buy of the season - Joe Allen
The little midfielder has been in sultry form since his arrival and has added a lot to this Liverpool lineup. Having a vision which most players lack, his passing accuracy is upto 95% in almost all the games he has started. Skillful on the ball and good in attacking has seen him fit straight into Rodgers' eleven for the season. A little more work has to be done on the defensive side of the Welsh midfield man but he has surely made Liverpool 'tick' this season. Addition of Allen has led to Gerrard playing in his natural attacking role and not the holding role which he was mostly used since the departure of Xabi Alonso. Hailed as the new 'Xavi', Allen has been a real great addition to Liverpool's ailing midfield.
Comment: A good squad but a not a great one sees Liverpool again only competing for the top 4 slot rather than the title. Liverpool have bought well in few areas but sold a little too much. Selling of Dirt Kuyt and Andy Carroll has raised eyebrows of where the club is leading to but tying down their talisman Suarez to a new four year deal clearly shows that Liverpool are entering into a new era under Rodgers. But a big question is how long will this era continue? The recent performances suggest not for long. Liverpool would do really well if they come to finishing near the top 4 but a Europa League place looks more likely for the Merseysider and in that too they face serious competition from the likes of Newcastle, West Brom and Everton this season. Liverpool fans have been called to have patience over their new manager but how long can a club like Liverpool F.C, which has such a long history and tradition, wait?
Written By,
Rishabh Ghai
Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International (all English editions) and an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box
Its been a long time since the Reds have actually challenged for the league. In this race of hare and the tortoise, United have stolen their thunder. Reaching a record 19th title in the 2010-2011 season, United stamped their authority over the tag of the England's best club ever.
 |
| Can Rodgers bring back the Benitez era? |
While United are on their way top Liverpool have suffered alot. A radical change since the departure of Rafael Benitez sees the Liverpool decaying with only few glimpses of their old self. Resorting back to their original 'King' Kenny did little to help Liverpool regain their former glory.
The impatient board has thought that a change is needed and a change is certainly what Liverpool are undergoing. 18 Yard Box has a look at the transfer dealings Liverpool have been involved in this summer and also analyses how they will fair this season
What they lacked last season
 |
| Charlie Adam was surely not the answer for Liverpool's midfield woes |
Overspending especially on wrong players saw Liverpool lose their financial resources last season. Moreover selling Meireles to Chelsea and sending Joe Cole away to Lille was a poor gamble played by Kenny Dalglish. The midfield looked out of sorts with the slow coach Charlie Adam not replicating his Blackpool form for the Merseysiders. Steven Gerrard spent most of his time on the sidelines and the goal scoring burden lay entirely in the hands of Luis Suarez. The South American wasted a lot of opportunities that came his way and still continues to do so. The other big disappointment was the 35 million man Andy Carroll. Getting rare opportunities to play, Carroll never looked the man to lead the Liverpool attack.
Liverpool lacked what most top teams dont. A top home form. Liverpool were very poor at their once upon a time fortress. Losing and drawing most of their matches at home, Liverpool failed to capitalize on the home advantage.
A poor attack backed by a poor midfield lead to Liverpool's demise last season.
Ins and Outs
 |
| Liverpool need to see more of this kind of celebration |
IN: Joe Allen (Swansea, £15m), Fabio Borini (Roma, £10m), Oussamma Assaidi (Heereven , £2.5m), Nuri Sahin (loan, Real Madrid)
OUT: Alberto Aquilani (Fiorentina, free), Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbahce, £1m), Maxi Rodriguez (Newell's Old Boys, undisclosed), David Amoo (Preston, free), Fabio Aurelio (Gremio, free), Craig Bellamy (Cardiff, free), Stephen Darby (Bradford City, free), Lewis Hatch (Accrington Stanley, free), Joe Rafferty (Rochdale, free), Toni Silva (Barnsley, free), Connor Wearing (Shrewsbury, free), Charlie Adam (undisclosed, Stoke City), Andy Carroll (loan, West Ham United), Jay Spearing (loan, Bolton Wanderers).
What they improved upon
 |
| Sterling has surely risen to the ocsssion |
New manger brings a new hope for the Merseysiders. The recruitment of Joe Allen and the call for Sterling from the youth set up have been the best things to happen for Liverpool this season. Bredan Rodgers has tried to instill the possession game which he so famously did at Swansea. For this very reason he has bought in the likes of Joe Allen to control the midfield. Moreover the loan signing of Nuri Sahin makes sense since Liverpool lack depth following Lucas' injury problems. The Real Madrid midfielder has already impressed many with his performances so far and looks to be one of the additions of the season. Shelvey has also looked impressive and certainly the future for Liverpool is bright.
The capture of Fabio Borini has also helped ease the pressure on Suarez. The former Roma and Chelsea man is looking for goals this season and will surely help share the goal scoring burden once he gets going.
Where they still lack
 |
| Anflied a fortress no more |
Liverpool's home form is still not good enough. Moreover losing to teams like West Brom this season has costed them dearly. Borini hasnt got going and Liverpool still lack the striking option other than Suarez. The selling of the hard working Dirt Kuyt was a poor decision as the Netherlands man would have helped Suarez by sharing goals.
To add to this Liverpool's defence lacks serious depth. With the ageing Carragher the only capable centre back to replace Skirtel or Agger, Liverpool will need to sort out their defensive problems quickly.
A poor start to their season has seen Liverpool pick up just a win. With only 5 points from their opening 6 fixtures Liverpool are in a miserable 14th place. Liverpool need to get their season up and running as soon as possible if they want their dreams of a top 4 finish turn into reality.
Buy of the season - Joe Allen
 |
| Allen makes Liverpool 'tick' |
The little midfielder has been in sultry form since his arrival and has added a lot to this Liverpool lineup. Having a vision which most players lack, his passing accuracy is upto 95% in almost all the games he has started. Skillful on the ball and good in attacking has seen him fit straight into Rodgers' eleven for the season. A little more work has to be done on the defensive side of the Welsh midfield man but he has surely made Liverpool 'tick' this season. Addition of Allen has led to Gerrard playing in his natural attacking role and not the holding role which he was mostly used since the departure of Xabi Alonso. Hailed as the new 'Xavi', Allen has been a real great addition to Liverpool's ailing midfield.
Comment: A good squad but a not a great one sees Liverpool again only competing for the top 4 slot rather than the title. Liverpool have bought well in few areas but sold a little too much. Selling of Dirt Kuyt and Andy Carroll has raised eyebrows of where the club is leading to but tying down their talisman Suarez to a new four year deal clearly shows that Liverpool are entering into a new era under Rodgers. But a big question is how long will this era continue? The recent performances suggest not for long. Liverpool would do really well if they come to finishing near the top 4 but a Europa League place looks more likely for the Merseysider and in that too they face serious competition from the likes of Newcastle, West Brom and Everton this season. Liverpool fans have been called to have patience over their new manager but how long can a club like Liverpool F.C, which has such a long history and tradition, wait?
Written By,
Rishabh Ghai
Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International (all English editions) and an Editor and writer for 18 Yard Box
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