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Not so long ago, a magician named Luis Suarez seemed to have got the glory days back to Liverpool football club. But, All that seems to be a thing of the past as the 2014-15 season proved to be a dismal season for the club as they failed to adjust to life without the Premier League’s top scorer.
Many people fail to understand how the Premier League runners-up of the 2013-14 campaign could spend over 100 million in the summer transfer window but still fail to finish in the top 4. The answer lies in the fact that there was too much investment in young talent and the model at Liverpool football club looked more towards focusing on quantity rather than quality.
There seems to be no doubt that Chelsea used the safer route to the transfer window and signed two quality players in Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas and it was the trio of Hazard, Costa & Fabregas that was pivotal to Chelsea lifting the Premier League trophy in 2014-15.
What Next for Liverpool?
It is essential that Liverpool learn from their mistakes and work towards signing quality players that can work as role models for the heap of young talent already present at Liverpool. The loss of club legend Steven Gerrard to LA Galaxy as well as long-serving right-back Glen Johnson has made it even more important that Liverpool look towards adding quality to the lineup.
The signings of Danny Ings, James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne & Roberto Firmino look to be a step in the right direction but Liverpool still seem to be far away from having the squad to compete with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea & Arsenal for the top 4.
It was clear during the 2014-15 campaign that Liverpool's weakness lied in the attacking areas and that is something they need to address in the current transfer window especially because their star striker, Daniel Sturridge, spent most of the season in the treatment room and new signings Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert failed to live up to the expectations of filling the void left by the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.
The Merseyside club have shown glimpses of free flowing passing in the 2014-15 campaign with the likes of Lallana, Coutinho, Sterling & Henderson linking up well but a blend of inconsistency and injuries to key players meant that Liverpool fell short in the crucial stages losing at home to the likes of Manchester United & Chelsea and crashing on the final day of the season against a dominant Stoke side.
Is Rodgers still the right man for the job?
The Fenway Sports Group seems to have made the correct decision by giving Brendan another chance to prove himself in front of the Anfield faithful as well as the Liverpool board. Rodgers’ side seemed to be clicking well in the 2014-15 season when they were at full strength with a fit Sturridge in the strike force and Emre Can, Markovic & Lallana showing glimpses of why they were bought in for so much money.
The truth lies in the fact that there is no suitable managerial replacement available in the market with the former Dortmund manager , Klopp, looking for a break from managerial duties. With a few quality signings and a change in backroom staff, Rodgers could be able to bring the exciting football back to the Liverpool side.
The club have been linked with a number of players including Benteke, Reus, Lacazette as well as Higuain and it seems to be the latter who could be the answer to the missing link in Brendan Rodgers’ side. With contract rebel Sterling being linked to a move to Manchester City, Liverpool could have some cash to splash on a quality proven goalscorer who could steer Liverpool back to the top 4 and beyond.
