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The scene of Steven Gerrard delivering an inspirational talk to a huddle after the win against Manchester City and of Luis Suarez crying his heart out after the draw against Crystal Palace pretty much sums up the amount of emotion that went into Liverpool’s Premier League campaign last season. They were the underdogs in the title race and at one stage, even threatened to steal it from under the noses of all the favourites.
The credit to their ceremonious rise from an inconsistent mid-table side to serious title contenders is deservedly shared by each and every player in the squad as well as that amazing tactician off the pitch – Brendan Rodgers. They had an inspirational captain in Gerrard, a deadly strike combo in Suarez and Daniel Sturridge and youngsters who stood tall when it mattered most. Even fringe players like Victor Moses and Iago Aspas deserve a mention for not making a fuss over limited playing time.
The team functioned as a single unit and the final outcome was a pleasing one. As Rodgers prepares his side for a big season ahead with Champions League football arriving at Anfield after a 4-year hiatus, the loss of his deadliest strike weapon will probably be hurting him real bad, although he is unlikely to admit it. The question is, even for a fee of £75 million, can Liverpool afford to lose Suarez?
The answer is likely to be a no.
Suarez will be a tough act to follow
The issue that Rodgers faces is that a like-to-like replacement for Suarez is hard to find. It is not just the goals that make Suarez hard to replace at Liverpool. He is incredibly good in possession and equally good off it, taking on defenders with great success. He can lead the line alone or play alongside a fellow striker, play just behind a lone man or even wide on the left. Moreover, he has got the sort of presence that oozes confidence to his fellow teammates as well.
It is to be noted that while Liverpool notched just 5 goals in the 5 games that Suarez missed, they scored the remaining 96 goals of their campaign in the 33 games that he played. Despite playing as a lone striker in Suarez’s absence, Daniel Sturridge looked more lethal when the Uruguayan striker was around and that shows how Suarez succeeded in lifting the performances of his teammates. At the same time, it is to be noted that in the 9 matches Sturridge failed to appear, Suarez scored 11 goals, proving he is equally good as the sole striker.
Considering the current form, Suarez is equaled probably only by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo now. With the two of the them obviously ruled out, Rodgers falls seriously short of options. Alexis Sanchez was one player who possessed similar characters to Suarez. But the Chilean has joined Arsenal, which means Rodgers has to look elsewhere or within his current side.
Assessing the current lot, Sturridge and Lambert have found the net on a regular basis in the Premier League with 21 and 13 goals respectively, but neither come near the overall quality of Suarez. Suarez averaged 2.82 successful take-ons per match to Sturridge’s 1.28 per game and Lambert’s 0.24 per game. Suarez had 181 shot attempts, while Sturridge had 99 and Lambert had 103.
Looking at the number of chances created per match, Lambert has created 1.43 chances per match for his teammates while Sturridge has always been criticized for being a tad selfish and has just created an average of 1 chance per match. Suarez on the other hand, has created an impressive 2.64 chances/match, which incidentally is even greater than Messi’s 2.42. Therefore, asking Sturridge or Lambert to step into the void left by Suarez looks impractical.
The same can be said about Liverpool’s current attacking targets: Alexandre Cazette, Divock Origi and Wilfried Bony. Each has their strengths, but none of them are a complete package like Suarez. Another significant aspect to be considered is all of the five attacking options mentioned either lack European or English football experience.
Can Benzema or Reus fit the bill?
Despite not being like-to-like replacements for Suarez, the answer to Rodgers’ search will surely be getting one of Karim Benzema or Marco Reus. Either of them would not come cheap and nor would it be easy to convince them to join Liverpool, but they have ample European experience and loads of talent. They could instantly create the sort of impact, Suarez had on the side.
With Rodgers having shored up his midfield with the signings of Lazar Markovic, Emre Can and Adam Lallana, Liverpool would not be short of creativity and the presence of a prolific goalscorer like Benzema will make sure that Suarez would not be heavily missed. Reus created the most number of chances last season and also scored 16 goals. Statistically, Reus is quite similar to Suarez except that Suarez has almost double the goals Reus has scored.
Thus, it is quite evident that if Sturridge and company can really up their game, signing either one of the two will likely be the final jigsaw Rodgers need. Else, it is going to be a tough season ahead at Anfield.
