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18 league titles, five Champions League titles and quite a lot of domestic cups; it's safe to say Liverpool are a pretty successful club in England. However, over the last decade or so, they have faded into irrelevancy, partly owing to the way the club has been run and some of the decisions taken behind the scenes.
Granted, you need investment to succeed in the modern-day game -- the examples of Leicester City and Atletico Madrid being aberrations -- but considering how close Liverpool have come and the astronomical lows they have been through in the subsequent seasons, you wonder if they could have taken better decisions in the transfer market.
With that, we take a look at some of the players who are too bad to stay at Liverpool.
#5 Jordan Henderson
The man whom two revered figures in football -- Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish -- wanted, the man who stepped into a certain Steven Gerrard's shoes, Jordan Henderson divides opinion at Merseyside like no other player.
While many back the midfielder for his pressing and at times, passing ability, going on to state that the impact of Henderson is clear when he doesn't play for Liverpool, others can point out the blatant stats which are against Henderson more often than not.
It would be unfair to compare Henderson to Gerrard, but it's hard to figure what he brings to the team apart from being an engine in the midfield. Of course, there are games where he'll play that outstanding pass from his own half to create a goal or start a counter, but being the deepest midfielder just doesn't suit Henderson.
Liverpool's defence to attack transitions often involve Henderson at the heart, but the same can't be said when they are making a transition from attack to defence. He isn't the best at winning tackles or mopping up second balls from set-pieces, so he isn't doing what a midfielder sitting deep should do. If Liverpool want to challenge the likes of Man United and Man City for the title, they'll need someone like a Kante, Matic or Fernandinho.
#4 Lazar Markovic
It's easy to see why Lazar Markovic was the talk of the town a few years ago when he was at Benfica. The lad had searing pace, could dribble and was on course to become a good winger. However, he was perhaps too young to move at the time.
Signed for £20m from the Portuguese side, Markovic was just 20 back then. While we have seen youngsters impressing in a foreign league at that tender age, Markovic's problem was he moved despite not being a top player at Benfica. Hell, he wasn't used regularly in one position, which kind of gave Brendan Rodgers, the then Liverpool manager, the chance to try and shoehorn him into a wing-back role that failed miserably.
Markovic has never really recovered from a drab first season and apart from a string of pre-season games, hasn't had the chance. A part of the reason is that he has often looked out of sorts. You get the feeling he can only perform in an average team where he isn't expected to do anything, which is why his performance briefly improved at Hull City last season.
With Markovic showing no signs of improving, Liverpool should get rid of the player.
#3 Daniel Sturridge
Ah, one half of the famous SAS that nearly won Liverpool the league and perhaps the only reason why he's at the club. Liverpool seem to trust players more than anyone, which is why they've often taken ages before going anywhere close to challenging for the league title.
Had Sturridge been at a club like Manchester City or Chelsea, he would have been shipped out a long time back. But hey, this is Liverpool, where average players tend to stay on and the better ones move to bigger clubs who can actually challenge for major titles on a periodic basis.
The myth that always comes up with Sturridge is when he's fit, he's a good striker who can score goals. Comment? Porky-pies. Sturridge was prolific in the 2013-14 season when he mustered 21 league goals. His telepathy with Suarez was deadly. But since the latter's departure, Sturridge's goals per shots ratio has worsened with every passing season.
In the 2013-14 season, he had an impressive ratio of a goal every 4.71 shots. In the 2015-16 campaign, it worsened to 6. In the more recent 2016-17 season, he had a terrible conversion rate of a goal every 13 shots, which is unacceptable for a striker, let alone one who is supposed to be 'good' when he's fit.
Apart from his falling standards, Sturridge simply can not be trusted to last a whole season under Jurgen Klopp's style. The club should get rid of him for good.
#2 Simon Mignolet
Another player who has had more bad days than good. Mignolet's debut was a game to remember as he saved a Jonathan Walters penalty to help Liverpool win their opening game of the 2013-14 season. But after a bright start, he has sort of flattered to deceive.
Signed from Sunderland, the custodian is a decent shot-stopper. But all the good work he does is often ruined by his ridiculous reading of the game in set-piece situations. The average height of a Premier League goalkeeper is 6'3" and Mignolet is taller than that, but despite that, he has rarely been convincing while coming out and dealing with crosses from open play or corners.
Another area where he has often failed is in his distribution. He isn't the best with the ball at his feet. Perhaps I'm being harsh having seen Pepe Reina for all those years. The Spaniard was a master keeper with the ball at his feet and could ping a pass or two in a game to start a counter. But Mignolet? Nope, he doesn't come anywhere close.
His record this season has been awful: he is 18th in the league in terms of saves. For a side who have conceded 18 goals, the worst amongst the top seven, that's not something to be proud of, is it?
#1 Dejan Lovren
Ask any Liverpool fan and they'd tell you the sooner they sell Lovren the better. Problem is, he recently signed a four-year contract extension and could stay put for a few years. Liverpool's lack of defensive cover just adds to the aforementioned claim; they won't be selling him unless they sign a couple of good defenders first.
Klopp, for reasons known only to him, believes in Lovren. While it's unfair to put all the blame on Lovren considering Liverpool's midfield can't get a thing right when the ball is in their own half and they're off it, you have to question why the 28-year-old has messed up simple clearances and passes that ought to have been intercepted.
The recent game against Tottenham, where Liverpool were thoroughly dominated and Lovren, in particular, had a chastening experience, got the Croatian a lot of abuse. The more games he messes up, the higher the pressure will be. It's hard to see how he'll turn it around at Merseyside. So it's about time the club look at someone else at the back.
