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Liverpool are in a fix as their efforts to rebuild at the club are being hindered by the unsettling comments of Luis Suarez. Manager Brendan Rodgers made a marked difference to the team’s performance by bringing his pointed footballing philosophy to the team. However, all that good work will be undone if Suarez leaves Anfield this season. Liverpool need a goalscorer of his capability inspite of the the incoming Iago Aspas and January signing Daniel Sturridge. Suarez contributed 30 goals in all competitions for Liverpool and more than a few assists. He is key to Liverpool’s footballing fortunes next season; his presence and absence can be the difference between Champions League qualification and yet another mediocre finish.
However, Liverpool have shown intent in this transfer window, so much so that Rodgers seems unfazed by the comments of Suarez, indicating that he intends to go ahead with the consolidation at Anfield. He is said to be targeting Shakhtar Donetsk’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a deal that, if accomplished, will considerably boost the confidence of the Anfield faithful. He is one of the most exciting play-makers in European football and seems suited to the style of football that Rodgers prefers. Iago Aspas is also a good addition to the squad but it remains to be seen how the former Celta Vigo striker will adapt to the pace of the Premier League.
If we consider Liverpool’s current squad and take into consideration the fact that the Uruguay striker is set to leave Anfield, then the only striking option that Liverpool are left with, who can at least partly fill those shoes, is Daniel Sturridge. The former Manchester City player exhibited wonderful skills in front of the goal in the last half of the season, finishing strongly with a hat-trick against Fulham. He finished the season with 11 goals and 3 assists for Liverpool in just 21 league appearances and that stat augurs well for Liverpool as he is only likely to improve next season.
Sturridge is not a one-dimensional striker who plays at the head of the formation. He participates in building the attack and the goal against Swansea scored by Jose Enrique was a testament to this fact. He is an intelligent footballer who has great positional awareness and is always mobile on the pitch, running into spaces where he can become a threat to the opposition. His excellent dummy in one of the initial games he played for Liverpool set up Luis Suarez on goal. He has the ability to strike the ball from long range as he exhibited against former club Manchester City. To put it in a nutshell, apart from his horrible dancing skills, he is a terrific player to have at Anfield. His potential was certainly under-utilized at Chelsea and City; Liverpool have offered him the perfect role and he has responded positively.
However, the question remains if he can be the primary striker for Liverpool once Suarez leaves. There is a definite doubt about that because of his vulnerability to injury. In his brief Liverpool career, he has already limped off the pitch a couple of times and he is currently undergoing rehabilitation for an ankle injury that might threaten his pre-season. Even though he has a good conversion rate in front of goal, he is not a dead ball specialist like Luis Suarez. Suarez scored a number of free kicks for Liverpool last season and his recent exhibition at the Confederations Cup is yet another illustration of that talent of his.
Fabio Borini has had a faulty start to his Liverpool career but he scored a goal at the fag-end of the season, igniting some hope that he can still make a mark at the club. He scored against the Netherlands U-21 team for Italy in the semi-finals of the U-21 European Championships. He will come back an improved player from there and will only strengthen with pre-season training under Rodgers. He will also benefit from the competition that he will find within the squad.
It remains to be seen how Liverpool cope with the Suarez affair, whether they tighten up and refuse to listen to offers on him or cash in on him when he is anyway unavailable for the first six games for Liverpool. If they do cash in, the Anfield faithful will hope that Liverpool invest in an established striker to replace his goal-scoring ability so that Sturridge can continue to play that role that he played with Suarez. That will be Liverpool’s best chance to reach the Top 4, otherwise a quiet nervousness will definitely surround Anfield.
