Liverpool have not enjoyed the greatest of starts to the new Premier League season. Though it was always expected to be a challenge with added Champions League commitments to worry about – whose absence last year Liverpool thrived on as they secured a memorable second-placed finish in the league – the lacklustre way in which they have generally performed thus far has come as a surprise, and after just five games the Reds have already lost half the number of games they managed during the whole of last season.
While there are many factors which can be attributed to Liverpool’s travails – not least their defensive shortcomings, which one could conceivably write a hefty tome on – the Reds midfield in particular has been the subject of criticism.
Though Jordan Henderson – and to a lesser extent, Joe Allen – continue to develop and impress, there is a feeling that Liverpool remain lightweight in the middle of the park and are prone to being overwhelmed by teams which possess more agile and energetic midfielders. Despite having his best campaign for a number of years last season, the ageing Steven Gerrard has often looked out of his depth as the anchorman protecting the back four, while the increasingly immobile Lucas Leiva’s Liverpool days appear to be numbered.
For all their hectic transfer dealings over the summer, what Liverpool really needed was a combative, athletic defensive midfielder to provide cover – or even competition – for the Reds skipper and to bring some much-needed physical presence into the side.
Here are FIVE realistic targets that the Reds should have considered over the summer…
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Click on Brendan Rodgers to reveal
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Mohamed Diamé, Hull City
Hull City’s recent recruit from West Ham United has for a long time been one of the Premier League’s most underrated players. For a man of his stature he possesses an impressive degree of technical ability and his close ball control can be exemplary.
The £3.5 million release clause which was contained in his contract at West Ham was known for a long time, which begs the question why more clubs didn’t try to secure his services over the summer.
Liverpool’s loss is very much Hull City’s gain, as the Reds would certainly have benefitted from the Senegalese’s physicality and athleticism, and for such a low price he would hardly have represented a gamble. Having scored two goals in his first two games for the Tigers – the second a magnificent strike against Newcastle – Diamé also offers attacking threat, which Liverpool’s current defensive midfield pairing do not.
Victor Wanyama, Southampton
After two successful years at Celtic, the Kenyan midfielder earned a move to Southampton for £12.5 million last season, and despite his modest start with the Saints, Wanyama is a player who still has enormous potential.
At 23 years of age, he made his debut for the Kenyan national team when he was just 15, and became its captain last year. Another physical, combative midfielder, Wanyama excelled in the defensvie midfield role for Celtic, with his goalscoring performance against Barcelona in the Champions League being a particular highlight – a four-minute video focused solely on his game in the match can be found on YouTube and is well worth a watch.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is known for his effectiveness at nurturing youth, so Anfield is a place where Wanyama could have thrived. A well-taken goal against Swansea last weekend – his first for Southampton – suggests that Wanyama is beginning to adapt to Premier League football, and with time still on the Kenyan’s side this is an option that the Reds may wish to pursue in the future.
Xabi Alonso, Bayern Munich
The return of an old fan favourite is bound to boost morale at any football club, and when that favourite comes in the form of the ex-Spanish international it is likely to improve the midfield as well. Alonso enjoyed five memorable seasons at Liverpool, and many Reds fans were understandably aggrieved when Rafael Benitez’ inexplicable and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to replace him with Gareth Barry eventually saw him leave the club for Real Madrid in 2009.
At the age of 32, Alonso remains one of the best passers in world football, and his experience and composure on the ball would undoubtedly have been welcomed again at Liverpool. A vintage, archetypal defensive midfielder, Alonso would have provided protection for the Liverpool backline, as well as a template on how to perform the role effectively for Steven Gerrard, whose conversion into a deep-lying holding midfielder has only been a recent one.
Despite opting over the summer to play out the twilight days of his football career with German giants Bayern Munich, the Spaniard would have been a realistic target for the Reds – he still sees himself as a Liverpool supporter and returns to Anfield to watch games as often as he can. Sadly, with his advancing years, a reunion now looks unlikely.
Tom Huddlestone, Hull City
Such a signing may not have garnered much excitement, and picking Huddlestone as a player that Liverpool should potentially have pursued is likely to be met with looks of bemusement on the faces of some of our readers, however the Hull City man was outstanding last season for the Tigers as they reached their first ever FA Cup final.
Huddlestone is a player who does the simple things very well, retaining possession and linking up play in his defensive midfield berth. Though he would never have been a starter for Liverpool, he would certainly have provided effective cover in a season where the Reds will often have to play three games in the space of a week.
Sandro, Queen’s Park Rangers
The fact that the Brazilian international – capped 17 times for his country – was allowed to leave Tottenham Hotspur for relegation candidates QPR for a reasonable fee of £10 million represents another opportunity missed for Liverpool.
The Reds should not theoretically be targeting a player who was deemed surplus to requirements by one of their rivals, however Sandro’s departure from White Hart Lane was not a case of the player not being good enough to play for a top-six side, it was more a case of injury preventing him from breaking into the team.
Possessing the now-familiar qualities of physicality and combativeness that Liverpool need, Sandro would have been a useful addition to the Liverpool squad, and at 25 is a player who is yet to reach his peak.