Arsenal have always been England’s best ‘selling’ club until recent times, when they sold superstar and club captain Robin van Persie to Manchester United. The Gunners have since decided to catch up with other rivals and use their financial might to buy some of their own choice of stars.
On the other hand, Liverpool have not exactly been as successful in creating world class stars as Arsenal, but there have been a few instances like Fernando Torres being sold for huge money and now Luis Suarez making a record move to Barca. With hard cash in hand, Liverpool are desperate to improve on squad depth and compensate for the loss of their talisman, who was their heartbeat last season helping the Reds fight neck to neck with the mighty Manchester City and Chelsea.
Liverpool must not panic
We do not need any more panic buys from the Reds this time after the Andy Carroll and Stuart Downing disaster. However, Brendan Rodgers is a clever manager and buys only who he needs, which puts trust and confidence in the fans. But seldom has he been in a situation where he has a lot of money and not enough stars to replace his best player who has left the club. Luis Suarez leaves a void that would mostly force Rodgers into changing his tactics altogether and we may not see the ‘diamond formation’ anymore. He has already invested in young prodigy Lazar Markovic, an attacking midfielder/winger who would share the same spot with Sterling, Lallana and Coutinho.
Now is the time for Rodgers to avoid overspending and start spending wisely. Till now he has done a pretty decent job, perhaps slightly over-paying for Markovic. Arsenal all these years, have coped up pretty well. People can arguably blame Arsene Wenger for not being ambitious enough and letting stars go without mounting a challenge for trophies, but his team sustained under the pressure to never drop out of the top four.
Liverpool should now aim to consolidate their top four spot as they are now directly attacked by Manchester United, who have more marquee players currently and a new manager who is definitely ambitious. Playing in the Champions League and maintaining pressure on league leaders requires good squad depth and at least a few world class players. Liverpool could have easily been title contenders with a few signings if Suarez was still with them, but without Suarez, the scorer and creator of more than half of their goal tally last season, their team looks weaker than that of their bitter rivals Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Panicking and buying too many average players or future prospects or gambling big on other leagues’ stars can lead to arbitrary results. As of now, the Reds have signed future superstar Emre Can, back-up target man Ricky Lambert, Southampton’s best player and captain Adam Lallana for attacking midfield and another future prospect Lazar Markovic. We can expect all of these players to be involved with decent game time, but Liverpool need a couple of players who wouldn’t cost them a fortune but also help them to edge Manchester United to the top 4 spot based on quality of the players.
New Rumours and Final Verdict:
There are fresh rumours, though they are pretty unbelievable ones that are linking German star Marco Reus with a Liverpool switch. That can enable Liverpool to play exactly the same way they played last season, as Reus is a very versatile attacking player capable of giving his best in a number of positions. But the transfer looks far-fetched as of now.
The final point should be that Liverpool must not spend all of their profit they made on Suarez in this transfer window. They may not get the best players in this summer and could get exactly whom they want, and in form players in the coming season. They have one in form striker in Sturridge and a decent back-up in Lambert. Rodgers can now aim for a good quality centre forward who can be rotated with Sturridge and Lambert and can effectively ensure Liverpool’s journey for the top four and play decent in the Champions League, at least till the winter window.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger did a pretty good job when he was forced to sell van Persie whom he replaced with three good quality players in Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla, who ensured their top four. Wenger is heavily criticised for giving up on trophies by playing the ideal way and using a lot of ‘youngsters’ for cup games, but that is how he consolidated the Gunners, who are now contenders with promising depth in the squad and of course a new medical staff! Brendan Rodgers won’t need 9 years without trophies to build stability, he could do with one season’s work and reap the rewards next year.
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