EPL: What is Wrong With Liverpool FC?

EPL: What is wrong with Liverpool FC?

As Liverpool crumbled to a tame 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, it became clear that their early season problems were more serious than perhaps first thought. They now occupy 12th place in the Premier League, having mounted a brilliant title charge last season. Their defeat at Selhurst Park evoked memories of their darkest hour last year when they squandered a 3-0 lead to give up the three points and ultimately the title.

This season they seem to be experiencing a hangover from last years disappointment. The games they have been losing haven’t been the classic energetic displays that we came to expect from them after last season. They tended to come out all guns blazing and blow opponents away in the first twenty minutes, but they don’t seem to be in a position to do the same this year due to a number of factors.

Failing to reinvest Luis Suarez transfer fee successfully

Luis Suarez was always going to leave. You cannot be overly critical of Liverpool letting the Uruguayan striker go, in fact they deserve credit for keeping him as long as they did. Nevertheless, his departure has hit Liverpool hard. Often when a team undergoes major changes they can reinvest the money into new players that slot back into the team.

However, when you lose a world class player their isn’t always going to be that obvious replacement. £75 million can’t buy you a player who doesn’t exist and there are only a handful of players across the world who offer as much as Suarez on the pitch. His ability but also attitude in terms of determination to score goals has proven irreplaceable.

Mario Balotelli has come in, clearly not being the striker than Brendan Rodgers was initially after, and the Italian has flattered to deceive. His industry as the top of the pitch is a stark contrast to Suarez and the risk Liverpool took on him seems to have be unsuccessful. Rickie Lambert, the other striking reinforcement, was a strange buy for the club and in my eyes shows very little ambition, even if he was planned to be used as a third striker.

Steven Gerrard not having the same impact

Watch a Liverpool game and you will still see Steven Gerrard sitting just in front of his back four, spraying passes short and long to his team-mates and ostensibly dictating the game. However, I think that Gerrard’s influence on game this season have been far diminished from previous seasons.

His ability has been consistent throughout his time at Liverpool, but what elevated him to hero status was his influence on games. That intangible quality that you can see with only the top players, Gerrard’s will and desire could be felt throughout the team.

Whether he is suffering mentally from playing a significant hand in Liverpool’s demise last season is an interesting question, but the man who for so long drove Liverpool forward seems to be occupying more of a passenger seat. His ability to win games single-handedly has slipped through his fingers of late.

Injuries and lack of form for English quartet

One of the perils of having a strong league showing in a World Cup year is that the majority of your squad will be called up to the national side. We saw this with the English contingent at Liverpool, with Gerrard, Sturridge, Henderson and Sterling all playing a big role in Brazil. I can’t help but cast my mind back to Sterling’s rasping shot from 30 yards in the opening minutes of the Italy game that brushed the side netting.

It had me screaming at what a player England has unearthed, but since that moment he hasn’t found that high level. The drama surrounding his request to be rested for England was poorly handled, but it shows how Sterling is currently feeling. Understandable for a guy who has shot into the limelight and bares a lot of the pressure for club and country to make things happen.

Jordan Henderson also looks like a shadow of his former self at the start of this campaign. His game is based around intensity and high energy and without that his game has looked distinctly average. I am a huge fan of the style that Henderson initiated last season and he rightly gained a place in the National Team.

However, this year he has looked tired. Whether it is mentally, physically or a combination of the two, he has been unable to play his natural game for the full ninety minutes. Daniel Sturridge has barely managed to get on the pitch for been a few minutes at the start of this season, suffering a series of cruel injury blows.

Sturridge has shown that he has all the qualities to set the Premier League alight when he returns and I think this could well be the turning point for Liverpool. Sturridge, when he is confident, can be trusted to finish almost any chance and when goals come easier to the side then everything else, including belief, should follow.

Brendan Rodgers being inflexible in his approach

I was highly critical of Brendan Rodgers at the start of this season for his handling of Mario Balotelli and I think his dealing of that situation is symptomatic of a character flaw that Rodgers has that will prevent him from being a top manager. His persona suggests that he believes strongly in himself and his principles and that is all good and well when his side are playing well.

The test of a top manager is how they respond to adversity and I don’t think Rodgers has coped well. He was quick to suggest that he never wanted to sign Balotelli in the first place, where a better manager would throw their support behind the player irrelevant of what the truly thought.

Rodgers also looks tactically stubborn. His team where not at the levels to maintain a high pressure game for the full ninety minutes against Chelsea and he should have known that. The approach worked for the first part of the game, but as Liverpool tired, Chelsea took control. There was no Plan B for Liverpool to revert to and it was a sign of a manager who struggles to accept when he has gotten things wrong.

Let me know what you think Liverpool need to do to return to their form of last season.

More from FanSided

Home/Premier League