But heck, as unlikely as it is, I'm hoping for some activity. We have a habit of selling players without actually replacing them and the one sale (other than Alonso
) who should have been replaced almost instantaneously was Mascherano. Though, with Lucas performing out of his skin for his limited time last season, it is debatable.
Our back line is pretty solid, I wouldn't change much here. At keeper we have a world-class player and our backups are good enough for the moment.
We have a glut of players in central midfield. Aquilani gets injured too much for my liking and I suspect his desire to play for Liverpool (he seems to prefer Italy), but his abilities are there to see. IF he is willing and IF he stays healthy he could be an important player for us next season. Henderson has been a bad buy on current evidence, though he is young. Adam was a big disappointment. Shelvey is a decent squad player. It's not a world-class roster but I think we can afford to keep things stable here, more because other areas are more urgently in need of reinforcement.
We have depth problems out wide and at holding midfield. Lucas has effectively replaced Mascherano but there is nobody to cover for him; that hurt us bigtime last season. Spearing is a decent squad player but he's not a Lucas replacement. Wide players: We've lost Kuyt, Downing has been a bust, Cole hasn't cut it so far, Henderson was uncomfortable on the wings, Maxi is old. However, Rogers favors a 4-3-3 system so wingers might not be in demand so much
We also have a clear problem up top. We need another striker, a real finisher. I gave up on Carroll last season but he's not leaving so I can only hope he turns things around. Not sure how Rogers will want to use him, but he's not a really flexible player so I think it's obvious - knockdowns and headers from crosses. It's kind of limiting, but as a plan B for the 60th minute it has some merit. Again, Rogers' 4-3-3 demands three attackers, so we will probably want to have 4 useable strikers on the books. This means keeping Bellamy and acquiring another striker, preferably one who can play in the middle. Bellamy and Suarez will be the wide forwards, Carroll the super sub.
Seeing as I'm new around here; what's your opinion on Rogers being hired? And, of course, what are your expectations for next season?
I'm always against the grain it seems - I defended Hodgson and was skeptical of Dalglish. In retrospect, I doubt Hodgson's approach the game would suit Liverpool in the long run - he's better off managing England. I think Liverpool fans gave him an unfairly rough time. But a lot of Liverpool fans saw Dalglish as the second coming, and I was never really on board with that. Dalglish was combative with the media, his signings were a mixed bag and we never found a consistent style of play under him.
Rogers is younger, and his preferred style is more in tune with the times. I am cautiously optimistic, but until we see him put out a side or at least buy some players we can only wait and hope. The 4-3-3 can be narrow though, which puts more pressure on Enrique and (gulp) Johnson. Will it work?
