Liverpool are good, but are they good enough?
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by user 101greatgoals
Liverpool may be one of the best (if not the best) cup competition teams in the world, but league title success has eluded the Reds for seventeen long years.
There is no doubt though that last season's campaign was a step in the right direction. The major success was achieved off the field, with the arrival of the American business duo of Hicks and Gillette. With large investment and security secured, Liverpool have the platform from which to take the club onto the next level.
And despite a horror week in early January, when the Reds was dumped out of both the FA Cup and League Cup by Arsenal, 2007 has so-far been a successful year on the field too. After an inadequate start to the domestic season, they eventually picked up speed and points to finish third place for the second consecutive season. And then there was their participation in the Champions League final.
But with only 44 days left before the start of the 2007/08 Premiership season doubts remain over Liverpool's capability to catch up with Utd and Chelsea to win their first ever Premiership trophy.
Rafa needs to make improvements, with varying levels of gravity, throughout his team. The defence, midfield and attack could all do with a facelift to return Liverpool as the top team in the land.
The least troublesome area is at the back. Last season the Reds were joint-second stingiest league team, conceding just 27 goals. Importantly though, the Reds' record was no-better than the Champions United, and three goals worse off than second placed Chelsea.
Weakness at the back can be attributed to two specific positions. Firstly there is the centre-back partnership. Carra and Agger are good, but when compared to the competition, the Reds' central core seems more porous than the Rio-Vidic and Carvalho-Terry partnerships. The greater defensive weakness however lies at left-back, where Fabio Aurelio has failed impress, whilst Alvaro Arbeloa is a poor man's Denis Irwin.
Moving to the midfield, further problems are uncovered. Following the Champions League final, Kevin McCarra of the Guardian made the following observations in his match report:
"Boudewijn Zenden disappointed on the left and while Pennant was prominent on the other wing he did not devise many openings...".
Zenden and Pennant are both second rate players. Zenden's stumpy demeanour and lack of pace makes him more the latter day Tomas Brolin than a youthful Jesper Blomquist. Accordingly, it came as no shock then he was recently released. Pennant, on the other hand, at least looks like he has ability. But al la Ruel Fox, he never delivers.
The hope is that Harry Kewell can one day rediscover his early form to shore up the left hand side. Riise is also capable of stepping into the void, although he offers more defensive qualities rather than being an offensive attacking outlet.
Aware of this problem Benitez has tied-up deals for two midfielders, Sebastian Leto and Lucas Leiva. They may yet provide the solutions but as of today they are both unproven entities.
Up-top, Liverpool's problems are that they only scored 57 goals last season. The deficiencies in the Crouch, Bellamy and Kuyt trio has been acknowledged in Benitez's movements in the transfer market. He has brought in Andriy Voronin, and all the present rumours revolve around the potential purchase of Atletico Madrid's £27m-rated striker Fernando Torres, much to the disapproval of his current club's fans.
Should Torres arrive, he will have a huge responsibility on his shoulders. Liverpool need a 20-goal-a-season-plus striker and Torres (or whoever comes in) will have to fill this role from the get-go.
Liverpool will undoubtedly finish in the top four again next season. They are a top team with several world class players and one of the best managers in the business. But top four is no longer good enough. Its all about being number one. And Liverpool have been in the shadows for too long.
