Tuesday 21 April 2015 11:06, UK
Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa confirmed Brendan Rodgers would become the first Liverpool manager in more than 50 years not to win a trophy in his first three seasons at the club.
With qualification for the Champions League dependant on fourth-placed Manchester City dropping points, the spotlight has been placed on the impact the nine signings brought to the club last summer have had this season.
Liverpool legend, and Sky Sports football expert, Jamie Carragher, voiced his concerns about the team, and the club’s recruitment, after the defeat to Villa at Wembley.
“Big games need big players to do big things,” he said on Twitter. “[There are] not many of them at Liverpool Football Club, which makes the wage demands of some ridiculous and the recruitment worse.”
Sky Sports News HQ welcomed Tony Gale and Stuart Pearce on The Morning View to assess each individual signing's performances this season and whether they have been a hit or miss since arriving at Anfield…
Rickie Lambert - £4million
Games: 20, Minutes: 595, Substituted: 1 time
TONY GALE’S VIEW: Rickie unfortunately hasn’t been a hit. I do think he was brought in and not been used, and this has affected his confidence. Balotelli was used before him, Sterling was used as a striker and he’s never been used. When he has come in it’s really hard to hit the ground running when you’re not playing games. They haven’t shown any faith in Lambert.
STUART PEARCE’S VIEW: Lambert doesn’t really suit Liverpool’s style of play. He suited Southampton where they got the ball up to him, and Liverpool don’t play that way. Teams defend deep against them and he doesn’t have the room to do that.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: MISS
Adam Lallana - £25million
Games: 21, Minutes: 1455, Substituted: 12 times
Lallana’s debut season at Anfield has been blighted by injuries. When fit, though, he has shown signs of being a notable acquisition for Brendan Rodgers, who has played him 35 times in all competitions. His trickery and skill in the final third, while allayed at times by poor finishing, has certainly added another dimension of the Liverpool attack.
TONY GALE’S VERDICT: Lallana has had injuries; he’s been in and out of the side so you can’t say he’s been a hit.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: MISS
Emre Can - £10million
Games: 21, Minutes: 1570, Substituted: 3 times
Can has taken time to adjust to the Premier League after his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen. He has not been helped by being deployed across several positions in Rodgers’ team, nor the constant use of varying formations at Anfield. But his versatility at the young age of 21, coupled with glimpses of brilliance this season, mean he could have a bright future in front of him.
TONY GALE’S VERDICT: Yes, he’s been a hit.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: HIT
Lazar Markovic - £20million
Games: 17, Minutes: 912, Substituted: 8 times
Similarly to Can, Markovic has made a steady start to life in the Premier League. He too has been played in a number of positions as the Reds tried to utilise the former Benfica winger in the early part of the season. A string of spirited performances, and the match-winning goal against Sunderland, around the turn of the year eased some of the scrutiny sent his way, but he has not played the entire 90 minutes since January’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the semi-final of the Capital One Cup.
TONY GALE’S VERDICT: I’m not so sure about Markovic.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: JURY OUT
Dejan Lovren - £20million
Seen by Rodgers as the replacement for stalwart Jamie Carragher, Lovren has failed to replicate the strong defensive displays which earned him his lucrative move from Southampton. The Croatian has struggled to adjust to playing in a back three, meaning Mamadou Sakho, Martin Skrtel, and at times Kolo Toure, are Rodgers’ preferred centre-back options. He missed the deciding penalty against Besiktas as Liverpool slipped out of the Europa League to further compound his indifferent start to life on Merseyside.
Games: 21, Minutes: 1600, Substituted: 0 times
TONY GALE’S VERDICT: Lovren has definitely not been a hit.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: MISS
Mario Balotelli - £16million
Games: 14, Minutes: 800, Substituted: 4 times
Mario Balotelli’s arrival at Liverpool was greeted with trepidation from the offset and the Italian has done little to allay those initial fears. Often the unwanted subplot in a stuttering campaign for the Reds, Balotelli’s four goals are a poor return on the club’s investment. He arguably had one of his best performances in a Liverpool shirt against Aston Villa on Sunday, and was unfortunate to have an equalising goal ruled out for offside in the dying seconds. But it’s safe to say the gamble hasn’t paid off.
Liverpool are not quite there yet and the recruitment at the club is vital because it wasn’t there last summer.
TONY GALE’S VERDICT: Balotelli was the one big mistake. Not only has he not done it as a player but, when you’ve got a bad egg in the camp, it’s a nightmare. I was asked if I thought Balotelli would be the right thing for Liverpool and I said no. I didn’t think the signing would enhance Liverpool; they had a great camp the season before and just missed out on the title.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: MISS
Remaining signings
Javier Manquillo - Loan
Games: 10, Minutes: 761, Substituted: 3 times
Alberto Moreno - £12million
Games: 26, Minutes: 2130, Substituted: 7 times
Divock Origi – £10million - Loaned back to Lille OSC
Games: 0, Minutes: 0, Substituted: 0
Statistics supplied by Opta
Watch The Morning View on Sky Sports News HQ from 10am, Monday to Friday.
