Liverpool: Reality Check

Although bitterly disappointed with the manner of Tuesday nights Champions League exit, personally I have always seen this seasons competition as a possible distraction to what all us true reds want, title number 19. Rafa has always seen the Champions League as a priority, so going out of the competition before Christmas will be a bitter blow for him, but not for me. The real blow as far as I am concerned has come from our terrible league form. I don't think many reds would be quite so upset had we gone out of the Champions League while lying in the Premiership top four. As things stand we have a mountain to climb just to be in contention for one of the four Champions League spots, but it is certainly not insurmountable. With over six full months of the 2009/10 season left to play, and a possible 75 points still up for grabs who's to say how the final table will look.

We certainly have had terrible luck with injuries to key players at key times. Losing the likes of Gerrard, Torres, Johnson and Aquilani would hurt any team and we are no different. That coupled with other injuries in a very unsettled defence and that all adds up to the kind of uncertainty we have all recently seen. I would also say that we have been on the receiving end of a few dodgy decisions and bizarre moments. Who can forget the beachball incident at Sunderland, and over zealous ref Lee Mason who gifted Fulham three points by removing 50% of our defence into the Craven Cottage away dressing room that afternoon. If we had of won those two games alone we would now be in third place.

But at the end of the day we are where we are because we have played some terrible stuff in amongst some good periods of play, but unfortunately the odd ten minutes of madness has cost us dear both in the league and Champions League. Also to degree we have lacked real quality in depth. I feel certain players are either not good enough or have not applied themselves in the way we demand at this club. Mascherano has been a shadow of the player from last season, and I wouldn't be too disappointed if a big offer came in from Barcelona. Ryan Babel is as we all know a frustrating character, I can't remember another player that promised so much but delivered so little. His brief cameo away to Lyon sums up this particular enigma, firstly he knocks in a 35 yard screamer then two minutes later hits a shot so wide it goes out for a throw in. Now is the time for Rafa to try him in a central striking role before deciding when or if to offload him. Messer's Voronin, Dossena, Degen and Kyrgiakos are simply not good enough for this club. The jury is out on Lucas and Skrtel, I'm not sure about either of them although both have shown promise as well as the odd major ricket, while as a local lad I would have loved for Jay Spearing to be the answer to our future midfield problems but for me I feel his level drops just below what we need at Anfield.

With these departures comes the inevitable question of replacements. I believe we could do with a top quality central defender to play alongside Agger as Skrtel may be not quite good enough while the speed of Carra's loss of form has been alarming to say the least. One from either Albiol who may be surplus to requirements soon at Real, Chiellini from Juve or even Bremen's Mertsacker would be an option. While I wouldn't mind Yaya Touré as part of any deal to take Masch to Barca. Obviously we certainly need another striker, if Voronin goes we will be down to Torres and N'gog. I have left Kuyt out of the equation as he is now accepted as a someone who plays wide on the right. I would certainly bring the excellent Nemeth back from his loan spell and have him and N'gog as third and fourth strikers. Funds permitting I would like us to bring in a top striker to play alongside or fill in for El Nino. Bojan was already offered to us during Barca's last attempt to sign Masch, so he is a possibility, as would Wolfsburg's Dzeko and Suarez of Ajax. But the value for money choice may be Bayern's Klose, who has said in previous articles that he has a great fondness for Liverpool F.C. He is certainly a quality striker with bags of experience, so he would on the face of it be ideal.

Whatever the personnel from now to the end of the season, I sincerely hope Rafa uses the Europa League as a stage to blood the likes of Nemeth, N'gog and Plessis etc and leave Gerrard, Torres and Aquilani to concentrate on getting us as high up the table as possible. I have little interest in this season's F.A cup and I certainly don't care about Platini's Europa League, which is a sort of Euro Carling cup, (for those of a certain vintage) a 'Jeux Sans Frontieres' to blighty's 'It's a knockout' you might say. All efforts must be focused solely of attaining that Champions League place for next season, Rafa that's all I ask.

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