Liverpool should have sold Coutinho and bought a new defence – a thought we aim to explore in the article.
It has been almost three decades since Liverpool won the title – far too long for a team that once dominated English football. The present season is full of promise. But, the 5 – 0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City has seen many fans wishing they had now sold Coutinho and bought a brand new defence.
Even though the Reds were down to 10 men, it is no excuse for the standard of defending on display and it is one that should have been solved in the transfer window.
Things did not go to plan in the opening game of the season. They were able to rescue a point away from home against Watford in a thrilling 3 – 3 draw. The result showed that they still needed to improve their defending if they want to be crowned champions.
In the 2009 season under Rafael Benitez and 2014 under Brendan Rodgers, they came close but the pressure got to the players and they ended up falling short. Last campaign under Jurgen Klopp, the team got off to a flyer and were top of the EPL at the start of November.
Soon after the turn of the year though, they dropped far too many points against the lower placed teams which shattered their title aspirations.
Liverpool managed to keep hold of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona, which would have greatly affected the team. It is believed that the Catalans offered over 100 million for the Brazilian. It would have given the Red lots of cash to improve the quality of the squad. But, the club instead, decided to keep hold of their star player.
When they sold Suarez to Barcelona and brought in a lot of new players it proved to be a disaster. This time around they have enough firepower up front to cope with the player’s departure and the money could have been invested in the defence which looks like it has not improved at all since the last campaign.
One of the main reasons why Liverpool have a great chance of winning the title is due to the quality of their manager. Jurgen Klopp manages to get the most out of the players at his disposal and has the team playing great counter pressing football.
He is yet to work his magic at the back, though. The Reds are fantastic to watch when they attack but a freak show when defending set plays. Last season they were able to beat the top teams including Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Spurs.
If they had not thrown away points against teams they should be beating they would have won the title last season. They lost six matches against lower placed teams including Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Hull City, Swansea City, Bournemouth, and Burnley.
One of the reasons for this was due to the squad not been strong enough to cope with injuries to their key players. With the money from the sale of Coutinho they could have solved their defensive problems but instead, it looks like Liverpool fans are in for another rollercoaster ride.
One thing is certain this season – Liverpool will bang the goals in and the addition of Mohamed Salah should help give even more firepower in attack. Salah scored 29 goals in Serie A over a two-year period and has looked great in preseason. With Mane on one wing and Salah on the other, it is going to be very difficult for teams to stop them from finding the back of the net.
They are an outsider to win the EPL and you can find the best bookmaker offers at Ace Betting Sites if you fancy putting a wager on them winning the title. If they can sort out their defensive problems, they have an excellent chance of lifting the trophy at the end of the season.
The 5 – 0 thrashing by Manchester City though shows that there is still a long way to go before they can be considered genuine contenders for the title. Whether or not they actually end up lifting the trophy, though, – their first Premier League trophy – it shall depend on the backline – an area they look short on quality.
