Liverpool’s impressive form last season was largely due to the goals they received from their front men of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. However, with the former sold to Barcelona and the latter being constantly injured, the Merseyside Reds have no wonder struggled for goals this campaign.
Also it is not just them, but the other strikers which they bought to replace them have neither replicated the form they managed in their previous clubs. As a result of which, Liverpool are struggling to reach the top four this season.
Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge scored 31 and 21 league goals respectively last season. They became the first Liverpool strike duo to both score at least 20 league goals in a campaign since Ian St John and Roger Hunt 50 years earlier.
Now though things have changed as Liverpool’s present forwards have only scored eight league goals between them with Sturridge 4, Rickie Lambert 2, Mario Balotelli 1 and Fabio Borini 1. Liverpool’s out-and-out forwards have been the least prolific of any club’s in the Premier League. Crystal Palace’s have the next lowest tally with 11, followed by Sunderland (12).
In fact Charlie Austin, top scorer for a QPR team, who are 19th in the table, has scored more than twice as many as Liverpool’s entire strike-force with 17 goals. More humiliation comes when Liverpool’s specialist strikers have scored fewer league goals than Everton’s first-choice back four of Leighton Baines (2), Phil Jagielka (3), John Stones (1) and Seamus Coleman (3).
Liverpool scored a club record 101 league goals last season. But, they have only scored 47 this campaign. Liverpool’s lowest ever Premier League goal total was 47, under Kenny Dalglish in 2011-12. If they fail to score in their remaining four league games, they will equal that this time around.
Actually the new signings of Liverpool in the forward department have performed decently with their previous clubs. Balotelli has scored 14 for AC Milan, while Lambert managed 13 for Southampton. And, Borini also grabbed 7 for Sunderland last season on loan. If we add Daniel Sturridge’s 21 to it, then all those four scored 55 league goals last season. But, they have only scored 8 so far this season.
Balotelli averaged a goal every 2.7 league games for Manchester City, with a total of 20 in 54 games. Also he managed one in every 1.65 league games for AC Milan with a total of 26 in 43. He has however scored once in 16 for Liverpool.
Whereas Lambert averaged better than a goal every other league game for Southampton with 106 in 207 appearances. He averages worse than a goal every 10 for Liverpool with 2 in 21. In fact the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson have managed to score more than Liverpool’s frontmen.
Liverpool’s problem this season has been pretty clear and Brendan Rodgers, who does not have a great record of getting his transfer right, has somehow got to find a 20 goals-a-season striker if Liverpool were to get back in the game, otherwise the Reds may have to yet again settle for a place outside the European places.
Image Courtesy: Skysports
Stats Courtesy: ESPN