A summer that promised so much in terms of transfers hadn’t really worked out so well for Liverpool and while some players have started producing the goods, there still was an opportunity to do some business in the January transfer window.
Liverpool were linked with players throughout the winter transfer window and while Brendan Rodgers was adamant that no new players would be signed, he said something similar about not signing Mario Balotelli but the Italian was signed a couple of days later, this time however, Rodgers was serious and for good reason.
No new faces is a good thing for Liverpool
The crux of the transfer window was related to two positions that Liverpool really needed to take care off. The goalkeeper and striker positions were in due need of strengthening but Liverpool chose not to do anything about that and here is why, although Balotelli, Lambert and Borini have not been able to produce the goods in front of goal, the return of Daniel Sturridge, as shown during the weekend will be a huge boost for the club.
Liverpool needed the striker to come back and with 5 months out from the game, he should be fit enough to last the rest of the season, while there was talk of bringing Divock Origi from Lille, that deal did not take place either. Liverpool can also play Raheem Sterling as a forward, which they have done during the time when Sturridge was injured. The return of Sturridge in itself is a new signing in January and that will be a huge relief for Liverpool fans.
Regarding the goalkeeping position, ever since Liverpool have changed their formation to a 3-4-3 the team has looked much more solid. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 7 Premier League games and have conceded only 2 goals in the last 6 games, which is something that no one would have expected from a team that was prone to making mistakes at the back. Simon Mignolet has become slightly more reliable, although he still does produce a couple of jittery plays, he has looked much more confident in goal now and Liverpool didn’t buy any goalkeeper to test Mignolet.
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it
Liverpool’s run has been something remarkable, the credit must go to Brendan Rodgers but also to Phillippe Coutinho, who has looked every bit the play maker that Liverpool expect him to be, still only 22 years old, Coutinho just signed a new long term deal with Liverpool and if his recent performances are anything to go buy, he will be getting better and better.
Liverpool’s defence has also become much tighter with the likes of Emre Can and Mamadou Sakho doing extremely well, this has led to the ousting of a more experienced defender Dejan Lovren or maybe it is his absence which has helped the team. Other signings are also doing extremely well for the club; the likes of Adam Lallana, Alberto Moreno and Lazar Markovic finally seem to be providing the goods for the club.
With the Summer signings finally clicking, it is no wonder that Liverpool did not buy more in the winter transfer window; hopefully, they can end the season on a high by giving the perfect send off to their Captain, Steven Gerrard.