After back-to-back wins over Stoke City and Leicester, Liverpool reverted to its previous ways. Yes, that small spark of optimism was only fleeting as after their 0-0 draw against Sunderland, those high hopes are gone.
It was a discouraging result that showcased their biggest flaw: While they have shored things up on the back end – to a degree – the lack of offensive threats up front have left Liverpool desperate for scoring. Last week, they were once again blanked. The Reds have been held to just 19 league goals this Premier League season and their goal differential is an even 0. Newcastle United is the only other team in the top nine spots with fewer than 17 tallies. Liverpool finds themselves at ninth in the EPL table with 21 points. That’s pretty bad. They are five points out of the all-important fifth place.
Liverpool’s struggles up front have been about more than one problem in particular. Here is a quick look at the three biggest reasons they have struggled to score.
Suarez Departure Has Hurt
There has been plenty of talk about the role Brendan Rodgers has played in regards to the team’s inability to score consistently. While he’s taken some heat, the truth is that the team’s manager is only as good as the players that he has. Nobody complained about him when he won Manager of the Year last season when he had Luiz Suarez leading his attack but this year the story has been quite different. The loss of Uruguayan striker has been the biggest reason for Liverpool’s scoring drought as his exit completely broke down an attack that had been so successful when he was a part of it.
Suarez is an incredible talent that can simply dominate in spurts. At least, that was the case a year ago as he was one of the biggest reason for the club’s turnaround. But with him gone now and there being no one player available to replace what Suarez brought to the pitch, the Liverpool attack was destined to regress.
Too Much Pressure For Balotelli To Handle
How far the Reds offense would decline without Suarez fell on who took his place. While there definitely wasn’t any one player as talented as him – someone that could come in and take his place – there were a number of big names that could have been signed to help ease the transition. Liverpool wasted a lot of time before finally bringing in Mario Balotelli and it took perhaps two or three games to realize that wasn’t the answer.
Balotelli was an awful fit in the Reds attack and that he was touted as someone that could fill the void left by Suarez meant his inabilities would be amplified in the eyes of the fans. Rodgers has a certain accountability to the point where he hasn’t been able to adjust enough and find the right combination up front. But, the fact that Suarez left and management failed to find an adequate replacement for him are both bigger reasons for their scoring struggles.
Loss Of Sturridge Has Impacted The Offense
The one other big reason for Liverpool’s scoring struggles has been the injury to Daniel Sturridge, who combined with Suarez for 52 goals last season. Sturridge suffered a calf injury early on in the year and more recently he has been dealing with a couple of other nagging injuries that have kept him out of the lineup.
Injuries are part of the game, but when news broke that Sturridge might have aggravated an existing problem while partying with Drake in Los Angeles, Liverpool fans were left to shake their heads even more. The Reds need their best remaining striker healthy and contributing up front and as long as he is out they will continue to struggle when it comes to scoring goals.
