Liverpool were one of English football’s more active players in the summer transfer market. The exit of Luis Suarez forced Brendan Rodgers to put his wellies on and wade into the wilderness, with his net full with over £100m worth of talent by the close of the window.
The struggles of Mario Balotelli and Dejan Lovren in particular have highlighted the wrongdoings of the Reds’ summer, and with hindsight being such a wonderful thing we can now point to players the club should have gone all out for.
For the sake of argument we’ve taken this from the point that Suarez had left, with keeping the Uruguayan so obviously the thing the club should have done.
With all this in mind, here’s how Liverpool could be lining up if things went well…
[ffc-gallery]
CLICK ON ALEXIS SANCHEZ TO REVEAL THE XI LIVERPOOL COULD HAVE HAD
[/ffc-gallery] [ad_pod ] [ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]
Victor Valdes
Although he technically wouldn’t be able to play just yet given his pesky knee injury, Liverpool could have Valdes in their squad right now. The Reds had been negotiating with the veteran Spaniard up until a few weeks ago, but rumours suggest disputes over a potential trial to assess his fitness and personal terms cost the club the chance to land him.
Better than Mignolet? Almost certainly!
Glen Johnson
Liverpool weren’t linked with a host of defenders over the summer, so the much-maligned Johnson keeps his spot in this XI. Although criticised for switching off defensively, the England international is a real threat in the final third thanks to his pace and ability on the ball.
Daniel Agger
While Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel are producing comedy errors on a weekly basis, Agger is back at his boyhood club, Bondby. It’s hard to work out why the classy enforcer was sold when the Reds’ current options are so poor, so if we could turn back the clock for this team, we’d keep the former Anfield vice-captain.
Toby Alderweireld
Again very few defenders other than Lovren were linked with Brendan ‘let’s just attack’ Rodgers’ side, but now Southampton man Alderweireld was on the short list. Able to play at full-back too, the Saints’ gain looks to have been Liverpool’s loss after his bright start to life on the South Coast.
Marcelo
Alberto Moreno has been a decent addition, but Marcelo would certainly have been a significant short-term upgrade. Liverpool were linked with attack-minded Brazilian during the window, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, he stayed in sunny Spain to play for the defending European champions…
Steven Gerrard
No Liverpool team is complete without ‘Stevie G’. The Kop skipper remains the heartbeat of the side at the age of 34, and with pace and energy around him, he still has the ability to pick out the killer ball from the ‘quarter-back’ role.
Isco
‘Let’s all have a disco, Sturridge, Sterling Isco! Lallana-na’ Just because of that potential chant we wish the silky Spaniard was on Merseyside right now. A loan move for the 22-year-old was mooted when James Rodriguez moved to Real Madrid, but Carlo Ancelotti deemed it to be his aim to keep the youngster. An understandable call following his showing against Liverpool in the 3-0 Anfield demolition.
Alex Song
Providing a little more steel alongside Gerrard, we’ve gone for Song. The Cameroonian was another loan target, but reluctance on Liverpool’s part to push through a deal saw West Ham come out on top. The Hammers have really benefitted from adding the ex-Arsenal man to their ranks, with his energy and physical presence having been key in the early season top four push in east London…
Alexis Sanchez
Dubbed the man to replace Luis Suarez, Sanchez rejected Liverpool for the ‘London life’ at Arsenal. Boy oh boy does missing out on the Chilean now look like bad news, with his infectious work rate and driving deamination (his skill also helps) having made him, arguably, the signing of the summer. The closest thing to Suarez, Liverpool may be in the title battle had they nabbed him from Barcelona.
Raheem Sterling
For all the targets around, a fit and firing Sterling still makes this XI. The England international appears a little laboured recently, but with more top class players around him he could be performing as he did at the end of last season.
Daniel Sturridge
And the final spot goes to another Liverpool player. Getting Sturridge back in now would feel like a new signing, with the Englishman’s absence – he hasn’t played since the end of August – have coincided with a downturn in results.
