WIth the Loic Remy deal having fallen through, Liverpool badly need another scorer to accompany Daniel Sturridge this season. Sturridge and Luis Suarez really worked well together last year, and the departure of Suarez means Sturrdige will probably see his production decline in 2014-15. That is, unless he really makes tremendous strides in this offseason.
So how does LFC adjust to life after Luis Suarez and replace his scoring?
Well, not with any one guy.
Sturridge scored 21 goals last year, in comparison to Suarez’s 31, but I doubt he’s good enough to carry the team, or at least ready to carry the team like Suarez did. That doesn’t mean I disagree with the move to sell the star striker. Suarez is such an elite player, that’s why Barcelona spent so much money on him. There’s a lot that Anfield can do with that cash, even if it’s not this transfer window. And with all the character issues and shortcomings and personal problems, he had to go. And I was being very political and polite there in describing Luis Suarez. Those are euphemisms and PR style buzzwords.
LFC will need to replace Suarez by committee. Sturridge can’t do it. Raheem Sterling is a young star on the rise. He’s good, but again The Reds need more.
Here’s some good analysis on this topic from Bleacher Report:
The disappearance of Suarez will not suddenly mean nobody is capable of scoring. Additions Lallana (nine), Markovic (five) and Rickie Lambert (13) will all be a goal threat from time to time, while the suspicion has to be that Sterling will continue his upward trajectory in terms of end product and be well capable of hitting a dozen this term
For Sturridge, though. A return of 21 was comfortably his best in a single season to date, but the most pleasing and confidence-inducing aspect of that tally was the consistency with which Sturridge found the net. When Suarez was suspended for the first part of last season,Sturridge scored one in each of the first four league games, winning the Reds 10 points along the way.
I asked Brendan Rodgers about how Liverpool will replace Luis Suarez this season. It was during an International Champions Cup press conference. His answer was the kind of response you would expect from a Manager at a media opportunity; when pressed about a topic of significance like this. Have a listen around the 2:04 mark here. Enjoy!
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. He’s also a special contributor to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, CBS, the History Channel and more. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)