Despite Manchester United’s abysmal recent results, their points cushion means Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool remain outside bets for Champions League qualification as the season draws to a close.
The manager, whose own side have suffered stuttering form since a promising run in the new year, lamented a lack of goals from his current crop of forwards. He might be wondering if things would have been different had he invested in a striker in January.
The Anfield boss of course could not have foreseen the continued saga of Daniel Sturridge’s injury record but he could have maybe predicted the ineptitude of his back-up options to carry the goalscoring burden.
A short car journey away down the M62, a proven Premier League goalscorer is meanwhile warming the bench at Manchester City.
Wilfried Bony was in superb form up until January for Swansea. This second successive season of net-finding in the Premier League prompted the then champions to splash £25 million on the Ivorian.
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The 26-year-old though, has found the competition tougher at the Etihad Stadium and has played second fiddle to City’s other attacking options.
It seems such a waste of a forward in the prime of his career. Bony of course may yet be a success in the light blue but how Rodgers could have done with a striker of his calibre over the last few months.
January, however, was a barren month for Anfield arrivals, with Rodgers unable to add to his squad in the inflated market.
The truth is that Liverpool may never have as good an attacking partnership as the one forged last season by Luis Suarez and a fully fit Sturridge.
The funds from the Suarez sale have been spent in spades though, including the multi-million pound gamble on the misfiring Mario Balotelli. Unfortunately none of Rodgers’ acquisitions barring Emre Can could be deemed a definite success.
Liverpool possess some fantastic creativity in the likes of Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho but while these two have the ability to unlock defences, there has been a distinct lack of someone with the ability to not only find the net, but engage opposition centre-backs for 90 minutes.
Bony, boasting not only a clinical finishing ability but physicality and mobility in equal measure, would surely have been that man.
Depending on who is in charge of Manchester City come the summer time, there may yet be an opportunity for purchasing or even loaning the former Swansea man.
Even if this is not the case, Rodgers should learn his lesson and revamp his forward line before the next campaign.
The prime candidate would be Christian Benteke at Aston Villa, who seems destined to move on after rediscovering his goalscoring touch. The Belgian’s style is arguably different to that of Bony but his Premier League record is far from inferior.
Liverpool would need to cough up big money to acquire his pace and power but they cannot expect to finish any higher next term without significant further investment to their forward line.
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