Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has bolstered his midfield with no less than 3 players this summer, spending around £50m in the process. The squad is now inundated with talent in the centre of the park following the signing of Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson but also in wide areas, with Stewart Downing joining the club from Aston Villa.
Add these recruits to the already strong ranks at Liverpool and the Reds boss will certainly have a job on his hands to keep all of his players happy, assuming sales of existing stars are not made.
Liverpool are desperately trying to keep up, and indeed catch up with the leading pack having been angered by Manchester United's 19th title winning season, dethroning their former dominance of top-flight English football.
As of yet Dalglish has yet to address any perceived defensive frailties, preferring to focus on finding increased ammunition for new strike duo Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. The Scot has undoubtedly strengthened his options in attack, though it may take time to settle on a preferred set-up, particularly after recent pre-season defeats to Hull City and Galatasaray, going down 3-0 on each occasion.
Doni Back-Up
An area in which Liverpool did not have to get out the chequebook to strengthen is in goal having signed Roma keeper Doni as back-up to Pepe Reina on a free transfer. It is all but certain that the 31-year-old will be exactly that, back-up, but the experienced Brazilian will be hoping to provide stiff competition for his new teammate.
Doni fell out of favour under Claudio Ranieri at the beginning of last season but after the Italian's sacking, was restored by caretaker manager Vincenzo Montella for the second half of the campaign. In 15 Serie A starts he conceded 17 goals and kept an impressive 6 clean sheets when compared to the 33 let in by compatriot Julio Sergio in his 18 starts last term. Spaniard Pepe Reina conceded goals at a similar rate to Doni having let in 44 over the course of last season despite keeping a magnificent 14 clean sheets in the process.
Centre Midfield Glut
The Reds splashed out a rather eye-catching £20m for young Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson earlier in the summer before adding to their shopping receipt with the signing of Charlie Adam from Liverpool for a more modest £9m fee.
21-year-old Henderson impressed last season with some extremely assured performances for Steve Bruce's side while Adam was talismanic during Blackpool's eventually unsuccessful bid for survival. Both players bring superb passing ability and though their respective ranges differ somewhat, the investment in ball retention is a clear sign of preparations being made to replace Steven Gerrard in the long-term.
With the Reds skipper absent for the first month of the season, both new recruits will be hoping for an early run in the team, though the competition for places does not end there. To hold down a place in the middle of the park, Adam and Henderson will have to hold off the likes of Lucas and Raul Meireles even before Gerrard returns to fitness, indicating the wealth of options available at Anfield next term.
One would suggest that Lucas' role in the side is more essential than his counterparts due to the fact that he is the only natural anchor man in the squad and protection in front of an arguably weaker back-four may be imperative. The new signings are perhaps more comparable to Liverpool's captain marvel and Raul Meireles, though it remains to be seen who will start the campaign.
Passing
In terms of passing statistics, Charlie Adam's accuracy of just 72% will no doubt come as a surprise to many, though a consideration of the 7.5 long balls he completes per game shows his exceptional range. Gerrard unsurprisingly completed another high figure of 5.6 long balls per match, though his 80% accuracy is more impressive than his new teammate.
Lucas ranks first in terms of pass accuracy with 83%, though considerably more of his passes are within a short distance, despite completing an impressive 3 long balls per game. Henderson's success rate of 81% is encouraging at such a young age, and his ability to pass from distance is highlighted having made 3.5 long balls per match. Arguably the weakest in terms of pass accuracy is Raul Meireles, whose second bottom score of 78% came having tried the lowest amount of long balls by some margin with just 2 per game.
The Portugal international was also less involved in play than the rest of his teammates, old and new, though 40.8 passes per game is still a significant contribution. Jordan Henderson's figure of 44.4 is fourth in this regard but was top for Sunderland, showing his importance to his former club despite his tender age. Charlie Adam's 53.8 passes per game is also indicative of the reliance placed on him by his former Blackpool teammates, while it is of no surprise that Steven Gerrard ranks top having made an average of 59.8 passes per game last term.
Goal Contributions
The appearance of Lucas at the bottom of the list when it comes to goal contributions is inevitable due to the role he fulfils in the Liverpool line-up, though a return of no goals and 1 assist is still a meagre figure. Gerrard's 4 goals and 5 assists came from significantly fewer appearances last term, with a figure of 2.5 key passes per match more indicative of his contribution in an attacking sense. Meireles netted 5 times and picked up 5 assists last term as well as making 2 key passes per game, though this tally is lower than both new recruits.
Jordan Henderson only found the net on 3 occasions last season, setting up a further 4 goals, though his figure of 2.2 key passes should not be underestimated and is second only to Gerrard in this regard. Charlie Adam struck 12 times in his attempts to save Blackpool from relegation, though it should be taken into account that only 3 of those strikes came from open play. Set piece duties also helped Adam pick up 8 assists, though his figures in both categories are still excellent.
Defensive Duties
Lucas made an outstanding team high of 5.2 tackles per game last season, signalling his importance to the side in his deep lying role, weighing in with 2 interceptions to boot. Only Meireles made more of the five with 2.1 and the Portuguese internationals 2.4 tackles also came in very handed to the Reds cause last term. Steven Gerrard's all action performances led to 2.8 tackles per game along with 1.8 interceptions, highlighting the importance Dalglish places on a tireless work rate from his middle men.
Due to this both Adam, with 2.1 and 1.9 tackles and interceptions respectively, and in particular Henderson, with 1.7 in both regards, may need to work on the defensive facets of their game in order to keep out the existing ranks at Liverpool's disposal. However, with Lucas acting as a purely defensive shield, Dalglish may allow at least one of his new signings more freedom to roam the field, especially in Gerrard's absence. For this reason, Adam's set piece mastery may earn him a place ahead of his younger counterpart, though it remains unknown as to the system the Liverpool manager will adopt due to the influx of new midfielders.
Downing the Winger the Reds Have Been Missing?
The signing of Stewart Downing was undoubtedly influenced in no small part by the arrival of Andy Carroll six months earlier. The club's record signing is arguably the strongest target man to come out of England in years and feeds off deliveries of real quality. His service at Newcastle last season came from Joey Barton and next season, in the red of Liverpool, he may have found himself an even more accomplished crosser of the ball to utilize.
Downing's standout performances at Villa last term earned him the club's player of the year award along with his £20m move to Anfield. The England international represents a real threat from wide and shows little hesitance in delivering a ball into the box.
Last season Liverpool lined up with Kuyt and Rodriguez on either flank for much of the duration, and though both weighed in with a significant goal tally, neither offers the natural crossing ability that Downing possesses. This coupled with the increased need for service due to the signing of Luis Suarez in January, who may also be used in a wide role, could mean that the former Middlesbrough man is more of a certainty for a starting berth than his fellow new signings.
Crossing and Dribbling
A look at the 3 respective wide players stats from last season shows just how superior a threat Downing possesses when it comes to getting balls into the box, having attempted 2.1 crosses per game. Kuyt's lowly figure of 0.4 is still markedly better than Maxi's quite unbelievable total of 0.1 per match, with their inferior tallies strengthening Dlaglish's urgency to bring in a more traditional winger.
The Villa man was successful with 21% of his deliveries despite not having a big man to aim for last term, and though Kuyt's figure of 19% accuracy is far from disappointing, Maxi's success with just 8% of his attempted deliveries is exactly that.
Downing's score of just 0.7 dribbles per game is indicative of his willingness to deliver at the earliest opportunity. His confidence in taking on opponents is still far greater than Rodriguez who again fared poorly with just 0.3 dribbles per game. Kuyt's effort of 0.9 per match tops the pile but when compared to Suarez's contribution of 3.2 per match, the aforementioned trio's figures are paled into insignificance.
Goal Contribution
Downing's 7 goals and 7 assists was second only to Ashley Young at Villa but Kuyt's contribution of 13 strikes coupled with his 7 assists prove that he may still have a place in the starting line-up. Although Maxi finished the campaign with a good goal return having notched 10 times including 2 hat-tricks last season, he failed to pick up a single assist and one may be safe in assuming his involvement at Anfield could be drawing to a close.
Possible Formations
With midfield options and alternatives in abundance, Kenny Dalglish will be using his pre-season to play around with tactics and formations that best suit his star players. Liverpool will have a number of variations available to them next season, particularly in midfield with 4-2-3-1, 4-1-2-3 and 4-4-2 systems all easily adoptable due to the versatility of the squad.
With Lucas playing as an anchor man in front of the defence, Liverpool may line-up with two advanced wingers either side of Andy Carroll, with two creative players ahead of the defensive Brazilian at the start of next season.
Another alternative would see a double pivot deployed, though this would require one of the more attacking midfielders to play in a deeper-lying playmaker role upon Gerrard’s return.
A third alternative could see the Reds set-up with a more traditional 4-4-2 formation, with the familiar big man, little man partnership of Carroll and Suarez supplying the firepower.
