STRIKER NEEDED

                                STRIKER NEEDED

I watched the Liverpool match the other night against Manchester City and although I think they played well enough, they were seriously lacking as an attacking force. The ban on Suarez is going to be a real problem, and you could see that there was a lack of movement or options with Carroll playing a lone striking role.

I am not having a go at Andy Carroll, but if Liverpool want to play the big man up front I believe he needs a playing partner alongside him. Carroll doesn’t have the pace or movement to terrify defenders, so he needs some support, because he is good at holding the ball up and winning headers.

Liverpool have very few options in attack, they have Carroll who has struggled to score so far, Dirk Kuyt is another option, or Bellamy who has a lot of pace which could be their best option. The fit again Gerrard could play just behind a lone striker or Shelvey, who played this role against Aston Villa.

But the options are very few with or without Suarez and Liverpool should be looking to bring another striker in this January, because it is imperative that they finish in the top four this season or they could drift away from being a top four club as the gap could widen.

Liverpool are in a decent position in the League at the moment, within striking distance of the top four, but with a lack of firepower, this could be a serious problem for the rest of the season. To be fair, scoring goals has been a problem all season, with so many chances spurned from the Anfield side, but the problem will be greater, especially with the absence of the influential Suarez.

Out of the attackers Liverpool have at their disposal, Craig Bellamy has looked the most likely to score. Kuyt has been struggling to get a game and hasn’t scored all season after finishing top scorer last season and Andy Carroll has struggled to fit in to the Liverpool style of play. The team can’t depend on the superb defence to limit the opposition all the time as the attackers struggle to score.

January is historically a difficult month to bring new players in, but Liverpool should be scouring the planet for another striker, or this season could drift away after so much promise. We will just have to watch this space for the next month and hope Liverpool can bring a much needed striker in to bring success this season.