Thoughts on Liverpool's Transfers

It been a busy, busy summer for the club this summer from the start to the very last minute of the transfer window. Here are my thoughts on the players who have been in and out of the club.

In:

1. Jordan Henderson : A work in progress. Will have to work hard to show that he's worth every penny we've invested on him. Really nice debut goal though.
2. Charlie Adam : Won't be Alonso. Let's see if he'll make the starting eleven regularly after Gerrard is fit. Already loving his free kicks.
3. Stewart Downing : Got to love his pace and crossing skills. Has linked with Suarez really well. Let's see who shines more this season - him or Ashley Young.
4. Alexander Doni : Alas, I don't see how he's going to get any games unless Reina is injured. Didn't start even in the League Cup.
5. Jose Enrique : Has really settled well. Nice going forward. Can cross well. It'll be difficult for attackers to get past him.
6. Sebastian Coates : I haven't seen him play so far, but from the articles I've read about him, it looks like he's a star in the making. For the start he'll provide nice cover for Carragher and injury prone Agger. But I won't be surprised if he cements his place in the starting line-up early.
7. Craig Bellamy : Let's hope he'll prove better second time around. Won't be nothing for than short-tern cover for the strikers. 

Out:

1. Paul Konchesky : Why did we even bother signing him in the first place? The loss seems even greater if you count two young players that went to Fulham in exchange.
2. Daniel Ayala : Too bad he couldn't make it to the first team. I had high hope for him. Hope he does well for his new club although I hear he's injured. That's not a good start.
3. Danny Pacheco (loan) : I still believe in this kid. Should have been given more chances with the first team.
4. Christian Poulsen : Was never going to replace Mascherano. Better off without him.
5. Degen : Who???
6. Alberto Aquilani (loan) : This guy could have been a genius at the club. But with his heart set at returning to Italy, he'd have been a great risk to keep at the club.
7. Joe Cole (loan) : Biggest disappointment of them all. 
8. Raul Meireles : One guy I didn't want to lose and that too, to Chelsea. He'd have provided great cover for Downing.
9. David N'Gog : Don't really care because we've got a good replacement in Bellamy but he had improved a lot in the last season.
10. Emiliano Insua : Not a loss. 
11. Kyrgiakos : Was a good cover. Good in the air. Best of luck, Soto!

Overall:

We've cleared almost all the unwanted players. Brad Jones remains the only signing made by Hodgson to remain at the club. The signing have been good if not great. Only one thing is that after the departure of Cole and Meireles, there's no cover in left midfield. Surely, this means that Gerrard will probably play in that position if needed. The squad looks stronger than I've seen in the past few seasons.

Expectations: 

The players will need time to adapt but it's a great start. Now, let's grab that Champions League place. 

Not even surprised

I couldn't watch the Liverpool game against Braga live, so I went online to check the final score and there it was 1-0. Seriously, the score didn't surprise me. Without Gerrard and Suarez, I wasn't expecting any fireworks. But, I had hoped for atleast a draw. It seems Gerrard always has to the shepherd of the team- the only one who can inspire the whole team. Torres was never a leader of men. Kuyt is also hardworking, always running and putting in 100% but he is never going to be Gerrard. Carragher's there ofcourse but I wonder what will happen when both Gerrard and Carra retire. Without these two, the team looks lifeless. Suarez, I hope you will fill the void.

Let's hope we will get the job done in the return leg.

Also not surprised that Arsenal lost to Barcelona. I was supporting the Gunners this time since The Reds are not here. But all in vain. They looks like real amateurs when they played against Barcelona. Now, Arsenal shift your focus to the EPL now. I hope you guys win the league this time. I don't want Manchester United breaking our record. You are our only hope now.

Suarez, Kuyt kick some serious ManU butt

Last night's game was something that will stay with me for a long time to come. What a game! Suarez can play some really great football. Dirk Kuyt should thank him (and Nani) for his hat-trick. And Andy Carroll's debut was really promising. I can imagine defenders pissing in their pants when Carroll and Suarez combine together in the future.

Gerrard could have got a couple of goals for the Reds, Raul should have got one when he was one on one with Van der Sar. We could have been 6-0 up. That would have been some score. Too bad, we conceded a goal in the last minutes. Reina could have done with a clean sheet after that game against West Ham.

You go, Reds!