While Everton fans are wondering how Liverpool escaped Goodison with a victory, Rafa may have realised that while he can rotate his midfielders all he likes, it is a shortage of options at the back that may hinder the club’s title fight. A little bit ironic considering the battering he has taken for chopping and changing too much on the pitch.
When Liverpool were sniffing around Gabriel Heinze in the summer it looked like a good move for all concerned. A much needed defender for Liverpool, a new start for a player with an atrophying career and £7 million in the Old Trafford coffers for a reserve full-back. But, as we know, one man disagreed and he was a rather important tomato faced Scot. In short Fergie still got his £7 million, Heinze got a move but Liverpool got sod all.
And hasn’t it come back to haunt them. Since the injury to Daniel Agger, to whom we presume Heinze would have been deputising (having regularly played the role of reliable centre back at international level if not at United), Liverpool have had no choice to field Sammy Hyypia. Hyypia may be an Anfield great (actually, he probably isn’t) but at the moment he is doing his best to make Djimi Traore look like a mobile and talented defender. He was at fault for both goals against Spurs and, well, we all saw what happened on Saturday as he tried to hoist his creaking limbs around the ball.
Liverpool have no choice but to play him whenever Carragher or Agger are out until at least January. In that time it won’t be surprising if Liverpool drop enough points to take themselves out of the title race and leave Manchester United, Chelsea and the as yet not-properly-tested Arsenal to fight it out.
So was missing out on Heinze and not signing a replacement a mistake? Can Pool survive these mistakes till the Jan window?