Arsenal, Man United and others fared better despite stars’ exits.
Liverpool’s sale of Luis Suarez this summer has perhaps hit the club harder than they could possibly have imagined, with a side that finished 2nd in the Premier League last season and very nearly 1st now languishing in 11th place near the midway point of the next campaign.
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With 31 goals and 12 assists in 33 games, the Uruguayan clearly looked as close to ‘irreplaceable’ as any player as he galvanized Brendan Rodgers’ side to a superb run towards the end of the season that so nearly led to a first title in 24 years.
Still, could it really be the case that this one man also made the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho look that much better than they actually are?
Despite the amazing displays of Suarez – which saw him finish as the Premier League’s top scorer and Player of the Year – it was also evident that Rodgers was building a side that played a superbly stylish brand of attacking football that suited his game perfectly. All over the team, there was a philosophy growing that the players bought into. Defence apart, the entire squad at Anfield looked worthy title winners last season, and were arguably better than eventual champions Manchester City as they recorded an incredible 11-game winning streak when it mattered, which also included a memorable 5-1 thrashing of fellow challengers Arsenal as well as a thrilling 3-2 win over City at Anfield.
One player leaving shouldn’t necessarily throw all of that out of the window, and yet Liverpool look completely lost this season in a way that other clubs who have let star players go in the past have not. Ironically, even Southampton have coped so much better this season despite losing three of their best players to Liverpool, as well as a couple more to Arsenal and Manchester United.
While Rodgers’ future is cast into doubt after some awful results, it may be worth considering that Suarez’s amazing ability masked some of the former Swansea City boss’ managerial flaws: his side’s defence continues to struggle this season, and his record in the transfer market is awful.
Worryingly so, other teams have shown it is not the end of the world to lose your best player. Read on for examples of sides that have done it much, much better than Liverpool…
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1) Thierry Henry (Arsenal, 2007)
Thierry Henry may not have had his most effective season in an Arsenal shirt in his final year with the club, but the Gunners still coped remarkably well to lose such an iconic figure and world class goalscorer. Arsene Wenger’s side finished fourth in Henry’s last year with them, but mounted a much stronger title challenge the following season and although they only moved up one place to third, they were much closer to the top two and looked a more balanced side overall, even without spending big on a replacement for the Frenchman.
2) Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, 2009)
A truly world class great, Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from Manchester United was a massive blow as Real Madrid swooped for him in 2009. The Portuguese international helped the Red Devils to the title in his final season, as well as to the final of the Champions League, and although United could not repeat this feat the following year, they only dropped to second place in the Premier League, taking it to the final day of the season against Chelsea, whilst also securing silverware with a win in the League Cup.
3) Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, 2011)
A highly influential player for Arsenal in his time at the club, Cesc Fabregas was the biggest blow as a number of players left the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2011. The Spanish playmaker was joined out of the exit door by Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, but Arsenal still managed to move up a place in the table from fourth to third after Fabregas’ departure.
4) Robin van Persie (Arsenal, 2012)
An absolute goal machine for Arsenal in the 2011/12 season, helping the Gunners to third, Robin van Persie was another big name to leave the club as he made the shock move to Manchester United ahead of the 2012/13 season. While Arsenal obviously suffered without the Dutchman in their side, they still coped surprisingly well as they spread the goals around a little more to maintain their top four status with a fourth placed finish in 2012/13. Hardly fairytale stuff, but still better than Liverpool seem to be doing at the moment.
5) Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur, 2013)
In a very recent similar situation to Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur had star player Gareth Bale snapped up for big money by a Spanish club last summer, as the Welshman joined Real Madrid for £85m on the back of a superb campaign at White Hart Lane. Although Bale’s heroics could not deliver fourth place, he did lift his side to fifth and within touching distance of rivals Arsenal. Again, despite Spurs suffering since his departure, they only dropped one place to sixth the following year, even if they spent their money badly in an attempt to replace him.
6) Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid, 2013)
In an incredible move, La Liga underdogs Atletico Madrid lost the world class goalscoring of Radamel Falcao at the end of the 2012/13 season as he made a big-money move to AS Monaco. David Villa was brought in on the cheap as a replacement, but it was a player already at the club, Diego Costa, who stepped up brilliantly the following year as Diego Simeone’s side moved up from third to first in the Spanish top flight to win a memorable title against all the odds, as well as reaching the Champions League final. Liverpool have not had the same kind of fate by any stretch of the imagination despite a similar situation.