Liverpool's draw with Wigan confirms the need for squad investment

Liverpool’s winning streak came to end on Saturday in a turgid draw with Wigan Athletic at Anfield. Liverpool had won the last four matches and were hoping to make it five out of five against the Latics.

Kenny Dalglish’s side looked lethargic after the mid-week international fixtures and were unable to do enough against a decent Wigan side. The Liverpool manager cited the international break as reason for his side’s subpar performance. "You can see the legacy of the midweek friendly internationals on a lot of the players," said Dalglish. "There was that little bit of an edge missing. We're unhappy we've drawn but we went out there and tried the best we could."

In the end, a draw was a fair result. Liverpool played well in patches and hit the woodwork twice through new signing Luis Suárez, but Wigan held their own in a match deserving of a draw. Man of the moment Raul Meireles made it five goals in six games with another great volley, but Wigan pulled one back through Steve Gohouri, although replays indicate the goal shouldn’t have stood due to it being offside.

Suárez, making his full debut, played very well at times and proved difficult for the Wigan defence to handle. Another referee would have saw fit to send off Gary Caldwell for persistent fouling on the Uruguayan, although Kevin Friend allowed the Wigan captain to finish the game. The Reds should have done better than a point, but thirteen from fifteen is not a poor return in the grand scheme of things.

The Reds were missing Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger through injury, and players Raul Meireles (80), Lucas Leiva (90), Glen Johnson (90), and Dirk Kuyt (75) all played for more than hour in midweek. The result again proved that the squad simply isn’t big enough to cope in the long term. Dalglish only had one training session with the majority of his squad, and players such as Fabio Aurelio and Milan Jovanović just aren’t good enough to step up in the absence of first team regulars. Whilst Manchester United were able to bring on Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick in the Manchester derby, almost £50m worth of talent, Liverpool could only bring on David N’Gog and Jovanović against Wigan, at a cost of £1.5m for the pair.

It is a problem that has dogged Liverpool for a number of years now; whilst their first XI when fit and on form is perfectly good enough to challenge for a European place, their squad simply is not. A combination of a lack of funds and the misuse of what funds have been made available has left the Reds relying on substandard or inexperienced players. However disappointing Alberto Aquilani may have been last season, and whether or not it was a poor decision to spend such a lot of money on an injured player, surely the Italian would be a better option to have on the bench than Christian Poulsen or an inexperienced Dani Pacheco? It is another big challenge for Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group to take on in the summer; if Liverpool are again to compete at the top of the table, they must improve their on-field personnel.

The signings of Suárez and Andy Carroll are certainly a step in the right direction. The new number seven has already begun to impress the Anfield faithful, and should get even better when settled in and match fit. Carroll started light training last week, and should be fit in time for the game with Manchester United in March. Liverpool, though, still need a number of reinforcements. The squad is devoid of creativity from the wide positions; Maxi has improved this season but simply isn’t consistent enough, particularly away from home, and Milan Jovanović hasn’t shown anything in a red shirt, albeit in a small number of appearances. Ryan Babel, a frustrating player at the best of times, has not been replaced and Dirk Kuyt has shown recently how much better he is as a striker rather than as a wide player. Liverpool also suffer a chronic lack of pace all over the field. The sales of Fernando Torres and Babel have left Liverpool even slower. Steven Gerrard, who turns 31 in May, just doesn’t have the same burst of speed as he used to, and whilst Glen Johnson has pace, he often seems reluctant to use it.

Liverpool also have problems in defence. Whilst Jamie Carragher had an excellent game against Chelsea last week, his performances have deteriorated significantly over the last two years, and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to play two matches a week at such a high standard. There are doubts over Daniel Agger and Martin Škrtel’s fitness and form respectively, and as such neither can be relied on. Martin Kelly has been a revelation at fullback, although his natural position is in the centre, and it will be interesting to see when, if ever, he is moved there. Johnson has been wildly inconsistent at right back, so much so that he has been moved to the left, where, to his credit, he has been very solid. It is unlikely though, that he will be considered for the left in the long term. There have been calls from fans and pundits alike to try him in midfield, although seeing that Liverpool’s last three managers have not seen fit to try him there, it looks unlikely that he will be given a chance there, either. With both Emiliano Insua and Paul Konchesky out on loan and unlikely to return to Anfield in the summer, and with Fabio Aurelio’s fitness a constant concern, it would be prudent to sign a left-back in the summer. 

Liverpool should have quite the extensive shopping list come June, and with targets such as Eden Hazard, Ashley Young, Alex Oxdale-Chamberlain and Charles N’Zogbia likely to be available, it should be yet another fascinating transfer window for Liverpool Football Club.

In the meantime, Liverpool do not play a league game for two weeks and can now turn their attentions to the Europa League and fixtures against Czech league champions Sparta Prague. The game in Prague on Thursday will see Dalglish take control of his first European game for Liverpool. He will be without the cup-tied Suárez, the injured Joe Cole, Carroll and Shelvey, and with doubts over the fitness of Gerrard, Agger, Jay Spearing and Meireles, having been taken off on Sunday with a stomach bug, it remains to be seen which players will be involved.