Liverpool Need Balde, Camara and a Proper January Plan

I felt better when I woke up yesterday.

That probably sounds ridiculous given how bad Liverpool were against Fulham, but getting the anger out of my system helped. Saturday’s performance was awful, no getting away from it, but there comes a point where you have to move on and start looking at solutions.

That is where I am now.

The Fulham game exposed problems that have been obvious for months. The midfield balance is wrong, the full back depth is nowhere near good enough and we are still asking players to cover positions because the squad was not properly finished in the summer.

That is why January matters.

Liverpool do not need another window where we convince ourselves everything can be solved internally. They need to look at what is actually missing and go and fix it.

Liverpool Need To Stop Using Square Pegs

This is the bit that drives me mad.

At right back, we talk about Ronald Araujo, a centre back, playing there. We talk about Dominik Szoboszlai, a midfielder, playing there. We talk about Joe Gomez, another centre back, covering there.

Then you look at Jeremie Frimpong and, for me, he does not really fit what Liverpool are trying to do either.

How many times have we had this conversation over the years?

Liverpool seem obsessed with signing one player and trying to solve two positions with him. Sometimes versatility is useful, of course it is, but there comes a point where it starts feeling like penny pinching.

I want a proper right back.

I want a proper midfielder.

I want proper competition at left back.

It should not be controversial.

The left back situation is the perfect example. Liverpool allowed Andy Robertson to leave and brought Kostas Tsimikas back into the squad after he had already been sent out on loan.

James Pearce has since described that as the cheap option, and I agree.

That is exactly what it was.

Milos Kerkez has not started well enough, but I am not writing him off. He is young, he has good attributes and there are clear things in his game that can improve.

The problem is what happens when he needs taking out.

Tsimikas is not serious competition.

If Liverpool genuinely want Alejandro Balde in January and he is a player Iraola specifically wants, then I am interested. I do not know how realistic the deal is, but the position absolutely needs strengthening.

A 4-3-3 Could Help Wirtz And Isak

The tactical side of this is just as important.

I still think Liverpool should go to a 4-3-3, at least for now.

The passing network against Fulham was revealing. Everything was heavily weighted towards the left and Wirtz was occupying areas very close to where Alexander Isak naturally wants to receive the ball. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, was often receiving possession in positions close to right back.

That tells you something about the balance.

I do not think Liverpool need four attack-minded players on the pitch all the time.

We now have pace out wide. Bradley Barcola can stretch teams. Victor Muñoz can stretch teams. Cody Gakpo can score goals. Rio Ngumoha gives us another direct option.

Why not use that pace and put an extra body in midfield?

I think Wirtz could play as a left-sided eight.

He works hard enough. His counter pressing is good. He covers plenty of ground and he can still get forward when Liverpool have possession.

That would also give Isak more room.

One of the problems at Fulham was that Isak kept becoming disconnected from the game. Maybe some of that is on him. Maybe some of it is poor service. I still have not completely worked that out.

But what I do know is that if your number 10 and your striker keep ending up in the same spaces, you are probably making life more difficult for both of them.

A midfield three gives Liverpool more control and allows Wirtz to influence the game without constantly standing on Isak’s toes.

Wirtz Has Not Been Good Enough, But He Is Not The Problem

This is another conversation where I feel like people want everything to be black or white.

Florian Wirtz has not been good enough.

I have no problem saying that.

His passing has been sloppy at times, his decision making has let him down and we have not seen enough of the player Liverpool thought they were getting.

But some of the reaction to him has been ridiculous.

He has become fashionable to criticise.

Every poor Liverpool performance seems to turn into another Wirtz debate, even when there are six or seven other players who were just as bad or worse.

Against Fulham, he was not the main problem.

Ryan Gravenberch has started the season worse for me. Szoboszlai has not been at his best either. Kerkez has struggled. The wider team has lacked rhythm and cohesion.

So yes, Wirtz needs to improve.

Absolutely.

But I am nowhere near giving up on him.

If he has a terrible season and we get to next summer still asking the same questions, then maybe you have a different conversation. That is fair.

We are not there yet.

I want him to succeed and I still believe he can.

Camara Is The Type Of Midfielder Liverpool Need

This brings us back to January.

Lamine Camara keeps getting linked and, for me, it makes sense.

I have said for a long time that Liverpool need another midfielder with physicality, athleticism and aggression.

Not necessarily a traditional six.

Just somebody who can cover ground, win duels and give this team a stronger platform.

Mac Allister has been our best midfielder so far this season.

After that, nobody has really nailed down the other spot.

Gravenberch needs to improve. Szoboszlai might be better higher up the pitch. Trey Nyoni deserves opportunities.

There is room for another midfielder.

And if Liverpool are genuinely talking to Camara’s representatives, then good.

Go and do something.

Do not spend another six months pretending the solution is already in the building.

The summer should have included another midfielder and another right back.

That is not Liverpool supporters being greedy.

That is Liverpool supporters looking at the squad and seeing obvious holes.

Iraola Should Not Have To Overachieve

This is probably the wider point that annoys me most.

I am tired of Liverpool appointing managers and then almost expecting them to overachieve.

We did it with Slot.

Now we are doing it with Iraola.

I like Iraola. I think he is a very good coach and I want him to succeed.

But why should succeeding at Liverpool have to depend on the manager constantly finding clever solutions to problems the recruitment team should have fixed?

Give him the tools.

If he wants Balde, get him competition at left back.

If Liverpool want Camara, go and get the midfielder.

If right back remains a problem, fix it.

Stop asking centre backs to play full back, midfielders to play full back and youngsters to solve holes that should have been addressed properly.

Liverpool have enough money.

That is why the cheapness argument does not disappear just because we spent huge money on Isak and Wirtz.

It is about what we did not do.

Liverpool can spend £100 million on one player and still leave themselves short elsewhere.

Both things can be true.

January gives them an opportunity to correct that.

Use it.

Much Love.