Like the majority, i wasnt thrilled with signing Ballotelli but once he had signed i was behind him, as long as he was wearing the shirt and putting some effort in then he would get the same back in return.
However, as a lone striker he is so out of depth.
But as out of place as he may be in the squad he is far from the only problem we have.
Brendan has to shoulder alot of blame for the way we are performing in the league, we have gone from having a small compact side full of quality to a big side full of mediocrity. The new signings, yes they need time to bed in and gel with the team however i still expect to see some sort of performance from them. Unfortunately im not seeing that.
Moreno and Manquillo are the two which stand out and are probably the better of our signings. Can, ok my judgement is still out on him as he hasnt played much. Markovich has been a waste of £20 million, and at the end of the day did we really need him?
Then there is Lovren, who seemed to be an ideal replacement for Carra, but he is so poor defensively. I dont know if it is confidence or what it is but he just doesnt look upto the task at all.
I really feel for Ricky Lambert, i was made up when we signed him because of his past history with the club and at this level he has proven he could score goals. It was obvious he wouldnt be a starter, however for me, when he plays its like he is trying to hard, and as a result isnt performing like he can. Almost reminds me of when we had Robbie Keane.
Adam Lallana, now Alberto Moreno aside, Lallana was the player i was most excited about signing this summer. Unfortunately for Adam he had his injury early on however he has shown some signs of the player he can be recently.
I was gutted we got rid of both Reina and Agger and i cant believe how badly we have replaced them.
I know a lot of people disagree but i feel Mignolet is a terrible keeper, he is a good shot stopper. But goalkeepers need to be commanding and need to be able to dominate their area, Mignolet does neither. His ball distribution skills are absolutely shocking, kicking almost 99% of the time ends up at the feet of the opposing team. Reina may have burnt his bridges at LFC before his loan to Napoli but for me i would have kept him at the club, he fits the style of play. Reina too is a good shot stopper, all round he is very very good. I miss the days of a Reina throw out starting a counter attack.
Agger when Daniel was fit he was superb, although keeping him fit was the issue. However, is he any worse the the 20 million paid for Lovren?
Defensively we have been very poor all season and i cant help but wonder, had Steve clarke still being involved with the team would we be so poor. I dont think we would, last season and this season we could have done with some of Clarke's coaching methods. One of Brendans biggest mistakes was allowing him to leave.