Reuters Soccer Blog

Toothless Liverpool losing touch already

Liverpool’s current plight was laid bare on Monday when they were humbled 3-0 by Manchester City — a result which left Roy Hodgson’s side fourth bottom of the Premier League.

After just two games it would be churlish to suggest Liverpool will spend too long down in the bottom half of the table, but the feeling that the 18-times English champions are in danger of losing touch with the top four was inescapable.

A quick glance at the table shows Chelsea top, followed by Arsenal and Manchester United and then City — bookies would be offering short odds on that quartet still there in May.

Liverpool now have the admirable Hodgson in the hotseat at Anfield but the wily Englishman faces a tough task if his side are to challenge for one of the Champions League places.

Certainly the title looks well beyond them.

While City’s unlimited spending power means players are falling over themselves to go to Eastlands, Liverpool face a struggle to hold on to one of their best players.

Midfield engine Javier Mascherano was left out against City after Hodgson admitted the Argentine’s head had been turned by an offer to take him to Barcelona.

Benitez spends big, but does Johnson fit the bill?

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez fought long and hard for greater control of the Anfield club’s transfer funds and first through the door since he agreed his new contract is Portsmouth’s Glen Johnson. He didn’t come cheap, either.

At a reported 17 million pounds, Johnson is an expensive acquisition for a player who never quite made it at Chelsea, and has only recently found success in the England team after raiding down Portsmouth’s right hand side last season.

There may be a lot of rebuilding work still to come from Benitez if Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa are allowed to leave to join the Real Madrid party (and who knows, perhaps Javier Mascherano along with them).

Johnson is not at all a bad player. His general attacking play is more appealing than his defensive talents, but they can be coached. It is not his capabilities that are in question, it’s his price tag.

Another striker must be high on the priority list, but having always openly admired Barcelona’s Dani Alves and then settling for Johnson, Liverpool fans could expect links with Samuel Eto’o or David Villa and end up with Carlton Cole.

PHOTO: England’s Glen Johnson outjumps Kazakhstan’s Tanat Nuserbayev (R) and Zhambyl Kukeyev during the World Cup 2010 qualifier against Kazakhstan at the Central Stadium in Almaty June 6, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh