5 midfielders who were never replaced by their clubs
When a world class player leaves a club it is obviously a big loss for the club, but they are also left with a herculean task of replacing the player. And more often than not, most clubs fail to replace such high profile players in just one transfer window. The process might take several years and in some instances it is never done. Take for example the impact the departures of Gareth Bale from Tottenham and Luis Suarez from Liverpool had on their respective clubs. Tottenham slid to sixth and their performance, especially in the attacking department, was a drab affair without Bale. The scenario was worse in Liverpool’s case as the club went from second to sixth in the table and struggled to score goals. So here are five instances when a club failed to replace an outgoing player.
#1 Xabi Alonso at Liverpool
It won’t be wrong to say that Steven Gerrard’s best performances in a Liverpool kit were when he played alongside Alonso. The Spaniard’s presence in midfield often took the burden of Gerrard’s shoulders as Alonso was capable of dictating play from midfield by spraying long passes.
Alonso’s ability to read the game was also crucial in protecting the back four. So when Alonso left the club in 2009, it affected Gerrard as he had to take up more responsibility in the side due to the inability of his other teammates to compensate for the departing Spaniard.
The Merseyside club replaced him with Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani and in the subsequent season Liverpool finished seventh in the league. They then failed to qualify for the Champions League for five consecutive seasons! Aquilani struggled with injuries and left the Premier League as a huge flop four years later.
Other players like Raul Meireles, Charlie Adam, Christian Poulsen and Jonjo Shelvey also joined the club and left the club in the same period without making a significant impact. Another player who slotted into midfield was Lucas Leiva, but the Brazilian was criticized for his performance and he was not a player with Alonso’s passing range or ability to read the game.
It has been six years and Liverpool are still struggling to find a midfielder who could control the game like Alonso did.