Why Liverpool and Tottenham both could miss out on a top four finish

It has been a season of change at both White Hart Lane and Anfield. Both clubs removed their veteran managers and chose to put all their faith on young blood by appointing two new and exciting managers in the form of Andre Villas-Boas and Brendan Rodgers.

With a sizeable transfer kitty at their disposal, fans and pundits alike were optimistic about both the sides’ chances of bagging a top four finish. However, the transfer window has been somewhat of a fiasco for both the clubs and both are now in danger of losing out on the coveted Champions League spot, especially with teams of the calibre of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea plying their trade in the same league.

Let us first look at the club who have fared a little better so far. For Tottenham, the transfer window was somewhat of a mixed bag. While highly rated players such as Luka Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart decided to end their stay in London, the club managed to secure the services of versatile defender Jan Vertonghen, midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Clint Dempsey.

However, as expected the club now lacks a creative spark. The departure of Modric, the most important cog in Tottenham’s creative wheel, has been particularly felt. As a result the squad has failed to win even one of their opening three fixtures and has managed to score just thrice, while conceding four times.

Villas-Boas, who had a torrid time at fellow Londoners Chelsea, looks set to have another topsy-turvy season and his side will need to improve fast if they are to get anything out of this campaign. The only positive for the Portuguese, who was once touted as Jose Mourinho’s successor, is that he has an enviable strike force at his disposal that will get him goals once it starts to gel.

However, Villas-Boas’ predicament is just a fraction of what Rodgers has had to face at Liverpool. While the manager readily offloaded Andy Carroll on loan, there was no replacement brought in. Reports in the media suggested that the manager was promised Clint Dempsey, but the hierarchy failed to match Fulham’s valuation, seemingly due to the player’s age that was deemed to be out of line with the club’s new policy of recruiting youth.

To add to his troubles, experienced veterans such as Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt were forced out of the club owing to the high wage levels thereby leaving the squad threadbare upfront. The only replacement came in the form of Fabio Borini, a player who is new to the rigors of the Premier League and will undoubtedly take time to start firing.

Liverpool have in fact been woeful in front of goal, managing to find the back of the net just twice while conceding a whopping seven goals in return. The fact that the hierarchy allowed such a situation to materialize is even more appalling, especially when they knew that Luis Suarez is more adept at creating goals and is not very lethal when it comes to finishing. Such was the situation at Anfield, that towards the end, moves for then free agents such as Michael Owen and Emile Heskey were touted.

Needless to say, this fiasco has already burst the bubble at Liverpool and has completely doused the enthusiasm caused by the appointment of Rodgers. Liverpool’s midfield too in fact has been far from convincing, with Steven Gerrard a fading force, Lucas spending more time on the treatment table and new recruits Nuri Sahin and Joe Allen failing to make an immediate impact. The only noteworthy player in the first three games has been young Raheem Sterling, who seems to be growing in stature with every passing minute.

Where then does the famed club now stand. While they do have many young prospects such as Suso and Adam Morgan, they cannot expect these youngsters to take on the mantle of scoring regularly in the top flight so early in their careers. This essentially means that the club will now have to make do with what they’ve got and that further means that there is bound to be a lack of goals, at least until the January transfer window.

With the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea going from strength to strength and the new strike force at the Emirates seemingly beginning to click, the writing is more or less on the wall for Rodgers. Despite a noticeable change in Liverpool’s playing style, the club is very likely to finish outside the top four once again. While the rebuilding job at Anfield was not expected to be easy, the club’s indecisiveness has resulted in an even more grim situation and that is bound to increase pressure from the fans.

One can only hope that both Villas-Boas and Rodgers are given ample time to instil their philosophy, because the last thing that both Tottenham and Liverpool need is a knee-jerk reaction. The presence of either of these clubs in the next edition of Champions League will be welcomed by all neutrals and one does hope that luck and good fortune works in their favour and manages to help them achieve a top four finish. You never know…..stranger things have happened in football.