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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
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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.
#2 Luka Modric at Tottenham Hotspur
The Croatian joined Spurs in 2008 from Dinamo Zagreb and in the season before his arrival Spurs finished 11th in the league. Modric walked into the Spurs first team immediately and won admirers quickly with his style of play. With him in the squad Spurs improved on their previous season by three positions and a year later they finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
Tottenham followed this up with fifth and fourth placed finishes in the next two seasons which established their position as genuine Top 4 contenders and Modric’s contribution to the success was pivotal, which was why he was named as the club’s best player in the 2010/11 season.
Modric was a calming presence in midfield with his excellent passing ability, vision and the ability to score long range goals. But in 2012, Modric joined Real Madrid and after his departure, Spurs purchased players like Holtby, Capoue, Paulinho and Stambouli to take up the central midfield role. But all of them failed to even pin down a regular starting role and have already left the club.
Mousa Dembele was also among the replacements in central midfield and even though he is still at the club, he too has been unable to nail down a starting spot or control the game like Modric could. Since the departure of Modric, Spurs have failed to make the Top 4 on all three occasions while they finished fourth twice during his stay in London.
Modric’s impact on a side is very crucial and it was evident when even his current club Real Madrid struggled last season when the Croatian was out injured in the second half of the season.
#3 Paul Scholes at Manchester United
The midfield ace spent his entire playing career at Manchester United and won several trophies with the club before calling it a day. However, when Scholes retired it was a big blow for United as they struggled to fill the void left behind.
Scholes retired at the end of the 2010/11 season as a league winner with Manchester United. But just six months into his retirement, he reversed his decision and returned to Manchester United due to the injury problems in midfield. Although injuries were the main issue, United were struggling to find a regular midfield partnership.
The club had high hopes for players like Tom Cleverley and Anderson, expecting them to step replace Scholes, but they were never able to impress enough to become regular starters. These players were not game changers like Scholes and in the case of Anderson his injuries didn’t help him either. Therefore upon his return, Scholes walked straight back into the team.
Scholes eventually retired for good at the end of the 2012/13 season and once again United failed to find a balance in their midfield and the club slipped to their worst Premier League finish in the 2013/14 season.
Even though United have now spent heavily to reinforce their midfield, it will be impossible to replace someone of Paul Scholes’ quality in the immediate future.
#4 Andrea Pirlo at AC Milan
At the end of the 2010/11 season, Andrea Pirlo left AC Milan after the club decided not to renew his contract. The Milanese club thought Pirlo, who was then 32 years old, could no longer control the midfield as effectively as he used to.
Pirlo joined Juventus on a free transfer and instantly became one of the first names on the teamsheet. He went on to win four Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles with Juventus during his four years with the Turin-based club. Meanwhile, Milan failed to land a single trophy and kept sliding down the league table. The Serie A champions during Pirlo’s last season at the club then went on to finish second, third, eight and tenth in the league in the subsequent years.
Milan struggled to find a balance in their team following Pirlo’s departure and midfielders like Muntari, Aquilani, Nocerino, Emanuelson, Flamini, Essien and Poli struggled to settle into the midfield alongside Montolivo. To put it simply, none of the midfielders who arrived after the veteran’s departure had the quality to replace him and Milan were not in a good position financially to land a player who could fill into the boots left vacant by Pirlo.
On the other hand Pirlo, who was discarded by Milan, went on to win the Serie A player of the year in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
#5 Patrick Vieira at Arsenal
The defensive midfield position has been a major issue for Arsenal for quite some time. The Gunners’ former captain Patrick Vieira was a dominating force in the club’s midfield during his stay in London, but since his departure players have come and gone and no player has been able to play the vital role to perfection like the Frenchman.
Abou Diaby was one of the first midfield acquisitions to replace Vieira, but despite the former’s abilities, his injury problems hampered his Arsenal career. Apart from Diaby there were players like Alex Song and Denilson, who had a decent spell with Arsenal during their stay there.
But Denilson left after the emergence of Jack Wilshere and Song, who started to perform well for the club after a while, left the club when Barcelona came calling. Arsene Wenger then persisted with Mikel Arteta as a deep-lying midfielder for a while, but the Spaniard was unfamiliar with the role at first and clearly struggled with the physical aspects the role demanded.
However, recently Arsenal found some respite thanks to the emergence of Francis Coquelin, but it remains to be seen if he can have a similar impact as Vieira had at Arsenal. But for now, Arsenal do not have a world class player who can break up play with strong tackles, read the game and distribute the ball with the same ease Vieira could.
