Source: Daily_Mail
Liverpool in crisis after Northampton defeat - but what is wrong with Roy Hodgson's side?
'It's a setback for the club. One of many we are facing at the moment.' [LNB]Roy Hodgson was only too clear in his post match-interview after the shock defeat to Northampton on how he views the current situation surrounding Liverpool. [LNB]If Reds fans were not frantically hitting the panic button before their Carling Cup exit, they sure are now as their side continue to stumble from one disaster to the next. [LNB]Liverpool have nosedived since finishing runners-up to Manchester United in 2009 and with defeat to the League Two side marking a new low, Sportsmail looks at the major problems engulfing Anfield. [LNB] Humiliation: A nearly unrecognisable Liverpool side crashed to CarlingCup defeat to lowly League Two outfit Northampton Town at Anfield on Wednesday night[LNB]Ownership Still here: Co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks are struggling to find a buyer for the club[LNB]There seems to be no end in sight regarding a takeover at the club. Martin Broughton was brought in as chairman in April to try and find a buyer but there has been no serious offer placed for the club. [LNB]Kenny Huang is the closest the club has come to finding a buyer but the Hong Kong businessman balked at the board's £600million asking price and so far so has everybody else. [LNB]Tom Hicks was interested in buying his co-owner George Gillett's share of the club, but that again looks to have collapsed as he has failed to gather the funds needed to do this.[LNB] The level of uncertainty regarding ownership has only increased as the club gets closer to the Royal Bank of Scotland's re-financing of the loan to Hicks and Gillett next month. [LNB]Because of this any plans to carry out a much-needed move in to a new stadium have come to a standstill and the club will continue to suffer as a result. [LNB]Gerrard, Torres, Reina, Johnson and who? Throughout Steven Gerrard's time at Anfield he has usually played alongside quality midfield men like Dietmar Hamann and Xabi Alonso but now is weighed down by the dross around him. [LNB]All too often, if Gerrard is off form then the whole team suffers with him, as nobody is around to pick up the pieces. [LNB]Fernando Torres has often papered over the cracks during his time at the club, but with the Spaniard not playing his best at the start of this season, Gerrard is isolated with the burden of galvanising the team. [LNB] Lone furrow: Does Steven Gerrard have the right players around him? [LNB]Pepe Reina and Glen Johnson are two high-quality players but the problem is that is pretty much where it ends. This was highlighted at Old Trafford, where Gerrard put in an inspired performance to score twice, with Torres being heavily involved with both goals. That aside Liverpool were completely overrun in one of the most one-sided Manchester United-Liverpool fixtures in years. [LNB]Shoddy signings Void: The Reds miss Mascherano's influence[LNB]Last season's big-money buy Alberto Aquilani failed to live up to expectations, as has Maxi Rodriguez and none of the club's signings this season has yet to make a big impact. [LNB]Joe Cole has yet to get anywhere near the player people were screaming for to act as England's playmaker at the World Cup, while Milan Jovanovic and Christian Poulsen have been solid if not spectacular. [LNB]Raul Meireles is still adjusting to the English game and the five midfielders, including Rodriguez, have so far failed to fill the voids left by Alonso the previous summer and Javier Mascherano this year. [LNB]Inflated expectations Liverpool's final Premier League position of seventh last season came as a shock to many pundits and fans who predicted they would end their 20 year wait for the league title. [LNB]The only player to leave from the previous summer was Alonso, and with very much the same squad they were expected to at least qualify for the Champions League. [LNB] Outclassed: Liverpool are now struggling to match the likes of Manchester CIty[LNB]But Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa all caught up, and with the former two further strengthening in the summer are Liverpool actually good enough for the top four? [LNB]Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal remain as strong as ever and in comparison to last season's top five, Liverpool cannot match their rivals' overall squads and may have to settle for the fact that a Europa League place is the ceiling for the team. [LNB]Is Roy the right man? Oh Roy: Liverpool boss Hodgson faces a tough task in trying to turn the club around[LNB]While it is too early to decide if Roy Hodgson is the right man, has his start at Liverpool been good enough? [LNB]So far the impact of his summer signings have not registered on the Richter scale. [LNB]There is no doubt he got the very best out of his squad at Fulham and transformed the club through a host of smart purchases including the relatively unknown Brede Hangeland and Bobby Zamora. [LNB]But at a club like Liverpool is he capable of bringing in players good enough to take them back to the top? At Blackburn a huge spending spree to achieve something similar spectacularly failed leaving the club bottom of the league in 1998. [LNB]The longevity of Hodgson's reign must be analysed as well. It is clear that Liverpool's period of transition could at least go on for another couple of seasons yet but the former Inter Milan coach has never stayed in a position for more than four years. [LNB]If Hodgson decides on another career change in a couple of seasons time then the club will be immediately be back to where they started, with a new manager having to come in and build yet another new squad.[LNB] Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard issues rallying call as Reds scramble to salvage their season after Northampton embarrassmentLiverpool forced to say sorry to fans over 'catastrophe' of losing to minnows Northampton in Carling CupCobblers! Roy Hodgson turns on Anfield flops as Northampton stun Liverpool in shootout Liverpool 2 Northampton 2 (AET): Load of Cobblers! Reds crash out on penalties [LNB]
