It’s been discussed before and I intend to do so again. There are stark similarities between Tottenham’s transfer policy in summer 2013 and Liverpool’s a year later.
Both clubs spent just either side of the £110million mark, Spurs brought in seven players whilst the Reds brought in eight, and both clubs funded their enormous sprees by selling their key players to Spanish superpowers, Gareth Bale joining Real Madrid for a record-breaking £87million and Luis Suarez moving to Barcelona for £75million – after both had lifted the PFA Player of the Year award.
Some superficial comparisons, some not. But perhaps most tellingly of all, the eerily similar transfer policies had the same effect; a slump in performance and league standing the season after. Spurs dropped from fifth to sixth, going through two managers in the process, whilst Liverpool plummeted from second to sixth. Questions are now being asked of Brendan Rodgers.
More than anything else, it proves attempting to replace one key player with an all-round improved squad simply doesn’t work. It might seem like a sensible enough strategy – Tottenham were initially praised for turning a one-man team into an eleven-man team and resultantly heralded to launch a title charge – but the disillusion of responsibility and talent rendered none willing or capable to take on the talismanic mantle Bale and Suarez left behind.
Likewise, Andre Villas-Boas and Brendan Rodgers both faced the same problem after their respective clubs’ lucrative sprees – entering the season without knowing their strongest and most functional starting XI.
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But there’s another influence too, one which hasn’t been scrutinised enough as it should – European football. Tottenham have a huge squad with little natural hierarchy, undoubtedly due to their continued involvement in the Europa League. Likewise, Brendan Rodgers made the call for ‘multipurpose signings’, maximising Liverpool’s depth as much as possible, ahead of the Reds’ first season in the Champions League since the 2009/10 campaign.
Once again, it’s a natural urge. Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was an active adversary of the Europa League, even dubbing it ‘a killer’ for the way in which it saps a club’s resources, a squad’s fitness and completely congests the fixture calendar. Liverpool faced a similar issue after a skeleton crew of a roster had defied the odds to finish second in the Premier League. More bodies means the ability to cope with more fixtures and more injuries without having to field weakened sides domestically. After all, despite the allure of silverware on the continent, league form will always have the biggest impact on the fates of both clubs.
Yet, that summarises my concern perfectly – have Liverpool and Tottenham let the European competitions impact their transfer policies too much?
Of course, you can imagine the outrage if Tottenham were knocked out of the Europa League by one of the minnows from eastern Europe in the preliminary rounds, or if Liverpool had fielded weakened side after weakened side in the Champions League’s group stages. But it could well have been in their best interests; after all, what’s the point in having a squad that can merely cope with being in a competition if you’ve actually got very little chance of winning it? That’s no sleight at either club, more alluding to the fact the intensity of the Premier League makes it considerably harder for English sides to succeed in Europe.
So what should Tottenham and Liverpool have done instead? In my opinion, focused on their starting XIs and the Premier League itself. Although winning the Europa League now comes with the added incentive of qualification to the Champions League, as does winning Europe’s top tournament itself for the following year, finishing in the top four is still the most viable route.
Admittedly, Liverpool’s spree was a bit of a flash in the pan, an unusual situation for a club that hadn’t expected to finish second in the table or for Luis Suarez to leave. But Tottenham’s feels a little more contrived; they’ve continued to improve the peripheries of the squad, with signings like Michel Vorm, Ben Davies and Benjamin Stambouli, without truly investing in their starting line-up.
The problem is that it’s a bit of a vicious cycle for Spurs – the more you act like a Europa League club, the more you become one – and there’s a lingering fear Liverpool could now fall into the same pattern too. So perhaps its time both clubs treat European football with a little more distain, and simply focused on breaking into the domestic top four.
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