If we go backwards it won't be due to Suarez departure - by Dave Usher

The departure of Luis Suarez does not automatically mean that Liverpool will be weaker next season, although obviously it’s a very distinct possibility. There is quite simply no player out there capable of filling the Uruguayan's boots and therefore signing a 'like for like' replacement is an impossible task. Don’t go calling the Samaritans just yet though, as we have replaced 'the irreplaceable' before.

Older Reds know from experience how it is possible to lose your star player and come back stronger for it. Kevin Keegan being upgraded with Kenny Dalglish is the most obvious one, but that’s perhaps not the greatest example for this situation. Let's face it, the days of going out and signing the Celtic centre forward to replace your superstar striker are long gone. Georgios Samaras would certainly bring some much needed good hair to the squad, but not much else. Not unless Brendan is looking for someone to fill the ‘false three’ role that has been vacant since big Emile departed.

No, the Keegan / Dalglish situation isn’t relevant here as unless we're incredibly lucky we are not going to go out and find someone who turns out to be better than a man who you can argue has perhaps been the world’s best player over the last 12 months. Who are you going to get who’s better than Suarez?
 
Nobody, so Brendan needs to look to another period in the club’s history for the blueprint on how to replace your star man. Ironically, it also involved Dalglish, except this time ‘the King’ was the manager and he was tasked with replacing his legendary strike partner, Ian Rush.

When Rush joined Juventus in the summer of 1987 the deal had been agreed 12 months earlier so Dalglish and the Liverpool board had time to prepare for it. Suarez may not have given us 12 months notice but if the club had not been preparing for the possibility of him moving on then that would be incredibly stupid. Given that neither John W.Henry or Brendan Rodgers are incredibly stupid, presumably this is an eventuality they had planned for.
 
The lack of transfer restrictions in 1987 meant that Dalglish had the advantage of being able to bring in John Aldridge as Rush's successor in waiting shortly before the end of the season. They even played a few games as a pair although the boyhood Kopite Aldridge had clearly been signed to succeed a player he himself idolised.

Aldridge was a great goalscorer but he was not Ian Rush, he’d be the first to tell you that. And yet the team Aldridge played in is widely regarded as the finest in club history. That’s because Dalglish was canny enough to realise that he couldn’t just swap Aldridge for Rush and just carry on regardless.

Instead, Dalglish used the funds generated by the sale of Rush to also recruit Peter Beardsley and John Barnes to service Aldridge, as Liverpool went 29 games unbeaten at the start of the following season on their way to becoming Champions. 

You can draw some parallels between Aldridge and Rickie Lambert, but there is also a key difference as Rickie was certainly not signed to replace Suarez, so the pressure is off him a little in that regard. Rodgers will certainly have to bring in another striker to help to try and fill the massive void left by Suarez, but whoever it is will not even come close to having the type of impact that Luis had over the last couple of years.

All is not lost though, as the example of Liverpool post-Rush does provide some hope in what is unquestionably an anxious time for the club’s supporters. Of course that was almost 30 years ago now and the game has changed an awful lot since then, but the principle still stands: Replace one outstanding individual by making the team better in two or three other areas. I'm not saying it's easy, but it can be done.

A more recent example would be Atletico Madrid a year ago. They sold Radamel Falcao to Monaco yet surprised everybody by going on to win La Liga and were within a few seconds of becoming European Champions too. They succeeded without signing a like for like replacement for Falcao. They brought in veteran David Villa (a good player but not Falcao) and a couple of other players, but the key to their success was that players who were already at the club took their performances up another level under the guidance of their bright young coach Diego Simeone.
 
Atleti may not have had the star quality of Real or Barca, or the money to compete with them for players, yet they triumphed over both by being a 'proper team' and not just a collection of expensive superstars. Their success was great for football because it showed that it's not always the clubs with the most money who triumph and if you do things the right way you can still win titles. We came so close to providing further proof of it but sadly came up just short. 

There is nobody out there who can come in and just “do what Suarez does” so it’s up to Brendan Rodgers to adjust his set up accordingly. In Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling he already has two exciting attacking players who are familiar with his systems and style of play, and it’s not out of the question to think both can elevate their game further this coming season.

When Falcao left Atletico, Diego Costa stepped up to become the man. Providing he can avoid the frustrating injuries that held him back at times last season, there’s nothing to suggest Sturridge cannot do the same.

Rodgers will no doubt recruit other forward players to help share the burden (Markovic arrived today and one more is expected to follow), but none will be in the same class as Suarez and therefore the priority is not replacing him, it is simply to make Liverpool a better all around team with more strength in depth. I see no reason why that cannot be done, providing those entrusted with identifying and bringing in new signings do their jobs to the level expected of them, and not the level they have shown thus far.
 
Bringing in a Barnes, Beardsley and Aldridge won't cut it this time, we're well stocked in those areas anyway with the likes of Sterling, Sturridge, Coutinho and Lambert etc, but if we could get a Steve McMahon, a Steve Nicol and an Alan Hansen then for my money we'd be an even better side than we were last season, even without Suarez.

A top class central defender with organisational and leadership qualities would transform the back four, whilst a world class midfielder to play with (and eventually replace) Steven Gerrard should also be a priority. Full back (either or both sides) is also an area in desperate need of improvement, and if those three needs are satisfied (and I understand it's a big 'IF') there is no reason why we should miss Suarez too much. 
 
I don’t say that lightly, he’s the best player I’ve seen in all my time watching the Reds and would walk into any team in world football, but I believe in Rodgers and his methods. He makes players better, and if he can tighten us up at the back we can still do great things this season, even without our best player.

We scored a whopping 101 goals last season, 31 of them courtesy of Suarez who also played a big part in creating many of the other 70. Equalling (or indeed bettering) that will be tough, but it would have been so even with Suarez. Not many post war teams have topped the 100 goal mark and even fewer (if any) have done it in successive seasons. Matching last season's goal tally is not the priority, adding to the points total is. Adding another 10 goals to that by beating up on the Leicesters, Burnleys, Stokes and Tottenhams of this world won’t do that, but not conceding two at Chelsea, City and Arsenal and three at Goodison and Selhurst Park just might.

Replacing those 31 goals may well prove to be impossible, although it’s not unrealistic to expect Borini (assuming he stays), Lambert and any other new forward (be it Wilfied Bony or someone else) to chip in with 20 between them. Sterling and Philippe Coutinho are both still young and improving, Markovic seems to be very highly rated, Adam Lallana is a creative force who usually gets close to double figures in goals, and assuming there’s no significant drop off in the production of Sturridge (who had little trouble finding the net any time Suarez was on one of his annual suspensions) then goals should not be in short supply even if we fail to match those ‘101 great goals’ of last season.

If by strengthening the midfield and defence, we can trim the goals conceded number by 15 or even 20, then a somewhat inevitable drop off in our attacking output may not be so damaging. Part of the reason we scored so many goals was because we had to. When you’re conceding three to Stoke, Cardiff, Palace, Swansea etc then you’re going to have to score a ton of goals - literally! - to avoid dropping points. If we’re only conceding one - or imagine this, keeping a clean sheet! - in those games then scoring three instead of five isn’t going to hurt us.

That’s perhaps an overly simplistic way of looking at it I know, but it’s a valid point. Where we are likely to miss Suarez most is in the tight games when it needs a moment of individual brilliance to get us over the line. The funny thing is though, that didn’t really happen too much with Luis. Usually he was playing his part in us running all over teams, in the tight games he wasn't as much of a factor.

We can win without Suarez, of that I have no doubt. Whether we will or not depends on how well the money is re-invested, but whatever happens it won’t be as much fun to watch. How could it be? Suarez is incredible, arguably the best (not greatest, he threw that away by not staying long enough) player we’ve ever had. A true genius. A flawed one, obviously, but a genius nonetheless and it’s been a pleasure being able to watch him these last few years.

His mere presence on the field petrified the opposition and in turn gave his team-mates extra confidence. That will be the hardest thing to replace (as well as the boundless enthusiasm and insane - and infectious - will to win), but with a more solid base to launch attacks from we should still be highly competitive even without him.

The Liverpool hierarchy have often bemoaned the difficulty in attracting top talent due to a lack of Champions League football. Well now they have it and they also have the increased revenues it brings. Additionally there’s a massive new TV deal and the coffers have been swelled further, not just by the £75m fee for Suarez, but also by clearing his 200k a week salary from the books.

So this summer there can be no such excuses. Not only can the Reds offer players the opportunity to play in Europe’s premier competition, but they also have the money -- for one summer at least -- to compete with anybody in the transfer market should they so choose.

If we go backwards next season it won’t be due to the departure of our brilliant number 7, it will be because - like Spurs a year ago - we failed to take full advantage of the rare opportunity that such a massive cash injection brings. 

Dave