Assessment of the impact of Dalglish's Liverpool signings

Goal.com examines the impact of the players who were signed by Dalglish since his return last January in his attempt to steer the club into the coveted Champions League spots.

CHARLIE ADAM

Date joined 07/07/11 Fee paid £8.5 million Appearances 34 Goals 2 Assists 9 IMPACT RATING:

With the wealth of options already in midfield at the time of Adam's arrival, the Scotland international appeared to be regarded as a squad-player signing, rather than a consistent first-choice starter. But with the season-ending injury to Lucas in early December, the 26-year-old has enjoyed regular playing time under Dalglish.

The worrying statistic for Adam, however, is that in the nine games he's missed this season, Liverpool have won eight of them. Furthermore, for all of the praise showered on him from former boss Ian Holloway regarding his distribution and vision, Adam has misplaced just over 20 per cent of his passes in the Premier League this term - worse than any other regular central midfielder at a club currently in the top six.

To say Liverpool's inability to sustain a challenge for a Champions League place is down to Adam would be unfair, but the midfielder has struggled to impose himself defensively - or in the attacking third.

Steven Gerrard has already scored more than the Scot, despite only starting 13 games this term, while Lucas averaged nearly six successful tackles per game before his injury. Adam's average is less than half of the Brazilian.

CRAIG BELLAMY

Date joined 31/08/11 Fee paid Free Appearances 29 Goals 9 Assists 5 IMPACT RATING:

A shrewd signing from Dalglish, who understood the Wales international still had more to give following his exile at Manchester City.

Despite only starting 12 games, Bellamy is second in the club's scoring charts behind Luis Suarez this term. The 32-year-old has been carefully preserved by Dalglish through fear of injury but the striker's form when he has featured has made it difficult for the Liverpool boss to keep him on the bench.

Craig Bellamy is 6/1 with William Hill to score the first goal for Liverpool against QPR on Wednesday night.

In order to push on, Liverpool could do with a player in the same mould as Bellamy who is capable of featuring more regularly but it's unlikely it'll be another another free transfer masterstroke from Dalglish.

ANDY CARROLL

Date joined 31/01/11 Fee paid £35 million Appearances 43 Goals 8 Assists 3 IMPACT RATING:

The hulking forward has resembled a square peg in a round hole ever since his deadline-day move from Newcastle United in January 2011. Liverpool have rarely played to the 23-year-old's strengths, which was highlighted during Luis Suarez's eight-game ban, when he led the line and was forced to adopt the Uruguayan's style of dropping deep and having the ball played to his feet.

In the air, Carroll is capable of matching any defender in the league but Liverpool's style of play simply does not suit their £35m acquisition. And given the poor form of the club's wide players - Stewart Downing in particular - crosses the striker can attack with his head are few and far between.

A player of Carroll's build is reliant upon the service provided and while that continues to be missing at Anfield, Liverpool are not going to see a return on their outlay any time soon.

SEBASTIAN COATES

Date joined 30/08/11 Fee paid £8 million Appearances 8 Goals 0 Assists 0 IMPACT RATING:

The Uruguayan has found his chances at Anfield limited following the solid partnership of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel this season.

But at 21, Coates is in the infancy of his career and with Jamie Carragher showing his age against Robin van Persie earlier this month in Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Liverpool, the defender who was  signed from Nacional could be considered third in the pecking order of centre-backs at the club.

DONI

Date joined 15/07/11 Fee paid Free Appearances 0 Conceded 0 Clean sheets 0 IMPACT RATING: N/A

The 32-year-old is second behind one of the best goalkeepers in the league in Pepe Reina, which will always make it difficult for the Brazilian to feature regularly. Given Doni's experience, however, Liverpool should have a solid backup if required.

STEWART DOWNING

Date joined 15/07/11 Fee paid £20 million Appearances 35 Goals 2 Assists 1 IMPACT RATING:

Similar to Adam and Carroll, Downing was signed with the hope that he'd be able to make the step up in quality in order to help Liverpool push towards a Champions League place. But the winger has struggled in the high-profile fixtures, most notably during Liverpool's 2-1 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford last month where he was anonymous in his hour on the pitch before being substituted.

After a solid campaign at Aston Villa, Downing looked to be the perfect complement for Carroll, who had been unable to make an impact following his arrival earlier in 2011, but one assist all season reflects the winger's contribution to Liverpool's overall cause.

Downing's reliance on using his left foot hampers his versatility. Playing on the right flank for a part of this season has not worked due to his tendency to cut inside in order to use his stronger foot, while his goal threat is minimal and that is shown in his paltry return this term.

But even when Downing has played in his natural position, inconsistency in his crossing has hampered any formidable connection with Carroll. Assuming Dalglish spends on new recruits this summer, the 27-year-old may see his chances at Anfield restricted next season.

JOSE ENRIQUE

Date joined 12/08/11 Fee paid £6 million Appearances 34 Goals 0 Assists 2 IMPACT RATING:

The Spaniard has turned out to be one of the bargains of the Premier League last summer after being signed for £6m from Newcastle United.

Enrique has slotted in seamlessly in the left-back role at Anfield, thus solving the club's prolonged problem in that position over the past few season.

The 26-year-old will want to build on his assists tally next term, but for a debut season at the club, Enrique has had no problems.

JORDAN HENDERSON

Date joined 09/06/11 Fee paid £20 million Appearances 36 Goals 1 Assists 3 IMPACT RATING:

The 21-year-old was brought to Anfield on the premise that he'd develop, rather than be able to make an instant impact. But with injuries to key players such as Lucas and Gerrard, Henderson has been hauled into regular first-team action quicker than expected.

Often played on the right, Henderson has shown his comfort zone is in the middle of the pitch, rather than out wide, and central midfield is where he has displayed the most promise this season.

For the £20m fee paid, Liverpool would have expected a better return than a solitary goal and three assists this season but under the guidance of Gerrard, Henderson has shown the fundamental skills required in order to improve his game.

LUIS SUAREZ

Date joined 31/01/11 Fee paid £22.7 million Appearances 42 Goals 15 Assists 8 IMPACT RATING:

While Suarez's goal return can hardly be classed as prolific and the forward's record needs to be brought up to the standard he achieved at Ajax, the Uruguayan has become a focal point in Liverpool's attack.

Suarez's unpredictability and ingenuity are a welcome sight in a side which has managed just 33 league goals this season, and his ability to drop deep and link up with midfield both around the box and in wide areas is a needy alternative to Carroll, who relies on service from elsewhere.

The Patrice Evra race row may tarnish Suarez's reputation for the remainder of his time in the Premier League but his performances on the pitch have been talismanic and Liverpool, given their aim to get back into the Champions League, need to focus their forward play around the 25-year-old.


source: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/03/21/2978141/suarez-bellamy-star-as-downing-adam-struggle-assessing-the