Poll: Which Liverpool signing is to blame for their faltering season?
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Liverpool’s defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend may have denied Steven Gerrard that dream 35th birthday present, but frankly it was no less than what they deserved.
And with two defeats in their last three Premier League matches, Brendan Rodgers’ side find themselves in danger of slipping out of the top five.
So where has it gone wrong for the Reds? The obvious place to look would be the signings they have made in the past 12 months.
That got us thinking, who has been the biggest failure to arrive at Anfield this season? Have your say in our latest poll.
Mario Balotelli
When he arrived on Merseyside for a fee of around £16m, many were cooing at the supposed bargain Liverpool had bagged.
But having netted just four times in 25 appearances, accumulating more yellow cards than goals during his spell at the club, that same old sulky Mario looks to be on the return.
Dejan Lovren
Slightly less of a bargain at around £25m, it may seem harsh to include the centre-back in this list, with Liverpool keeping 13 clean sheets in the Premier League this season.
But the former Southampton man has to be here simply for his undefendable decision to shoot (badly) from 35 yards on Sunday as the clock ticked down and his side trailing, rather than looking for a pass.
Lazar Markovic
Ask most people what the most memorable thing Markovic has done in his time in a Liverpool shirt, and one thing sticks in the eye, I mean mind.
He may have been harshly done by, but the decision to palm off a Basel midfielder in the face, 15 minutes after coming on in the Champions League was questionable and pretty much sums up his contribution to the Merseysiders.
Rickie Lambert
You couldn’t begrudge Rickie Lambert a move to his boyhood club as his career winds down, but you would certainly have hoped he had delivered more on the pitch.
A goal every 339 minutes for Liverpool is almost Mario Balotelli-esque, as the 32-year-old has watched his late blooming England career peter out in similar fashion.
Alberto Moreno
He may have run up and down the wing a lot, but it’s hard to say what the Spaniard has contributed other than his crude attempt at Daniel Sturridge’s showpiece celebration.
Of the players who have started at least 10 games this season, the former Sevilla man has been attributed the lowest average match rating according to WhoScored.com.
He is however the most booked Red this league season, so at least he comes out on top in that sense!
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All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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