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£115m of 'flops' morphing in front of our eyes

Summer 2014 was seen as a key transfer market for Liverpool FC, with Luis Suarez needing to be replaced and Champions League football giving the Reds the opportunity to attract world class talent and push on from last year’s second place finish.

Brendan Rodgers’ shopping basket – or at least the one finally secured by the Anfield transfer committee – has come in for plenty of stick, much of it rightly (especially the absence of a marquee striker).

But forget about whispering it quietly, it’s time to say it out loud. The 'flops' are morphing before our very eyes.

Before his injury the most expensive of those signings, £25m Adam Lallana, had found his comfort zone alongside Coutinho and Sterling in a front three that was starting to mitigate for Daniel Sturridge’s lengthy absence. Those two dropped shoulders in front of the Kop for his second goal against Swansea oozed class.

£20m Lazar Markovic is getting better with every game, clearly benefiting from time and a more defined role in the team, yesterday switched to the right hand side, while Emre Can’s versatility (at centre back and then switched to a much more forward role after Gerrard’s injury) could yet make him a £10m bargain.

Finishing still an achilles heel which must improve

For all their dominance – and even against 10 men – the Reds failed to put away a game in which they should have been out of sight by half time. While Markovic was unlucky to see his audacious volley – all technique – hit the woodwork in the first half, the Reds are constantly hampered by their lack of a natural goalscorer. That’s not something that the return of the rested Raheem Sterling against Aston Villa next week will solve either. Philippe Coutinho is a little Brazilian magician who must look into his box of tricks and extract the one that says ‘Goalscorer’ far more often. Here he had two trademark right-foot shots, both dragged just wide of the post on the side he always seems to miss on. You know the one. His two league goals this season are matched by Jordan Henderson and both quite simply must get on the scoresheet more often.

Distribution of Sakho and Can taking pressure off Mignolet

Improved distribution from the back is giving Liverpool an attacking boost. Emre Can was the man who started the move which led to Markovic’s goal and there were plenty of examples of he and Mamadou Sakho in particular getting the Reds moving from the back. Sakho of course had a big role to play in Albert Moreno’s opener against Swansea with that lovely curled ball with his left foot setting the Spaniard away in front of the Main Stand, before meeting Henderson’s returned cross. That ability to play out will delight Rodgers, taking pressure off Simon Mignolet who will also have pleased those of a nervous disposition that he cleared his lines in generally simpler fashion at the Stadium of Light, perhaps influenced by the windy conditions.

No more 'quarterback' for US-bound Gerrard

The last few months of Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool career must be spent in a forward, attacking role. He may be heading off to the USA but it’s time for the ‘quarterback role’ which he has often been employed in to be forgotten about for now.

Perhaps it is something which can return when Liverpool have an over-the-top threat like Daniel Sturridge back in the side – and Reds fans will have been purring at the sight of him strolling into Heathrow on Friday after his American rehabilitation.

But for now Gerrard remains far more valuable hurting the opposition than sitting in front of his own back four and it is no surprise he leads the LFC scoring charts with nine, even allowing for the help of penalties. He had a small role to play in Markovic’s winner here but it was enough. Fans will be anxiously awaiting news of that tightness in his leg which forced his halftime departure.

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Rodgers is capable of 'finding a way'

Brendan Rodgers has had plenty of stick in the first half of the season but maybe it’s time to give some credit to his ability to shuffle his pack and produce a hand which is often proving a winning one.

Jordan Henderson was this week the latest player to speak in glowing terms about his manager’s ability to change things quickly and find a workable solution with the players available to him. Gerrard and Luis Suarez have also praised his coaching ability.

With his strikers misfiring, Rodgers has (literally) found a way forward with a 3-4-3 (or 3-4-2-1 if you like) formation which is getting the best out of his players. Dejan Lovren’s struggles saw him switch Emre Can into a back three and while there remains plenty of scope for improvement defensively, you wouldn’t bet against the Ulsterman managing to eke it out. Last year's Manager of the Year did not become a bad one in just one summer.