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“Goals pay the rent” David Coleman memorably warbled as Liverpool fired their way towards another trophy in their 1970s heyday.

And if that’s the case, is it time Jurgen Klopp considered evicting some of his midfielders?

Much has been made of the Reds’ poor goalscoring form in the Premier League this season.

Their tally of 25 goals in 22 games is one of the main reasons they are languishing in ninth place, eight points adrift of the Champions League places.

So, what’s the problem?

Striker light

There’s no doubt Liverpool have been hampered by injuries and loss of form to their strikers.

Having fumbled his way through last season by trying and discarding the likes of Mario Balotelli and Fabio Borini up front, then boss Brendan Rodgers was determined not to be left in the same position this time around.

In came Danny Ings on a free transfer, Divock Origi after his season-long loan at Lille expired and the summer’s big purchase, £32.5million man Christian Benteke.

Rodgers may be long gone, but successor Klopp is facing a familiar problem with Ings out for the season, Origi struck by injury and Benteke struggling to fit into the new manager’s approach.

All this, of course, is a major issue because Liverpool’s chief striker and main goal threat Daniel Sturridge is where he has spent much of the past two years.

In the treatment room.

Soft centres

Last season’s travails ultimately prompted Rodgers to employ Raheem Sterling as a ‘false nine’, the fashionable approach in the modern age.

Sterling ended the season with seven Premier League goals, yet it was Steven Gerrard who was top scorer with nine.

Neither Sterling nor Gerrard are now at Liverpool, depriving the squad of their two most proficient goalscoring midfielders of the last few seasons.

Indeed, in the title-challenging campaign of 2013-14, Gerrard and Sterling contributed a combined total of 22.

This season, though, the midfield has struggled to find the target in the top flight.

Really struggled.

Philippe Coutinho has five goals. Roberto Firmino three. But Emre Can, Lucas Leiva, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen, Adam Lallana and Jordon Ibe have scored just four times between them.

By contrast, when finishing second in 2008-09, Gerrard, still ostensibly an attacking midfielder, scored 16 times. Yossi Benayoun scored eight and Dirk Kuyt, an attacker turned wide midfielder, notched 12.

And when Liverpool last won the league in 1990, John Barnes, a winger by trade, was top scorer with 22.

No surprises

The shot-shy midfield shouldn’t be a surprise if past careers are taken into consideration.

Emre Can, Lucas and, to a lesser extent, Joe Allen are all primarily defensive midfielders. Goalscoring is not their forte.

Can has scored just twice in 18 months for the Reds after notching just five in 45 games in the Bundesliga, while Lucas has only six goals in 297 Liverpool outings – only one of which has come in the Premier League.

And while Allen may have only scored five times in 110 Reds games, it’s similar to his Swansea record of seven in 150.

Of the all-round midfielders, Henderson has seen his season hampered by injury, and his ability to run beyond the strikers has been a huge miss given his decent record of 21 goals in 197 Liverpool games.

Milner boasted a similar record at Manchester City with 18 in 201 games, although many of those appearances were from the bench. Previously, he scored 23 in 129 for Aston Villa playing in a more central role.

The more attacking midfielders offer the greater intrigue.

Jordon Ibe remains in the early stages of his career and his record of three goals in 43 games for Liverpool mirrors that of Sterling at a similar age, albeit he has yet to find the net in the top flight.

Coutinho, despite his current injury, is on course for a par goals tally this season having netted 21 in 125 Liverpool appearances.

Firmino, though, will hope to offer more once he acclimatises – especially if he continues to be employed up front – having scored 49 in 153 appearances for Hoffenheim with 32 goals coming in the last two seasons before his move to Anfield.

The real shortfall is from Lallana. Without a Premier League goal since last May, he has netted only eight in 69 for Liverpool. However, he scored 12 over two top-flight seasons with Southampton.

So now what?

We can talk all day along about systems, tactics, formations and preferences.

But it’s not like Liverpool aren’t making opportunities.

The statistics state only Manchester City have created more chances in the Premier League this season than Klopp’s side, a tally of 300 to 290. Arsenal are next on 272.

The story is similar to shots on goal, with the Reds’ total of 365 bettered only by City’s 387.

City, though, have scored 43 times – the highest in the top flight and 18 more than Liverpool. Midfield trio Kevin de Bruyne, Yaya Toure and, yes, Sterling have each scored five times.

The issue is the Reds’ shot accuracy is 43%, a figure ahead of only Southampton, Stoke City, Aston Villa and Norwich City.

Benteke, despite being Liverpool’s top scorer, has a shot accuracy of 41%.

By comparison, of the leading Premier League marksmen, Riyad Mahrez has 70%, Harry Kane 66%, Odion Ighalo 61%, Sergio Aguero and Jamie Vardy 60%, Romelu Lukaku 55% and Olivier Giroud 54%.

Indeed, Liverpool’s chance conversion rate is 10.3% – the second-worst in the top flight.

For the Reds’ middle men, Henderson will contribute now he’s fit. Firmino and Ibe have time to improve. The clock, though, is ticking for Lallana.

If Liverpool want plenty more goals from midfield, they’ll have to turn to the transfer market once more next summer for such specialists.

For now, though, the Reds will benefit from shooting practice. And not just for their midfielders.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK LIVERPOOL SHOULD DO TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.