Liverpool still haunted by Suarez loss

Luis Suarez scored two goals for Barcelona on Tuesday night as they despatched Getafe in another hopelessly one-sided La Liga contest. 

The second goal he scored was one of his typical curled finishes from outside the box. Pure class. His first was a piece of genius that has been desperately missed by his former club Liverpool.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers might have pondered, at times, during this tepid 1-0 defeat to Hull City what his old charge might have offered here in place of the players he bought to replace him.

"We did not look like scoring really to be honest," Rodgers said after. "There were some good moments and we had enough of the ball but never threatened the goal as we would have liked."

As Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert toiled in vain again it all came back to what Liverpool are missing. The spectre of Suarez continues to haunt this team. 

Factor in the constant injuries to the devastating Daniel Sturridge and it is pretty apparent that Liverpool are a shadow of the team they were. They have lost over 50 goals, three league places and their hard-earned berth in the Champions League.

"It is about having that reference at the top end of the field that gives the other players the confidence and movement to create opportunities," Rodgers said. "Our struggles tonight were what they’ve been for the big part of the season in terms of that creativity and scoring goals."

Liverpool's season, which promised an FA Cup final and a return to Champions League football only a few short weeks ago, has disintegrated. Rodgers admitted that he has asked his players to maintain their professionalism until the end of the season. They owe the badge that much. After that? Who knows.

"We won 10 out of 13 and were playing catch up for lots of the season and got ourselves in a great position," Rodgers said. "We lost a couple of big games which did hurt our confidence a bit.

"That is the challenge for me for next year. It is building the team that can get through the rough wars as well that will be critical for us, in times of the season when it is tough we have to get through that."

But where do Liverpool go from here? Not back to the Champions League, that much looks certain. They are now seven points behind Manchester United in fourth place with only 12 more available. Even after Sunday's defeat at Everton it is unlikely that United will melt down that much. It is even more unlikely that Liverpool would be capable of taking that many points of their own accord.

On Tuesday night they played like a team with one eye on their summer holidays and not with one on the Champions League. Their pithy display against Hull lacked belief and direction. The visiting fans conducted a boycott here in protest at rising ticket prices in the Premier League. Liverpool players looked to be paying them the ultimate compliment by not turning up either. 

It was the type of performance that would get a manager the sack; there are more than whispers now that Rodgers has reached the end of the line despite his defiant planning for next season. They are already in need of a drastic rebuild only one year on from a €140m plus spending spree. 

If new players come in, is Rodgers the man to get the best out of them? By the manner in which he has integrated this lot, then no. 

Emre Can played at right-back but was signed as a central midfielder. Balotelli was as effective as he has ever been in red - he barely registered. Three more new signings came off the bench in the shape of Lambert, Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic. None were up to much and none would be missed if they were sold again. 

One on one, Jordon Ibe had the measure of his marker and Philippe Coutinho was his usual elusive self but they could not bend the game to their will. 

Beyond those two, there was no semblance of togetherness about Liverpool. There was a lack of coherence in their shape and the execution of their attacking. They made a couple of decent chances but nothing that truly troubled the veteran Steve Harper.

"You can’t hide away from the fact you’ve lost over 50 goals," Rodgers said. "Any team who loses that is going to struggle. With Suarez and Sturridge we still weren’t tipped for the top four, we were still written off, and having not got them the challenge is greater for us."

Once upon a time a tight game could be turned by a certain Liverpool No. 7. Instead, he is on the brink of a treble alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar. He is playing alongside men capable of matching his gifts. The ones he left behind look lost. Perhaps he was dragging them through on his own all along.