Now lets be careful chaps! We aren't where we want to be at present - true but the why's and wherefores are complex. Here's a few thoughts. The early signs from Jesus were that he could replace Aguero in time. He's not kicked on to that level. Bernardo of 2 seasons ago looked like he could replace D.Silva. He's not kicked on to that level. Mendy looked brilliant for Monaco but after the injuries he's not kicked on to that level. Mahrez at Leicester looked like he could easily replace Leroy (albeit in a different style). He hasn't. Kompany's departure (though understandable for him) came a year earlier than the club might have thought. Stones's personal problems had an unpredictable effect on his performances. The gamble on Gundo returning to the fitness levels he had at Dortmund hasn't paid off to desired effect though he remains a good player. Sterling will always be one of those players who has devastating patches mixed with anonymous days but he is still so much better than when we signed him. Foden is coming through very well but at his age can't be expected to control every game in which he plays. (Think Gerrard at the same age). Now I'm not whinging or making excuses but remember that L'pool are not the same team this year and no one else is consistently winning. Teams have worked out ways to stop us but we have the best defence we've had since Komps left. All that's need is for the goals to go in against the top teams.I'll tempt fate and say we still have a great chance to win the league, even if we don't play every week with the style and panache we had 2017-19, which was based in my opinion on Fern, DS and KDB performing as if they were 5-6 players for 90 mins every week. I do wish we had more players with the grit and determination of the Mancini team but that's modern footballers for you. I venture to say that the only big transfer mistakes have been not going the extra mile for VVD and not buying a 3rd striker of the Dzeko variety. But what do I know. Keep the faith!
