Liverpool FC: Luis Suarez Can't Make the Champions League Push by Himself

The recent result against Norwich was a disappointing one for Liverpool. A multitude of chances were spurned by the Reds via a combination of fine saves and poor finishing, which resulted in a 1-1 draw. 

Whilst Liverpool full-back Luis Enrique claimed that Liverpool were wasteful (I wholly agree), Kenny Dalglish has cited the positives and predicts that someone will be on the end of a Liverpool thrashing soon enough.

Following that comment, I looked at Liverpool's strike force in comparison to their Premiership rivals and wondered whether they had the firepower necessary to assure Champions League football next term.

The "20-goal-a-season striker" phrase seems to be what every fan talks about, and I think Liverpool may just have one in Luis Suarez. But, great strikers need great service, which means Gerrard has to stay fit for Liverpool if Suarez is to have any chance of hitting that mark.

I'd like to see another striker signed in January to really make Andy Carroll sweat for his place, if he's to fulfill his undoubted potential. If Suarez was to get injured, then I fear Liverpool would have a real struggle for consistent goal scoring, and he might be their only chance for a Champions League push. 

John Barnes was right in saying Liverpool shouldn't become overly reliant on Suarez, but I think they already are. It needs addressing soon, and it needs addressing smartly, as Bellamy and Kuyt are not going to provide anything close to 20 goals.

Manchester United's top goal threats are obviously debatable. For me, they are Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez.

Rooney's best ever return was the 2009-10 season, when he scored 26 goals, and Hernandez's debut season last year was a decent 13-goal return, which he will look to build upon this year.

Take those two out of the equation, and Manchester United can still summon the likes of the up-and-coming Danny Welbeck, 2010-11 Golden Boot winner Dimitar Berbatov and the long forgotten Michael Owen.

Manchester City have strikers capable of changing a game at any time. Impressive new signing Sergio Aguero has already hit eight goals in his first nine games for the club, and Mario Balotelli is certainly able when he's in the right frame of mind.

Those two aside, City can call upon Edin Dzeko, who also has eight goals to his credit already this season, and Carlos Tevez...although Tevez, it seems, may not answer!

Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Daniel Sturridge, Nicolas Anelka and Romelu Lukaku are Chelsea's striking options for the 2011-12 season.

Whilst Drogba and Anelka are aging and may not be as good as they once were, they are certainly capable of getting well into double figures for the season. Torres is in his prime (age wise) and Sturridge and Lukaku will be around for years to come, giving Villas-Boas a headache that any Premiership Manager would love to have.

Chelsea certainly have the strength and the quality in depth to challenge any team.

Tottenham Hotspur did possibly the most astute piece of summer business by signing Emmanuel Adebayor on a season's loan, and I think they needed it.

Adebayor aside, Spurs have Jermaine Defoe, Giovani Dos Santos and Roman Pavlyuchenko as recognized strikers, and for me, Defoe is the only one capable of scoring anything close to 20 goals. Manager Harry Redknapp will be looking to Rafael Van Der Vaart as his secondary goal influx.

Arsenal look significantly weaker as a whole following the departure of Nasri and Fabregas. Gervinho looks pacy, and it seems he may become a good source of assists for the Gunners, but they are already too reliant on Robin Van Persie.

Last weekend's game against Stoke was a prime example of how they perform when he's not in the starting 11. Arsenal have plenty of attacking options with Arshavin, Walcott et al., but in terms of consistent goalscorers, they are lacking.

Considering their allegedly shocking start to the season, Arsenal are only two points behind Liverpool having played the same amount of games. Chamakh and Park are forgettable replacements.

Bearing the above in mind, I think Liverpool will be fighting it out with Spurs and Arsenal for the last Champions League spot.

The fixture list in the modern game is so big these days that depth makes a huge difference. Van Der Vaart doesn't seem as robust as he used to be and is known for picking up injuries here and there, much like Robin Van Persie.

An injury to either of those two players may give Liverpool an opportunity to push themselves back into the league position to which fans have become accustomed.

One thing for sure is that results such as the one against Norwich aren't good enough, and Liverpool should look to strengthen again in January to provide more options.

Player for starting player is favourable to the Reds, and Liverpool, as usual, have constructed a team capable of beating anyone, but I still think the quality in depth needs much improvement.

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