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“Sturridge looks even better than before! Partly because I’ve been watching Benteke for the last 6 months,” was an extremely popular tweet during Liverpool’s crushing of Aston Villa on Sunday.

And it’s true – things have gone from bad to worse for Christian Benteke at Liverpool this season after so much was expected of the powerful Belgian.

He’s gone over 650 minutes without scoring, and that includes 180 minutes against League Two Exeter City in the FA Cup.

That says it all really, but the problems begun for Benteke extremely early on this season.

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Expectation plays a huge part in the former Villa man’s humbling demise. The 6” 3” powerhouse was once one of the Premier League’s most feared strikers and he single-handedly saved Aston Villa from the drop season after season, after joining them from Belgian side Genk.

He is also the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history. When you look at some of the players that have graced the Anfield turf over the years, there is significant pressure to fill the boots.

If Liverpool sell Benteke this summer, as many expect them to do so, it’s expected that someone will be able to get the best out of him again as he just doesn’t suit Liverpool’s style of play.

That isn’t arguably his or Jurgen Klopp’s fault.

But you can see in the game against Villa that Daniel Sturridge offers the team so much more in terms of fluid attacking play. Sturridge is the sort of player that runs with pace at defenders, is good in the air and only needs a yard to create a chance.

Benteke lumbers into positions and sometimes does this unknowingly – failing to match the sort of ability and positional awareness someone like Sturridge offers.

The failure of Andy Carroll overshadowed the move in the first place but few would have predicted Benteke’s form may have been even worse than the now West Ham man. Brendan Rodgers had no answer for the 25-year-old, and Jurgen Klopp is seemingly struggling too.

Roberto Firmino’s run as striker in the squad has made things a whole thing worse for Benteke, too. The Brazilian isn’t a striker and his selection only goes to show how bad things have gotten for the Belgian.

WANT MORE? >> Liverpool transfer news | Latest transfer news

Benteke played a total of just 39 minutes in Liverpool’s best three performances of the season – the 3-1 win at Chelsea, the 4-1 dismantling of Manchester City and the 6-1 triumph over Southampton. That says it all really – the number 9 just doesn’t fit into Klopp’s high-intensity style of play.

When Daniel Sturridge was substituted on the hour against Villa, on came Divock Origi, who scored after just 10 seconds of being introduced.

Even Benteke couldn’t get on the scoresheet as his teammates ran riot.

So as he returned to Villa Park on the substitute’s bench, his first thought will have been what could have been. Perhaps his move to Anfield was always destined to fail.

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It’s not often you get the chance to sign a World Cup winner, let alone the man who actually scored the winning goal in a the final itself. But, as is being reported, that is exactly what Liverpool may have the option of doing with Mario Götze, for a relatively modest £20m, too.

With the Reds’ manager Jurgen Klopp having guided the 23-year-old German international’s early progress whilst at Borussia Dortmund, the link is naturally being made that the pair could be reunited. The current Bayern Munich player approaching the last year of his contract at the Allianz Arena and seemingly out of favour under Pep Guardiola, while his future under incoming boss, Carlo Ancelotti, remains unknown.

Indeed, just 12 appearances in all competitions this season seem to suggest that he is not part of the plans of the Bavarian giants, going forward a factor helping to fan the flames of a potential move away from the club. Injury has played it’s part in the lack of game-time for the talented attacking midfielder, however, so his quality or form is not really in question.

Therefore, you feel that Klopp and Liverpool would jump at the chance to sign a player of such status and should the World Cup winner indeed decide to move on in the summer, as seems likely, the Merseyside club will almost certainly push hard to acquire his services.

Adding quality to a squad is always a good idea and a desirable one for any club, particularly when the player is as young and talented as Götze. But, need is another thing and filling the right positions in line with the requirements of the squad is equally important. It’s all very well bringing in a horde of players of unquestionable ability, but if they all play in a similar position you could leave yourself short in others – arguably a problem Arsene Wenger has created at Arsenal, the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Özil and others brought in to play similar roles in the side to the detriment of player additions in the more defensive-minded positions.

And in this respect, Klopp could be falling into a similar trap as his more experienced Premier League counterpart. As, for all the quality, attacking-prowess and goalscoring ability Götze would bring to the side, Liverpool should surely look to more pressing-requirements in the holding-midfield role or centre-back positions.

Having forked out nearly £30m on Roberto Firmino just last summer, and with fellow talented Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho already on the club’s books – both similar players in similar positions to the German – you have to wonder do the Reds actually NEED Mario Götze? Over-crowding a position Klopp already has good options in could ultimately cause more of a headache than it cures, as selection dilemma’s and attempting to squeeze all the players into the same side are sure to present themselves in the future. But then again, the three of them together on the pitch could be unstoppable.

We don’t know exactly how the German boss will set his team up of course, but with the likely departure of Christian Benteke and given formations and tactics used this season, a fluid system with no main striker could be used should Götze end up at Anfield. This would then create it’s own questions around the role and future of Daniel Sturridge, not to mention other players like a returning Danny Ings or former Saints man, Adam Lallana.

Whilst a player of Götze’s undeniable talent would certainly add something, from the outside at least, it seems far more sensible to spend good money on a commanding central defender or a midfield enforcer – there are glaring deficiencies in these positions. Liverpool are certainly in a position to challenge for honours next season, or at the very least markedly improve on this season’s efforts and be ‘in the mix’.

They have the manager, the tradition and the basis of a good squad already in place, so it shouldn’t take too much more to turn them into a genuinely good side once again. But, in favouring romantic reunions over squad necessity, Klopp may well have overlooked the fundamentals of building a side capable of lifting the Premier League crown. He need only take a peek at the trophy cabinet down at the Emirates in recent memory for evidence of how style over necessity can hamper quests for glory.

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Leicester showed their first sign of a title wobble last weekend with a 2-2 draw at home to West Ham. There’s no shame in dropping points against the high-flying Hammers, but having led only to see Jamie Vardy sent off and subsequently banned, the shine was somewhat taken off the late, late equaliser from the penalty spot courtesy of Leonardo Ulloa.

It really does look like two points dropped rather than one gained following Spurs’ rampant 4-0 battering of Stoke just over 24 hours later, but the Foxes still have a five point lead and four games to defend it, while Ulloa himself is an able stand-in.

With Vardy’s fate – he may be banned for a further game for his reaction to receiving a second yellow card – the burly Argentine is the logical choice to slot into Claudio Ranieri’s starting XI for the Swansea game this weekend, and he could be the answer to fans’ pizza cravings…

Yep, that’s right… pizza cravings. Papa John’s are giving away 50% off orders if the team you back scored two or more goals in ANY game for the remainder of the season, and all you have to do is sign up, back Leicester and wait for the East Midlanders to smash the ball into the back of the net.

Ulloa hasn’t been a regular for Leicester in recent weeks, but he’s managed three goals since late January, working out as a strike close to every 70 minutes of play – not a bad return. Roll into this Leicester NEED points, are playing Swansea, Everton and Chelsea teams, as well as Man United, that will be on the beach in the coming games and have notched two or more goals in their last two games, and it makes sense to back them!

Arsenal star Olivier Giroud has admitted that there were many things wrong with his game during his recent goal drought.

Giroud was on a barren spell of one goal in 22 games ahead of their clash against Manchester City last weekend, but the Frenchman only needed 10 minutes to head in a corner to end his barren run.

WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer news | Latest transfer news

The striker went on to assist Gunners midfielder Alexis Sanchez for the second to help his team to move within only two points of rivals Tottenham Hotspur in second.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was critical of Giroud’s lack of confidence in recent matches, but despite this, chose to start him ahead of Theo Walcott and the now-injured Danny Welbeck.

And the 29-year-old didn’t disappoint his manager, going on to claim that things were just not going his way but is now glad to have regained his scoring touch.

“The goal meant a lot because it has been a tough time for me on the pitch as I have missed a bit of efficiency, a bit of luck and a lot of things,” he told Arsenal’s official website

“Things haven’t gone my way to [allow me to] finish, but I kept the faith and knew that it would come back.

“It is always nice for a striker to score, even more with an assist for Alexis’ second goal which was important. We now have our own destiny in our hands to finish third or maybe second.

“These last few weeks I tried to set up goals. [Alexis’ goal] was my sixth assist but I’m happy to score too and help the team to reach our target and qualify for the Champions League. That is a great present.”

Giroud has made 52 appearances in all competitions this term, scoring 21 goals.

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Really? Has so little happened since 1996 for the England national team that we are having to look back again?

On TV and in the press, the thoughts surrounding this year’s EUROs has been not so much about what England might achieve in 2016, but a look back at what we nearly achieved in 1996.

Which all in all, is probably the 3rd biggest highlight for England in major tournament action – we’ve routinely fallen flat on our faces since.

It says a lot when you consider that in the entire history of the England football team, the nation considers the 1966 triumph, the 1990 World Cup semi-final and the 1996 European Championship on home soil, the pinnacles of success.

It could be worse, we could be San Marino.

However, we’re not. We are meant to have invented the beautiful game and given it to the world, only for the world to give us a kicking each time we enter a major finals. We are also meant to be a real force in international football and we’ve not been anywhere near that for so long. We’re more of a whisper.

1996 was indeed so near, yet so far. A look at the team reveals quality, true leaders, one of the last capable ‘keepers and creativity that seems so sadly lacking most of the time nowadays. We had players, one in particular, that could unlock the game and make something happen. France have that with the wonderful Dimitri Payet, but whilst you see a glimpse of brilliance, it never lasts the game or evolves over subsequent matches.

It therefore speaks volumes that the nation has to go back 20 years before we can find anything of any note on which to hang our white and red, St George crossed hats on.

To put it into perspective, this is our record in a nutshell for the second most prestigious event next to the World Cup.

England didn’t enter the first competition in 1960, but have taken part in all fourteen tournaments since, failing to reach the 1964, 1972, 1976, 1984 and 2008 finals, finishing behind Croatia and Russia with Steve McClaren’s squad.

We’ve never won it – we’ve been third twice (1968 & 1996) – but overall, England have been quite dismal. Take that and add it to depressingly average, below standard World Cups and you can see why no one is claiming that we can win the trophy on this occasion.

The quality of the other teams has been higher and with perennial finalists Germany, Spain, Italy or France somewhere around the finale, England are usually watching it on TV, having checked out of their hotel some days before. Usually after a failed penalty shoot-out, as well.

1996 was exciting. Football was coming home, the nation got behind the team and after a slow start, England picked up. Once into the semi-finals, everyone knew just how close we were to another 1966. Who would of guessed that we’d go out on penalties and to the Germans? Yes, all of us. If only Gazza had a longer leg!

The buzz around each England game, the hope and expectation, a squad of very capable players that put themselves on the line, gave everything and highlighted the spirit and pride of a nation desperate for more international honours was truly inspirational and special.

Since then, we’ve not had much to cheer about despite the fact that the press have over-hyped the team’s capabilities and ambitions before being so cruelly snatched away from us – again.

When you consider rank outsiders like Denmark and Greece, there is hope for every team, but this squad of 23 isn’t exactly inspiring the nation and expectations and hopes are being played down on this occasion.

Alan Shearer said recently when asked about 1996: “Yes, we could have won it, and obviously I wish we had won it, but there are no regrets – there can’t be – just great memories. Everyone I spoke to said ‘look, we gave it everything’. When that happens, you cannot ask for any more. It was just not meant to be.”

So, when all things are considered, it is little wonder that you look back to the last highlight for England – 1996.

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Wherever Jose Mourinho has gone he’s left an impression for both good and bad reasons.

He won the Champions League with Porto in Portugal before moving to these shores to win Chelsea their first title in five decades. He moved to Italy to win the Champions League with Inter Milan and before coming back to the Premier League, he managed at Real Madrid.

His time in Spain was marred by a lot of controversy yet he still won La Liga as his rivalry with Pep Guardiola reached fever pitch. He managed some of the best players in the world at the Bernabeu as well as against them, and he’s sure to be monitoring La Liga for any transfer targets now.

He signed Eric Bailly from La Liga but there is still time for more before the transfer window shuts.

So we’ve taken a look at what Spain has to offer to Mourinho at Manchester United, and think this FIVE could be of real interest…

Sergi Roberto

Roberto is a fantastic young defensive midfielder but risks seeing his career stall at Barcelona thanks to the ever-present Sergio Busquets.

He may only be 24 but with Busquets only four years older he ideally needs to move away from the Nou Camp to reach his potential and he’d certainly play at United.

The Red Devils could do with a holding midfielder so it seems like a good match.

Toni Kroos

With Michael Carrick on the decline, the Red Devils need a new star in midfield to control the game and they don’t come much better than the World Cup winner.

Kroos has one of the best passing ranges in world football and far surpasses anything United currently have in the play-maker role. He’d cost a bomb, but United have that kind of money.

Aymeric Laporte

Athletic Bilbao have done wonders to keep hold of Laporte but they surely can’t have him for much longer.

The French defender suffered a nasty injury last season but that shouldn’t put potential suitors, including United, off.

He reads the game far better than most defenders his age and would make a formidable partnership with Eric Bailly for years to come at Old Trafford.

Raphael Varane

The French national team certainly have nothing to worry about at the back for the foreseeable future.

Varane and the aforementioned Laporte are two of the best young central defenders around but the Madrid man risks seeing his career falter behind Sergio Ramos and Pepe.

Zinedine Zidane is well aware of his talents, but if United make a big enough it could prove too tempting.

Mario Gaspar

Antonio Valencia has done well as a right back for United over the years but ultimately, he is being played out of position.

Jose Mourinho has come into the club aiming to get specialists into every position, it’s the reason Wayne Rooney has reverted to being a forward, and so it would make sense that United go for a right sided defender.

Mario Gaspar is ideal, he’s a good age, has Champions League experience and wouldn’t cost the world either, time will tell.

There’s no escape from it – West Ham’s start to the season has been horrible.

They are third from bottom after losing four of their first five Premier League games this season and only Stoke and Sunderland have fared worse than the East Londoners.

They narrowly beat Accrington Stanley the other night but were actually outplayed by their League two opposition for long periods during the match.

The new London Stadium has had its troubles, too. There is a problem between those fans who want to stand and those who want to sit being put next to one another. With Chelsea coming to town in the next round of the EFL Cup, there could well be more trouble.

West Ham need to get their act together this season but turning their back on Slaven Bilic is not the way to go about it.

They had a wonderful season last year and finished seventh. They need to show faith with their enigmatic Croatian boss and here’s why:

He’s a good manager

Just because they have started the season unsatisfactorily doesn’t make him a bad manager.

Looking long term, Bilic and West Ham were great last season on a reasonably consistent basis. That doesn’t automatically change overnight. Obviously, things haven’t quite gone to plan at the beginning of the season but that’s no reason to abandon the good work that has already been achieved.

Who are they going to get who could do a better job?

He’s a great personality

We all loved him on our screens throughout the summer during the European Championships.

He was one of the most insightful pundits and definitely one of the most fun to watch!

West Ham are one of those teams that is all about the heart and soul of the club. Bilic is the kind of manager that suits them, a man who wears his heart on his sleeve and should definitely keep his place as manager.

He’s tactically astute

Bilic famously managed Croatia to an impressive 3-2 win against England at Wembley which meant that the Three Lions didn’t qualify for the 2008 European Championship.

He brought the best out of Niko Kranjcar and Luka Modric in that Croatia side and made them one of the dark horses, which they still are nowadays.

If given the time at West Ham, he could definitely achieve big things in the coming years.

He’s a West Ham man through and through

Between 1996 and 1997, Bilic made 49 league appearances for the Hammers, scoring two goals.

His time in London obviously stuck with him as he has returned to manage them. He is creative, exciting and a West Ham man.

He may have only played for a short period but it’s clear how much of an impact the Irons had on him so he’ll do all he can to turn it round.

He’s honest

It might seem like a strange thing to give as a reason to keep a manager but there is nothing better than a Slaven Bilic interview.

He is one of the best managers around for being honest in his press conference whether he has to comment negatively on his squad or not.

He doesn’t hold back and it’s refreshing listening to him rather than the generic, prepared speeches some managers give to the media.

Here in the Transfer Tavern the Liverpool fans are hoping for a new successful era under Jurgen Klopp.

The German manager has had a full pre-season now for the first time with the Reds squad and the Anfield faithful are hoping that his ideas will now be carried out on the pitch.

These ideas brought him the league title in Germany twice for Borussia Dortmund and that ultimately is what the Reds fans want.

Whether Klopp can do it or not remains to be seen but with a six-year contract, he certainly has the time to make some kind of mark and you can see signs of his work on the training ground coming through.

Liverpool are now one of the most attacking and hard-working teams in the league and if they can sort their defence out things will be looking good.

That’s a familiar story though from the last few years and our landlord thinks that and these SEVEN things only come with being a Liverpool supporter…

Patience really is a virtue

Liverpool are still waiting for their first Premier League title – a fact that delights every other opposition fan in the country.

They’ve seen their record number of league victories overhauled and the wait is now longer than Manchester United’s was until their first title under Sir Alex Ferguson and that just makes things even worse.

No matter though, ever the optimists this year really could be their year under the German Klopp. Couldn’t it?

That final key signing? He won’t be

The amount of times Liverpool have come second or third and just felt that with a couple of extra names, or that one superstar player next season the trophy would be theirs is countless.

From El Hadji Diouf being the Reds missing striker under Gerard Houllier to Alberto Aquilani supposedly being as good a replacement for Xabi Alonso, the examples just keep on coming.

For the Reds’ fans sakes let’s hope the current batch of new players perform.

The Champions League is all that matters

Liverpool aren’t even in the Champions League but their fans will happily remind you they’ve still won it more than any other British club, especially if you support Manchester United.

Who cares about winning the league the most times when you’ve been the Kings of Europe five times? Exactly.

The Reds fans are naturally huge Champions League desirers and long for the opportunity to play those famous knockout games under the Anfield lights once again.

If any team can throw something away it’s Liverpool

The 2013/14 Premier League title certainly springs to mind.

The Reds had their fate in their hands and well, you know what happened. In 2008/09 they lost just two games but conspired to finish second behind United, with the highest points tally of any second placed Premier League team and even on a game to game basis a lead is never safe.

3-0 up and cruising? Not if you’re a Liverpool fan, there’s no sweeter sound than the final whistle.

If any team can salvage something from the depths it’s Liverpool

Equally the Reds seem to have a knack of saving their bacon sometimes.

A certain, it’s that buzzword again, Champions League victory springs to mind in 2005 and in fact large portions of the run to that final were hugely dramatic.

Then you have the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham which they only just took to penalties and the 2012 League Cup final against Cardiff, which was made much harder than it should have been.

It’s just cruel on the fans really.

Missing Xabi Alonso is like nothing else

Rafa Benitez masterminded arguably the greatest night in the club’s history, but he was also at the heart of one of the club’s biggest mistakes in letting Alonso go.

His career since leaving Liverpool has shown just how good a player he was and it can be no coincidence that the Reds went from second to seventh after he left.

An awful decision, and one that still leaves its mark today given where the Reds still find themselves, floundering outside the top four.

No last minute goal will ever be as good as one of Steven Gerrard’s

The man for the big occasion.

When you needed a last minute goal this is who you went to.

The amount of times Steven Gerrard saved the club from a loss, got them the victory or crashed them brilliantly into a Champions League knockout or to help win the FA Cup will live long in the memory.

A truly gifted footballer who is still being missed in the Reds squad and no matter what Reds fan you ask no last minute goal will be as good as the one in the 2006 FA Cup final. Solskjaer who?

The Europa League may be the Champions League’s runt sibling, but Manchester United find themselves in the second tier of continental football and must give it a go this term.

On paper, their group should be more than negotiable, with Feyenoord and Zorya Luhansk arguably the two sides most likely to be cut adrift at the bottom. So Thursday’s clash against Fenerbahce, we suspect, will be pivotal in deciding who progresses as the top dog.

Man United have three points on the board already and a home tie against the Turkish giants will be viewed with some optimism – even though Zorya proved a tough nut to crack at Old Trafford.

Despite this, we at FFC Towers think that it will be a hard night at the Theatre of Dreams. Fener are by no means a European heavyweight, but they will pose a threat. Here are THREE reasons a shock could be on the cards…

Man United’s heart is not in the Europa League

Mourinho’s lack of respect for the Europa League has never been in doubt. The Portuguese boss has clearly made the continental cup one of his least valued challenges in his debut season at Old Trafford, which has been somewhat reflected in his team selections thus far. Defeat in Feyenoord was suffered as a result, which was followed by a narrow 1-0 win over Ukrainian minnows Zorya Luhansk.

European release

Fener’s domestic season has not been the story of success they may have predicted. 2015/16’s runners-up have started in below par fashion with nine points from seven games, leaving them ninth in the Super Lig – some eight points adrift of early pace setters, Istanbul BB. However, they are undefeated in the Europa League and have slayed Feyenoord already, hinting that they are finding continental football a nice distraction.

Star names

Although the motivation to make a move to Turkish football may be somewhat questionable, the cash the Istanbul club can pay their players has attracted some decent stars. Martin Skrtel and Simon Kjaer are a good centre-back pairing while Gregory van der Wiel at right-back is a threat. Robin van Persie is also present, and Jeremain Lens and Moussa Sow are menacing prospects on the counter-attack.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Jack Wilshere, who is currently on loan at Bournemouth, will be offered a new contract at the Emirates.

What’s the latest?

Well, questions were raised over Wilshere’s long-term future at the Gunners after he made the trip down the South Coast to join the Cherries on a season-long loan.

The midfielder required regular game time after a string of injuries severely limited his appearances to just 10 Premier League starts over the past two seasons.

Wilshere recently admitted that he was unsure whether he will finish his career at Arsenal, but from Wenger’s point of view, the Frenchman wants to welcome the 24-year-old back to North London.

“Yes of course,” Wenger told reporters. “Not before the Bournemouth game, no. We have to plan that around the New Year.

“I am happy that he develops well. I think it was basically in the end the right decision for him to go. He gets regular football and now, on the observations I get from our people who watch him, he’s getting stronger every week.”

Should Wilshere pen fresh terms?

A couple of years ago the England international would probably not have had to think twice about signing a new deal at the Emirates, but now that he is getting regular first-team minutes elsewhere, he may consider his future.

Wilshere has made eight league starts for Bournemouth since his arrival in the summer, and in the last four he played the entire 90 minutes.

The question he will need to ask before committing his future to Arsenal is ‘will I play?’. At the moment, Arsenal have many midfield options, including Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka, so breaking into the team will not be easy.

At the age of 24, Wilshere is not a youngster in the football world anymore, and the next few years could really shape his career in the game, particularly when it comes to the international stage.

If he is not performing consistently at club level, his chances of making the England team will dwindle, and he has already made it clear that earning caps for the Three Lions is a priority.

Failing to make Sam Allardyce’s England squad in August convinced him into leaving Arsenal and joining the Cherries.

If Wilshere can be guaranteed first-team football at Arsenal then his loyalty to the club will likely remain, but if he has to settle for a bit-part role, he could be better off elsewhere.

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