Catch-22 for Rafa's recruitment drive

Clinical forwards tend to have an innate ability to identify opponents' weaknesses. Yet while Fernando Torres stated the obvious recently when he declared that Manchester United will be weaker without Cristiano Ronaldo, it may represent the biggest boost to Liverpool's title chances.

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Deadly Duo: Torres and Steven Gerrard

The Spaniard was speaking before Michael Owen, scorer of 158 goals for the Reds but a man Rafa Benitez has long refused to re-sign, finally renounced his place in the Kop's affections by signing for Sir Alex Ferguson to add further intrigue to the equation.

Were his goals to propel United to a record 19th title, Liverpool could be forgiven for wishing Ronaldo remained to represent their bogeyman. Should Benitez's view of Owen as being too one-dimensional be justified, however, Liverpool will possess a wonderful chance. Whichever, it is hard to disagree with Torres' analysis at this stage. Whether it will prove to be a better summer at Anfield than Old Trafford, however, remains to be seen.

Liverpool, at least, can point to a PR coup. The signing of Glen Johnson, who spurned his former employers at Stamford Bridge to move to Merseyside, is a rarity in recent times; few players have chosen them ahead of Chelsea (or, for that matter, Manchester United or Arsenal) in the last few years. If even Benitez admitted that Johnson, at £18m, is over-priced, it is hardly the first time that Liverpool's initial hopes of acquiring a target comparatively cheaply were dashed. Now Benitez is in the familiar position of seeking to enhance his squad on a limited budget.

Similarities abound with previous summers. Apart from 2007, when Torres was signed, the Spaniard has often been thwarted in his pursuit of his premier target. David Silva, like David Villa, Daniel Alves and Gareth Barry before him, appears likely to elude Benitez. If the theory that Liverpool rely excessively on Torres and Steven Gerrard was disproved in the final three months of last season, that does not destroy the case for recruiting another world-class attacking talent. The difficulty, apart from finding the finances, is the deployment of any newcomer.

Versatility is a must, because Benitez's is a difficult balancing act. As Robbie Keane discovered, understudying Gerrard and Torres is a fraught process and one that only Dirk Kuyt has appeared to have mastered. Any striker signed would, unlike the Irishman, have to be able to operate as the out-and-out forward as well as in the hole.

With Yossi Benayoun perhaps the only offensive option outside the probable starting 11 to enjoy the confidence of both Benitez and the majority of the support (and, if Alvaro Arbeloa returns to Spain, Daniel Agger may occupy a similar station in defence), greater strength in depth is a necessity.

Previous attempts to secure it have backfired. That the undistinguished Sebastian Leto has left for a profit is welcome and Andriy Voronin is another who should be used to boost Benitez's budget. Andrea Dossena, even if he returns to Italy, and Ryan Babel, who appears short of suitors, were signed with greater expectations and would only depart for a loss, but they would permit the manager more room for manoeuvre in the transfer market.

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Alonso and Mascherano: Heading for Spain?

Disposing of fringe players has long proved problematic at Anfield. Yet when the last campaign concluded, with the infighting abandoned and a sense of unity apparent (at least until Arbeloa's confrontation with Jamie Carragher at West Brom), Anfield appeared among the happier camps around. A raft of contract extensions among the core players, including Benayoun's this week, seemed a sign of stability.

Now disruption is threatened on a major scale. With the central midfield conundrum finally resolved with the acceptance that Gerrard is at his finest in harness with Torres, Liverpool possessed surely the Premier League's outstanding pairing. In the classy axis provided by Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso, the industry of the Argentine was wonderfully complemented by the imagination of the Basque. Alonso excelled at passing, Mascherano at pressing. They dovetailed beautifully.

But few of Europe's major clubs have remained untouched by Real Madrid this summer and the continuing, and typically ostentatious interest in Alonso, including talk of a two-week deadline, provides one cause for concern. Coupled with Barcelona's confidence that they will lure Mascherano to Catalonia, the worst-case scenario is that virtually the strongest department of the side may be dismantled in a matter of days.

As Benitez's appreciation for the derided Brazilian Lucas Leiva is not widely shared, and the man who long represented his preferred addition to the midfield, Barry, tired of waiting and joined Manchester City, a careful planner could be in need of a rapid rethink.

If Barry was Plan B, Plans C and D would need to be commissioned quickly. There may be several high-class central midfielders available - possibly including Yaya Toure, Gokhan Inler, Esteban Cambiasso, Mathieu Valbuena and Felipe Melo - but that does not guarantee an understanding and an alliance of the calibre of Alonso and Mascherano's. Whatever the potential income from the cash-rich clubs in Spain, the preferable outcome would be for the duo to remain.

The likely conclusion, however, is that at least one will go and the quest for defensive cover, options on the flanks and an alternative to Torres and Gerrard will slip down the list of priorities. And lucrative as asset-stripping can prove, it can tilt the balance in the title race. If Liverpool's chances of overhauling United improved exponentially when Ronaldo departed, the defending champions' advantage could be restored at a stroke of a pen each by Alonso and Mascherano, affixing their signatures to contracts with other clubs.