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Defeat to Manchester City last night showed the club is already struggling to keep up, despite their manager’s best efforts

The distress of Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City lay in the fulfilment of the worst suspicions about the state of the club. Those who took part in the game itself were not really the culprits. The centre-half Daniel Agger, for instance, has scarcely been pleading for the left-back post, yet he is stationed there.

This is no lapse either from Roy Hodgson, a manager whom Liverpool are lucky to have. The CV shows that he has worked in eight countries and that confirms not just his adaptablity but also a standing in football that is beyond dispute. Even he, however, can run into insuperable problems.

His appointment, indeed, was partly a reaction to the risks Liverpool run. Onlookers wonder whether a deal is feasible that will meet the asking price of Tom Hicks and George Gillett so that new owners can revitalise Anfield. While Liverpool, in that regard, are in a state of suspended animation, the challenge of the Premier League is constant.

Hodgson’s side was freakishly unlucky on the opening weekend as the goalkeeper José Reina bundled the ball into his own net in the 90th minute when Liverpool were leading 1-0 against Arsenal. Their fortunes were only slightly better in the next fixture and Joe Cole’s missed penalty means they are ahead by just a single goal in the Europa League qualifier with Trabzonspor that resumes in Turkey on Thursday.

The programme allows little time to work at length with players who need the sort of organisation that might compensate for limitations. Fragility has been predictable. The core of the midfield began to disappear when Xabi Alonso left for Real Madrid and it will have gone entirely if Javier Mascherano’s move to Barcelona proceeds as anticipated. Some of the income from the latter deal must surely be put at the manager’s disposal.

It is, after all, critical for Hicks and Gillett to see the valuation of their asset sustained and events on the field have a bearing on that. There were many reasons for appointing Hodgson but Fulham’s run to the 2010 Europa League final may not have been the key factor. Liverpool will have taken at least as much note of the 2008-09 campaign when his Fulham side finished seventh, ahead of clubs such as Tottenham and Manchester City.

Hodgson looked then as if he had the secret of levitation as his team resisted the severe pull of gravity that affects such clubs. It is, of course, galling for Liverpool supporters to see a Champions League spot turn into a distant target. All the same, there are modest developments.

Cole, who has collected a red card as well as faltering with that penalty, will catch the eye for better reasons and introduce some guile. Milan Jovanovic, a Bosman signing, has swiftly become popular. At 21, the striker David Ngog is starting to look more mature. Ryan Babel, two years older, has generally been a disappointment since the £11.5m move from Ajax in 2007, but there was a glimmer of hope when, as a lone striker, he took the only goal of the home game with Trabzonspor.

Hodgson will still not suppose that the answers to his concerns are already on the books. There is trading to be done. The transfers of Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun brought in around £10m. Emiliano Insúa’s departure may take place in the near future although he could not agree personal terms with Fiorentina last month after a £5m fee had been negotiated.

No one even pretends that there can be a grand vision for Liverpool while circumstances are unaltered. In a moment of candour, the chairman Martin Broughton explained last month that Hodgson had been appointed “to steady the ship.” Stability is welcome, but a club with Liverpool’s heritage cannot treat that as their real ambition in the longer term.

Hodgson will still accept the tranquility that comes with a victory or two in the League. Such results would come more readily if Fernando Torres was at all reminiscent of the forward Liverpool knew before his knee surgery in April. The Spaniard featured in every match of a glorious World Cup campaign but did not score.

The club will truly be on the rise when no single player matters so much. For the time being, all the same, Hodgson seeks demonstrations of the impact that Torres or Steven Gerrard can have on Liverpool’s fortunes.

LiverpoolKevin McCarraguardian.co.uk

A club-by-club guide to the ins and outs of the transfer window so far

Arsenal

Laurent Koscielny and Marouane Chamakh have arrived to bolster defence and attack. Arsène Wenger still needs a goalkeeper as he remains unconvinced by the current No1, Manuel Almunia. Mark Schwarzer is favourite but Manchester City’s Shay Given may interest the manager, who has up to £15m to spend

Who they have signed

Laurent Koscielny (Lorient, £9.7m), Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux, free)

Who they still want

Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Shay Given (Manchester City)

Aston Villa

It is difficult to see much activity at Villa Park unless a permanent manager is appointed before the window closes. With Stephen Ireland arriving as part of the James Milner deal and several promising youngsters emerging, Villa’s squad looks reasonably strong, although a prolific goalscorer would be a welcome addition

Who they have signed

Stephen Ireland (Manchester City, part-exchange)

Who they still want

No targets at present

Birmingham City

Alex McLeish has endured plenty of frustration since making a couple of early signings. The arrival of Matt Derbyshire has increased McLeish’s attacking options but the Birmingham manager still feels his squad lacks depth and quality. A left-winger, such as Charles N’Zogbia, remains high on his list

Who they have signed

Ben Foster (Man Utd, £6m), Nikola Zigic (Valencia, £6m), Enric Valles (NAC Breda, free), Matt Derbyshire (Olympiakos, loan)

Who they still want

Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan)

Blackburn Rovers

A prospective new owner is talking up a £100m war chest for Sam Allardyce and, alarmingly, the prospect of bringing David Beckham to Ewood Park. Back in the real world, Allardyce is continuing his exhaustive search for an inexpensive striker to rectify last season’s glaring weakness

Who they have signed

Hugo Fernández (Unión Deportiva Cornellà, nominal), Mame Biram Diouf (Man Utd, loan)

Who they still want

Ivelin Popov (Litex Lovech), Benjani Mwaruwari (free agent)

Blackpool

A chaotic summer has now seen Blackpool’s chairman, Karl Oyston, step down, leaving Ian Holloway and his players with little inkling of what the future holds. A £10,000 a week wage ceiling makes recruitment tricky

Who they have signed

Craig Cathcart (Man Utd, £500k), Chris Basham (Bolton, £500k), Marlon Harewood (free agent), Elliot Grandin (CSKA Sofia, undisc), Ludovic Sylvestre (Mlada Boleslav, undisc), Malaury Martin (Monaco, free)

Who they still want

Anyone Holloway can get his hands on

Bolton Wanderers

Owen Coyle hopes mainly to trim his squad, with Danny Shittu and Jlloyd Samuel among those available, but he will explore the loan market towards the end of the window. The priority is a passer in midfield after recruiting Jack Wilshere on loan from Arsenal last season

Who they have signed

Marcos Alonso (Real Madrid, £1.6m), Tom Eaves (Oldham, £350,000), Robbie Blake (Burnley, free), Ivan Klasnic (Nantes, free), Martin Petrov (Man City, free)

Who they still want

Tom Cleverley (Man Utd)

Chelsea

Carlo Ancelotti began the summer wanting to bolster his midfield and attack, and following Ricardo Carvalho’s departure for Real Madrid he now appears light in central defence, although he says he will not be strengthening that area. If he can add the Brazil forward Neymar he will be content

Who they have signed

Ramires (Benfica £16.3m), Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool, £5m), Matej Delac (Zapresic, £2.7m), Tomas Kalac (Sigma, undisc)

Who they still want

Neymar (Santos)

Everton

Ideally, David Moyes would love to add a top goalscorer and a quick right-midfielder to his squad. The reality is that he has no money to spend unless he sells Yakubu Ayegbeni, Joseph Yobo and, more reluctantly, Steven Pienaar. The approach to Craig Bellamy shows Moyes has not given up hope of a late solution

Who they have signed

Magaye Gueye (Strasbourg, £900k), João Silva (Aves, £500k), Jermaine Beckford (Leeds, free), Jan Mucha (Legia Warsaw, free)

Who they still want

Marat Izmailov (Sporting Lisbon)

Fulham

Mark Hughes’s squad is light on fresh faces and, if Mark Schwarzer moves to Arsenal, he will need a goalkeeper. A central defender is also a requirement due to Philippe Senderos’s six-month layoff with an achilles injury. Hughes’s budget extends to around £12m

Who they have signed

Moussa Dembélé (AZ Alkmaar, £5m), Jonathan Greening (West Brom, free), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal, free)

Who they still want

Shay Given (Man City), Paul Robinson (Blackburn), Curtis Davies (Aston Villa)

Liverpool

Roy Hodgson has confirmed he will not be seeking marquee names if a takeover does materialise very soon. “We are looking to add one or two players,” he said this week. Priorities are a striker and a left-back are the priorities

Who they have signed

Christian Poulsen (Juventus, £5m), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough, £2.3m), Danny Wilson (Rangers, £2m), Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton £1.7m), Joe Cole (Chelsea, free), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liège, free)

Who they still want

Paul Konchesky (Fulham), Nacho Monreal (Osasuna), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven)

Manchester City

Roberto Mancini has said City’s summer spending – six players at a total cost of £126m – is now finished and there is no reason to disbelieve him but the club’s financial position means they will always be in the market if a top player suddenly becomes available. Saturday’s draw at Tottenham demonstrated there are still areas of the team that need improvement, particularly in defence but also the need for a target man in attack Who they have signed

David Silva (Valencia, £26m), James Milner (Aston Villa, £26m), Yaya Touré (Barcelona, £24.5m), Mario Balotelli (Inter, £22.5m), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio, £16.5m), Jérôme Boateng (Hamburg, £10.5m)

Who they still want

David Luiz (Benfica) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona) are possible targets

Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has spent around £25m this summer and it is difficult to imagine the Glazers releasing any more transfer funds given the club’s financial position. United are the best in the business, though, when it comes to pulling off under-the-radar deals, so it cannot be completely ruled out. Mesut Ozil was a genuine target until it became clear he favoured Real Madrid

Who they have signed

Chris Smalling (Fulham, £10m), Bébé (Vitória, £7.4m), Javier Hernández (Chivas, £6m)

Who they still want

Raúl Meireles (Porto) is a possible target

Newcastle United

Chris Hughton has been constrained by the general policy directive – breached in Sol Campbell’s case – to sign promising under-25s as cheaply as possible on salaries lower than £25,000 a week. Lack of cover in defence and a shortage of creativity needs addressing

Who they have signed

James Perch (Nottm Forest, £1.4m), Sol Campbell (free agent), Dan Gosling (Everton, free)

Who they still want

Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille), Victor Anichebe (Everton), cover at left-back

Stoke City

Tony Pulis was linked with a bid for the Wigan Athletic striker Hugo Rodallega, but news that Kenwyne Jones’s injury is as not as serious as first feared means that the deal is unlikely. Pulis’s main task for the remainder of the transfer window is to offload several fringe players who are contributing little beyond adding to the wage bill

Who they have signed

Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland, £8m), Florent Cuvelier (Portsmouth, undisc)

Who they still want

Nobody

Sunderland

Recruiting a physically imposing target man to replace Kenwyne Jones is Steve Bruce’s priority, although Charles N’Zogbia is also very much wanted on Wearside

Who they have signed

Marcos Angeleri (Estudiantes, £2m), Simon Mignolet (Sint Truidense, £2m), Titus Bramble (Wigan, £1m), Cristian Riveros (Toluca, free), Nedum Onuoha (Man City, loan), Danny Welbeck (Man Utd, loan)

Who they still want

Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan), Asamoah Gyan (Rennes), Roque Santa Cruz (Man City)

West Bromwich Albion

The flaws in Roberto Di Matteo’s squad were exposed in the 6-0 defeat at Chelsea. The manager is keen to bring in a defender, central midfielder, winger and centre-forward

Who they have signed

Nicky Shorey (Aston Villa, £1.5m), Boaz Myhill (Hull, £1.5m), Gabriel Tamas (Auxerre, £800k), Pablo Ibáñez (Atletico Madrid, free)

Who they still want

Marc Wilson (Portsmouth), Cheick Tioté (FC Twente), Peter Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Tottenham Hotspur

Harry Redknapp is ready to ship out Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas to accommodate new personnel. With Ledley King a perennial injury concern and Jonathan Woodgate’s season in doubt, he would like to sign a central defender. He was also keen on Craig Bellamy, suggesting he wants a forward

Who they have signed

Sandro (Internacional, £6m)

Who they still want

William Gallas (free agent), Brede Hangeland (Fulham), Loïc Rémy (Nice), Scott Parker (West Ham)

West Ham United

Avram Grant has bought in bulk but is still in the market for a right-back and is keen to sign a 15-goal-a-season man. Kieron Dyer made yet another comeback in the reserves recently so may give the squad a welcome boost

Who they have signed

Pablo Barrera (Pumas UNAM, £4m), Winston Reid (Midtjylland, £3m), Frédéric Piquionne (Lyon, £1m), Thomas Hitzlsperger (Lazio, free), Tal Ben Haim (Portsmouth, loan)

Who they still want

Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa), Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City)

Wigan Athletic

The loss of Titus Bramble has destabilised the defence and manager Roberto Martínez desperately needs to replace him. Keeping the likes of Hugo Rodallega and Charles N’Zogbia is also crucial

Who they have signed

Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes, £6.5m), Ronnie Stam (FC Twente, £3m), James McArthur (Hamilton, £500k), Antolín Alcaraz (Brugge, free), Ali al-Habsi (Bolton, loan)

Who they still want

Franco Di Santo (Chelsea, loan), Steven Caldwell (free agent)

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There is no respite from the early Anfield torment for Joe Cole. His debut against FK Rabotnicki refused to yield a deserved goal, his Premier League bow for Liverpool produced the first red card of his career and last nighttonight he missed his first ever penalty as Roy Hodgson’s team gained a slender advantage over Trabzonspor.

The Liverpool manager took Fulham to last season’s Europa League final largely on the back of resilient away displays, and another will be required on the Black Sea coast next week to qualify this time out. Cole may just be glad of the break.

Hodgson has shown no inclination to alter anything tactically from the Rafael Benítez era during his four matches in charge but, in a radical departure from his predecessor in the Anfield dug-out, the manager was prepared to take a look at Ryan Babel in a forward’s role against the Turkish side. It is now or never for the Dutch international in terms of establishing himself at Liverpool, and it is only because proposed transfers have failed to materialise that he is still present at Anfield.

Whether he offered enough tonight to suggest he could have a future remains to be seen, but for once there was an end product. Babel, still only 23, was signed for £11.5m from Ajax in 2007 on the back of a starring role in Holland’s triumph in the European Under-21 Championships of that summer. His rise to prominence in that tournament, where he was named man of the match in the final against Serbia, came as part of the Dutch attack but that role has rarely been made available to Babel at Liverpool and his confidence, form and contribution has waned as a consequence.

Attempts to mould him into a left-sided forward have failed and only a reluctance to join Birmingham City in January, from both the player and Benítez,a refusal to sanction a loan move back to Ajax by the club and a failure to attract a decent transfer fee have kept him at the club. With Hodgson continuing the search for an affordable back-up option to Fernando Torres, Babel took his one chance to demonstrate he could be the willing reserve if all else fails.

Trabzonspor, who beat Fenerbahce in the Turkish Cup last season to qualify for the Europa League play-offs and lifted the Turkish Super Cup last month, proved awkward opponents and threatened early at set-pieces. Liverpool’s first half display was littered with careless, misplaced passes as a shuffled side – with Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel and Dirk Kuyt all rested from the team that started against Arsenal on Sunday, plus Javier Mascherano and Daniel Agger injured – understandably struggled to gel. Christian Poulsen, the recent £4.5m acquisition from Juventus, was handed a debut alongside Lucas in central midfield.

With one incisive break, however, Babel rewarded his manager’s faith and Cole demonstrated his value as a number 10 in the truest sense. Collecting possession just inside the Liverpool half, Cole spun into space and dissected the Turkish defence with a well-timed pass that sent the Dutchman clear on the left. Babel produced the finish the move deserved, stroking the ball right-footed beyond Onur Kivrak and inside the far corner.

Babel failed to reappear for the second half but his replacement gave Anfield no reason to dwell on the reasons why. The introduction of Torres lifted the crowd and Liverpool’s performance in tandem. Trabzonspor, like many before them, appeared visibly unnerved by the marauding Spaniard, and his impatience after so long out through injury was apparent.

Torres tested Kivrak with his first touch, a powerful, angled drive, forced another good save with a towering header and helped Liverpool win a penalty in the 51st minute. Serkan Balci, the visiting right back, got a toe in the way of Torres’s run into the penalty area but over-reached for the loose ball and tripped Lucas as the Brazilian darted into the box. Cole was urged forward to take the spot-kick but, instead of making amends for his red card against Arsenal, shot too close to the Trabzonspor goalkeeper and saw his effort saved.

José Reina did get his costly mistake from Sunday out of his system at the first attempt when he denied Umut Bulut a precious away goal when the Trabzonspor captain was unmarked in the area. The visitors continued to threaten, ominously for next week’s second leg, but Liverpool believed they should have had a second when Sotirios Kyrgiakos headed Milan Jovanovic’s corner goalwards, Cole flicked on and Poulsen converted on the goal-line after Kivrak fumbled. Sadly for the Dane, he was deemed offside.

Europa LeagueLiverpoolAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk