There aren’t many Liverpool fans who will miss Glen Johnson following his poor form last season.
With Nathaniel Clyne coming in at right-back, and the shrewd additions of James Milner, Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino, Danny Ings and Joe Gomez, most supporters feel the team has improved.
But Johnson doesn’t agree with them.
The 30-year-old, who moved to Stoke this summer – inexplicably taking the No. 8 shirt – reckons that the Reds’ squad is no better than the team Rodgers had at his disposal last year.
“They’ve made some signings, but not ones that are going to walk straight into the team,” said Johnson. “They’ve lost Raheem [Sterling], who was an important player, so I wouldn’t say it’s a better squad than last year.”
Johnson, who reportedly turned down a new contract at Liverpool, says he doesn’t feel under pressure to prove himself to fans who have questioned his ability.
“I had a very good time there and enjoyed the majority of it. But I turned down a new contract at the end of the day, so it ended exactly how I would like,” he said.
“I met Mark Hughes and everything he had to say was what I wanted to hear. I’m settling in well and I’ve been made to feel welcome, so it couldn’t be going any better at the moment.
“It’s just typical my first game [for Stoke] is against my old club. That’s football and we’ll do what we’ve got to do. It’s my job and I’ll treat it as any other game.
“I’ve been in the Premier League for 12 years – I’ve got nothing to prove. When I was fit I was in the team, simple as that. There’s no problems at all.”
