IN a recent article I wrote a little bit about how I think Brendan Rodgers wants the Liverpool defence to act next season. This time I thought I’d put on my analytical hat again and glance at our offense, mostly in terms of balance and players in relation to one another.
As things stand right now I think we can assume the following players will be seen as key contributors for Liverpool FC next season: Lucas Leiva, Steven Gerrard, Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez* and Daniel Sturridge.
Lucas aside, the remaining four of that quintet are the main attacking contributors Rodgers will need to rely on to produce the majority of the team’s goals.
*I’m including Suarez here because he still very much is a LFC player; as of yet there are no real indications of Florentino Perez and Real Madrid making a move.
Lucas and Gerrard look like being the preferred duo in midfield, with the other three being clear first choice attacking players. The Lucas-Gerrard combination definitely has its pro’s, but also its con’s, and in many ways these con’s dictate the last player in the front six and how Rodgers can set up his team.
The main argument against having Lucas and Gerrard in midfield last season was the lack of intensity they provided when the team was pressing to win the ball back; and also their lack of recovery pace, meaning once the midfield got turned our defence was pretty much left alone. However, this seemed to be the case no matter who we had in there, hence me attributing it to the fact that our defensive line was deeper than it should be – and deeper than it will be the coming season. As I have mentioned earlier, that is also the reason why I don’t think another central midfielder is a pressing concern: pushing the line a few yards up will naturally reduce the amount of ground our midfield has to cover, which should suit the likes of Gerrard, Lucas and Allen to a tee given they are all very intelligent players.
Regarding the front three or front four I think we can all agree that Sturridge, Coutinho and Suarez seem to be nailed on as regular starters; the latter is an obvious one, and the two January signings did more than enough after joining to suggest they will both be first choice players when the fun starts again in August.
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The question for me is: What type of player do we see as the best player to complement those five? Does it depend on the opponent? In my opinion: yes it does, to a certain degree. I’m not talking about tailoring our tactics to counter the opponent every game; that would be somewhat counterproductive in regards to what Brendan Rodgers is trying to create. But given the versatility of some of our front players, there is an opportunity to make plenty of tactical variations.
As we saw last season there were games – particularly away from home – where a player like Jordan Henderson was very useful because of his defensive work rate and selfless running; and there were other games – particularly at home – where he wasn’t that useful because of his relatively limited ability on the ball in tight situations in the final third. He’s a tidy player when given a bit of space, but against a more compact defence I think he’s far more suited to play as one of the deeper midfielders.
What Henderson did last season was to complement Lucas and Gerrard in midfield, while also providing defensive cover for our creative attacking players (Coutinho in particular benefitted from his presence) and giving them a passing option because of his constant running. He was the unsung hero who finally got some nods of approval, and I think he could be a valuable member of the Liverpool squad for years to come.
However, because of his limitations going forward I don’t see him as a regular starter for a Liverpool team trying to evolve. I think he will get his fair share of games – hopefully enough to keep him happy – and I can see him continuing to be particularly useful away from home and against teams where we need extra solidity and a busy pair of legs.
I think the ideal player to stick into this team would be someone who offers some of the running and the defensive cover Henderson does, and can couple this with a bit more quality in the final third and also add a few more goals. Someone who can play in midfield in a 4-3-3 and also take the hybrid role Henderson had for quite a few games. Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk could be that player, but what happens with him this summer remains to be seen.
As I write this the deal for Liverpool to sign Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo looks pretty much done and dusted, and Rodgers also seems to have genuine interest in Luis Alberto from Sevilla. Both are players who do most of their work in the final third, and will probably come as supplement or backup to our creative attacking players; but I don’t think any of them are the final piece in the attacking puzzle.
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We clearly need more options and more quality. I’m totally disappointed we haven’t signed real quality so far this summer.
Mkhitaryan is real quality. If we lose Suarez, we do need a world class striker. I’d like to take the 40mm from his sell and get Jackson Martinez.
Suarez won’t stay. We will have a huge gap to fill . Can only see poor season ahead unless massive money spent , need top manager to attract players which we don’t have
Denis, the transfer markets hasn’t officially opened yet and you already disappointed? I hope this is sarcasm.
When will the transfer be opened. Pls tell me
Je pense que boudebouz à sa place au reds.