Goals Key To Success Next Season

As I write this, Manchester City have already opened the scoring against Aston Villa after just three minutes, therefore it’s looking unlikely that Tim Sherwood’s men will do Liverpool a favour after knocking the Reds out of the FA Cup last week.

At the moment though, Liverpool do not deserve any favours.

The curse of Tony Pulis continues to hover over the club as the Reds were frustrated in a 0-0 draw away to West Brom. Liverpool have never beaten a side away from home managed by the Welshman in the Premier League since his Stoke City side were promoted in 2009.

Today’s result also left any top four hopes hanging by the thinnest thread, simply relying on a miracle.

Manchester United would have to drop a number of points in their hazardous fixtures (away to Everton and Crystal Palace, home to Arsenal) and Liverpool would probably have to win all of their remaining games, including away to champions-elect Chelsea.

Given the way Brendan Rodgers’ men played, it looks incredibly unlikely that we will win those games, let alone receive any help from Manchester.

Tony Pulis did indeed set up his team to be hard to beat, as always, and the onus was on Liverpool to break them down. In a similar manner to last season’s defeat to Chelsea at Anfield that was so damaging in the title race, Liverpool simply ran out of ideas despite enjoying a colossal amount of possession – 76% at the Hawthorns.

Everyone can have a bad day where it’s just not going for you in front of goal, as that Chelsea loss proved, given we scored over 100 goals last season with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.

Yet this season, with the loss of the Uruguayan to Barcelona and the injuries to Sturridge, Liverpool have consistently lacked a cutting edge to compliment the guile of Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling. They do create chances, but on many occasions cannot take them.

The reliability of Sturridge has become clear now, while the transfer business conducted last summer has been a major disappointment, particularly with the strikers brought in to replace Sturridge.

Fabio Borini, Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli either lack the quality to succeed at Liverpool or do not fit into Rodgers’ style of play. Therefore, new blood is needed.

With no Champions League football next season looking inevitable, funds available to Rodgers will be reduced and he will have to continue working to the FSG philosophy of buying young players with potential and moving on the older players on high wage packets.

Steven Gerrard, Kolo Toure, Glen Johnson and Lambert are some of those set to leave Anfield in the summer. It is a crucial transfer window for the Reds, who could face slipping into mid-table mediocrity if they continue to throw money away.

However, despite some calls for Jurgen Klopp, who admittedly is an incredible manager who would attract big names, it seems likely that Rodgers will remain manager next season.

Overall, he just about deserves another chance given his exploits last season, the mini-revival this season and all of the issues that have plagued the Northern Irishman – from Gerrard’s departure to Sterling’s contract issues.

But he also cannot afford a poor summer as it could mean being out of a job by Christmas, especially if the likes of Klopp and Rafael Benitez are still in the market for work during that time.

With a probable net budget of £30m to spend from the owners according to reports, emphasizing their faith in Rodgers, quality rather than quantity is the priority this summer. However, this will be even more difficult given the market Liverpool will be looking in, which will be full of clubs competing in the Champions League, hunting down the same players.

Rodgers and the infamous transfer committee will really need to step up their efforts and use all the power of persuasion and enticement to attract players to Anfield, with the likes of Memphis Depay, William Carvalho, Danny Ings and others linked with the club but also with teams from Europe’s top table.

In the past the Reds have missed out on players because of a lack of Champions League football or even geography (Alexis Sanchez and London), but on other occasions because they were not as determined or persuasive as other clubs. That has to change if this summer is to be a success.

With the number of departures from Anfield expected to be high this summer, there will probably have to be more than the two or three signings that would constitute an ideal window, given the inadequate attempt to strengthen the depth of the squad last year.

Yet eight or nine signings again is too much change and transition, which could lead to severe problems at the start of the campaign and leaving Reds again playing catch-up. Six signings is probably about right.

The defence, despite issues in the beginnings of the season and a hiccup at Arsenal, has improved and is not as essential. Perhaps a centre-back to replace Toure and compete with Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren? Simon Kjaer from Lille would be a useful, realistic and cheap target.

A right back is the likeliest addition, with uncertainty over Jon Flanagan and Javi Manquillo – Martin Montoya from Barcelona has been consistently linked with Liverpool.

A defensive midfielder is the second most important position to address, with Lucas Leiva the only actual anchorman at the club and he’s been linked with a new challenge in Italy. Any one of Carvalho, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Alex Song, Morgan Schneiderlin and Christoph Kramer would be a brilliant addition, while the likes of Miralem Pjanic, James Milner, Fabian Delph and Radja Nainggolan have been touted as a possible replacement for Gerrard.

A winger may also be needed should Sterling leave Anfield, with Andre Ayew and Yevhen Konoplyanka both out of contract in the summer, while reports suggest Liverpool are serious bidders in the race for PSV’s Depay.

However, in terms of targets, strikers have to be top of the list for Liverpool.

A young forward is already on his way for next season in Lille’s Divock Origi, but the Belgian is far from the finished article, which is why the rumours over Ings are slightly concerning, as he would probably be in the same bracket. With Jordan Ibe also at the club, that seems an overload of young developing forwards.

Instead the Reds have to target the most high profile forward they can, as there could be a number on the market this summer, giving Liverpool a greater chance of signing one of them.

Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea are unlikely to be in search of a similar type of player, leaving only Manchester United, who have been linked with world-class target men such as Jackson Martinez and Edinson Cavani.

Liverpool need a more mobile forward who stretches teams with their movement, but has an inner strength and good centre of gravity, as with Sturridge. Therefore, players such as Alexandre Lacazette and Gonzalo Higuain would be perfect additions to compliment and challenge Sturridge, who cannot be relied upon to last a season and is not the player to build a team around.

Lacazette and Higuain would not come cheap, but normally to buy quality players, you have to pay big money. And to challenge next season what Liverpool need is quality.