By James Giblin (@jaygiblin)
With 12 games left of the season left to play this season, talk of what Liverpool must improve on next season may sound premature. Liverpool are on fire at the moment, thrashing Swansea and Zenit at home and doing so quite comfortably. How comfortable Liverpool were against Zenit is absolutely meaningless now; it was a fruitless endeavor. We were knocked out.
There is nothing to be ashamed of. The manner in which we played football was beautiful; I was particularly pleased with Jose Enrique’s stunner against Swansea (and people are talking about Gareth Bale’s West Ham goal for goal of the season!). We must look forward to the future with eager anticipation and leave behind the cobwebs of this season. Although Champions League qualification is still mathematically possible, it is unlikely.
With all this in mind, I have written up 4 top targets for Liverpool, if they are to obtain Champions League status once again:
1. Consistency
Consistency is a word that I haven’t associated with Liverpool for quite some time. They are a far cry from the Liverpool team of 1987-88, when they conceded just 24 goals all season (0.6 per game). Last season Agger and Skrtel were monumental at the back. They need to recapture that form.
2. Better goal scoring tally
Needless to say, Liverpool have let themselves down in this department this season. A frightening statistic is that Liverpool have had the most shot attempts out of any team in the top 5 European Football Leagues. With shooting accuracy lower than QPR’s, something needs to be done. If it wasn’t for the superb displays from one South American genius, Liverpool would be far worse off. Which leads nicely to my next point.
3. Keep hold of Luis Suarez
This is an absolute MUST. Luis Suarez is one of the the two remaining world class players Liverpool have. He scores goals, creates chances and is just amazing to watch. With Pep Guardiola apparently eyeing him up, Liverpool need to try hard to keep hold of this talismanic striker.
4. Make Anfield a fortress
This is something that Liverpool have failed to do for about four years. Since Liverpool came runners up in the 2009 season, Anfield has become less and less frightening. If Liverpool are to progress, they need to perform well at home.
I have been a red fan since 1977.in that period the game has changed long gone is the day when liverpool could field the same team week in weekout.look at mufc.they could field 2 different teams that could beat us today.they got 4 top class strikers. Countless midfielders. Options galore.if something doesnt work they adjust simple.we need 2 defenders 2 midfielders 2 strikers and 2 versatile players.and dont sell nobody. Then wecan be a power lkke the old days simple.wake up people
Kieran – dont be daft. You’re suggesting Uniteds’ second team would beat us? Come off it. Not a hope in hell would they beat us. Wed kill them 4 or 5-0
Liverpools team are heading the right way & with Brendan ready to strengthen in the summer we should achieve those goals & be ready to aim for champions league football!If we can finish 5th it will give our younger players another crack at Europa lg.next season,with the benefit of having European football experience,so c’mon reds onwards & upwards
@Kieran: True enough about Manchester United. But in all honesty I think it’s irrelevant. Liverpool are not a side that are in contention for the title. We are a side that HOPE to challenge for Champions League qualification.
@Karlito: Excellent attitude mate
Good post, and good responses for the most part (I dont think ManUre’s “B” team would come close to beating our best)…
I think the 5th point we’ll have to look at is HOW we address the transfer market this summer? Do we off-load 5 or 6 players for 30-40 Million, then bring in 4 or 5 players for 40-50 Million? I kinda hope not. We need to drop 2 or 3 players for sure, but instead of bringing in several mediocre players, I’d rather we target 2 or 3 top class internationals to up our quality considerably.
We surely need a top class center back, and we need a top class winger. Will Downing ever be the player we hoped when signed? Hard to say, but I doubt it. Are Agger, Skrtel, Coates the center back rotation that will send chills down the back of RVP, Bale, Europa League or Champions League competition? Doubt it.
I feel were headed in the right direction, and I am really looking forward to this summer to see what additions we bring in to bolster our great club…YNWA.
@Karl a NorCal Red
Yeah, I agree with the most part of what you said.
I do believe that Agger and Skrtel are good enough defensively. As I have stated before, I believe that when both are on form, they are the best defensive partnership in the Premier League.
In terms of our transfer policy, I agree whole-heartedly. If Liverpool were to offload several sporadic players and brought in one of real quality, the difference would be felt instantly. Perhaps Coates + Spearing + Borini + Allen or Shelvey would return £15-20M.
I can live with that…Its hard to fathom why Skrtel has blown so hot and cold this season? You dont just go from player of the year, to bum of the week overnight? As much as I love Carra, we need to put Skrtel back in before the last couple of games this season to see if his Man City mistake, and couple of other poor outings were just a fluke, or if he’s lost the plot. He has been a great Red the last couple of seasons, so hopefully he can find his form, and be around for a couple more seasons…Cheers