Centre-Backs:
First Choice: Martin Skrtel & Mamadou Sakho
Back-Up: Dejan Lovren, Kolo Toure, Tiago Ilori
Analysis: Bringing in a new centre-back this summer was always going to be low on Rodgers’ priority list. He’s spent big money on Lovren and Sakho over the last two years and it seems unlikely that he’d ditch either player at such an early stage, despite their respective problems with form and fitness.
However, the boss won’t have been comforted by what he’s seen from either player during pre-season. Sakho gives the ball away far too often in dangerous positions, while Lovren still looks inexplicably nervous. With only the veteran Toure and the inexperienced Ilori proving our other back-up options, it could be a tough year ahead.
Conclusion: Following our summer signings, this is probably the most pressing area of concern for most Liverpool supporters. There aren’t many good options out there for strengthening and, tellingly, we’ve not really been linked with anyone over the course of the summer. This could be a case of being stuck with what we’ve got.
