Never mind all the talk about Liverpool needing players who can score goals, where the Reds really need to work hard is on their defensive which if you take just the Stoke game as a point of reference proves just how bad the club has been at the back failing to mark players while allowing goals that most other clubs would have easily defended.
Of the Player’s Liverpool currently has only Martin Skrtel deserves his place on the back-line and while we like the effort put in by Emre can we feel he is much more suited to a midfield role where he can take the ball forward as we saw with some of his runs this season.
Mamadou Sakho at still only 25-years-old could still improve, but as for Dejan Lovren we would sell him if we had any chance of getting our money back.
Following his poor season however it is unlikely that Liverpool could contemplate getting back anywhere near the £20 million they paid to Southampton for him, so we can only hope he improves next season.
Now on to the man we feel could make a huge difference to the defence not only for his ability as a player but also the way he can command and take control of the team’s defensive duties ensuring that they do not continue to get picked apart when it comes to set pieces.
The player we are talking about is of course Atletico Madrid centre-back Toby Alderweireld who just announced his desire to stay in the Premiership following a loan spell at Southampton.
‘I really want to go to a club that really wants me,’ the 26-year-old said this week. ‘There are three options – stay with Atletico, stay with Southampton or go to another club. So we will see what happens.
‘Southampton gave me that opportunity and it paid off, I think. I’ve had a fantastic year, I can’t lie about that, so, yes, I’d like to stay in the Premier League.’
Liverpool had the fourth highest concession rate in the Premier League allowing 48 goals to be scored against them which underlines the need to get a new goalkeeper as Mignolet was also at fault for quite a few, and solidify the defence which we feel Alderweireld could play a big part of.
In contrast to Liverpool the only team that concede fewer goals was Chelsea allowing in 32 compared to Southampton’s 33, another indication as to the job the Belgium international has done at St Mary’s.
Alderweireld’s best features are that he is a strong tackler, good in the air while also being very composed when on the ball, which is rare to find in a centre-back he would also suit Liverpool’s game of brining the ball out from the back, and when paired with Sakho could make for a solid partnership.
Let’s wait and see if Brendan Rodger’s takes our advice, but one thing is for sure Liverpool has a lot of work to do over the summer.
