It has been a year full of unpredictability at Anfield where Liverpool has taken its fans on a roller coaster ride through so many highs and lows already. Currently, they sit on the outside looking up at one of the top four spots that would lock them in to the Champions League for next season, so there’s still some work to do. This year has been a major disappointment for both the club and its fans and while manager Brendan Rodgers still believes he can turn things around, there certainly seems to be a lot that needs to be done in order to compete with a top flight club like Chelsea. Here are five things currently holding Liverpool back from being a true Premier League title contender.
The Need For More Goals
One of the biggest weaknesses of this year’s Liverpool team has been the lack of goals the club has been able to generate as they have been far too inconsistent at that end of the pitch. Liverpool has scored just 49 goals with all but three league games left to play and while the strikers need to be better, the team also needs more production from a midfield core. It’s not going to help when they lose Steven Gerrard this summer. There will be calls to add from outside of the club as it stands now but the bottom line is that players like Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen all need to improve in the goal scoring department moving forward to next season.
Rodgers’ Performance As Manager
While Rodgers has spoken openly about the prospect of adding key players throughout the summer, the reality is that he has to do much better as the club’s manager in order for them to be a true title contender. Rodgers earned rave reviews for his radical switch to a 3-4-2-1 system that helped spark a 13-game unbeaten run but even he admitted that he should have made the move sooner. If he was more confident in making the switch earlier, it could have made a major difference. In order to become a successful manager Rodgers has to be more aggressive and rely on his instincts in a confident manner the way managers like Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal have done.
Lack Of Depth On The Back Line
One of the biggest factors during Liverpool’s 13-game unbeaten run earlier in the year was the eight clean sheets they picked up over that span thanks largely due to the play of a three-man back line that featured Emre Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho. Sakho’s injury and suspensions to Can and Skrtel influenced Rodgers to go back to a four-man line and it’s clear their play has regressed as a result. All three defenders will be back next season but in order to ensure that he can stick with the three-man back line that helped spark the Reds earlier in the year, Rodgers must improve the depth in that area.
The Lack Of Clutch Performances
One of the most notable aspects of Liverpool’s struggles this season has been the way that things have gone south so quickly when the team encounters even the slightest bit of adversity. There is an obvious lack of clutch play in important situations at both ends of the park and whether it’s the ability to hold on to a lead late in a game or score a late goal in order to rally back for a win, it’s clear that the Reds have to do better in pressure situations. The addition of one or two marquee players could help Liverpool from both a skill and confidence perspective, and it will be interesting to see who they are able to land.
The Need For A Star Striker
While it’s easy to point to the midfield for a lack of tallies and criticize the team as a whole for their inability to score big goals in clutch situations, there is one remedy that could help Rodgers address both areas. It’s no surprise it has to do with one of the team’s biggest offseason losses. Liverpool took a major hit when Luis Suarez left for Barcelona and the lack of an elite striker up front has been a major weakness for a team that had become so accustomed to relying on Suarez for offense. The Reds could address a number of issues with the addition of a star striker up front that could score goals at a high rate and take a ton of pressure off of the other players on the roster, so it will be interesting to see if Rodgers and his staff are able to get the job done and bring a world class striker to Liverpool this summer.
