AREAS WHERE LIVERPOOL NEEDS TO WORK ON THIS SUMMER

Liverpool need to beat Newcastle and hope West Ham can overcome leaders Manchester City tomorrow in order to be crowned champions for the first time since 1990. Having followed the Liverpool season very carefully, according to me, there are two key areas where Brendan needs to focus on in the transfer season.

• THE BACK FOUR

Shipping multiple goals in wins at Stoke, Cardiff and Norwich probably hinted that the worst was still to come; “they’ve had their warnings”, noted Gary Neville on Sky Sports after the Palace game. Neville and Jamie Carragher dissected the disastrous final ten minutes the Reds endured at Selhurst Park and lambasted the central defensive pairing of Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho for a lack of leadership as the team dropped too deep and invited pressure.

Having signed Tiago Ilori and Kolo Touré as well last summer, it looks likely that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) will need to fork out some more money to plug gaps in the leaky defence. While Agger and Skrtel have served Liverpool well during their time at the club, there’s a sense that this team is evolving away from their strengths and that another proactive defender is needed to partner Sakho.

Shopping for that man isn’t necessarily easy – ideally, he’s good in the air, quick, comfortable in possession, aggressive, strong and a leader, not an easy player to unearth. Roma’s Medhi Benatia may be the most suitable candidate but the Moroccan is on the wishlist of every big club in Europe after a fantastic first season in Rome. Ilori may also prove to be that player and is currently enjoying a fruitful loan spell at Grenada, while Andre Wisdom will also come back from Derby County a more confident defender.

There are also issues at full back – Glen Johnson’s form has been remarkably inconsistent and whilst Jon Flanagan has improved a lot, there is always a sense that opposition teams can allow him the ball without fear of being hurt. Liverpool probably need new wide defenders too, and they have to be dangerous in attack and possess enough pace and intelligence to get into position when possession is lost.  Wolfsburg’s Swiss left back Ricardo Rodriguez could perhaps fill this weak spot.

• DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER
Liverpool’s midfield was a topic of discussion for the first half of the Premier League season. It quickly evaporated after a run of 11 straight victories in which the midfield of Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho started to dominate matches.
Brendan Rodgers found a winning formula and stuck to it, only tweaking it every now and again. However, after blowing a three-goal lead against Crystal Palace on Monday, on a night where the midfield looked tired and unwilling to get back to defend, there is a clear area of concern over the summer.

Liverpool have been sensational this year and they need to push on from this position and challenge for top honours again next season, starting a domino effect of momentum and success. The only thing that’s held them back is their defence and it was obvious to see why against Crystal Palace

The Reds have conceded the same number of goals as 12th-placed West HamUnited and, before Hull’s game against Manchester United on Tuesday, they’d conceded more than the side that could finish fourth bottom.

A defensive midfielder is meant to break up play, provide strong insurance at the back for attackers moving forward, keep the ball and start attacks from deep. Lucas can just keep the ball – and that’s only if he’s inside his own half. It was clear during the previous three matches that he’s not up to scratch moving forwards with the ball and joining an attack.

Whatever the outcome is come Sunday evening, a huge summer lies ahead for Rodgers and FSG. His attack-minded nature will always expose his defense and Liverpool wouldn’t be where they are now without the ruthless offensive mindset the manager has instilled in the team. That said, getting the right type of defenders in the door during the summer could simultaneously halt the concession of needless goals and give the side more threat in attack.