Passing the Test

Many were doubting if Liverpool had the mental strength to cope with being in this title race and if they could pull off a win against Tottenham today. That question was answered with a resounding yes as they beat Spurs 4-0 at Anfield. I am not sure if Liverpool will win the title but they are certainly in this title race until the end and I am just loving it. I was however asking another question lately: is Philippe Coutinho good enough, or does Liverpool need to go out and find someone to start above him? That question was answered today as well, and with the same answer, yes, yes he is good enough.

Philippe Coutinho was brought in a year and a half ago and was fantastic during the second half of the season. He has done pretty well this season, though not as good as he did when he first arrived and I had begin to wonder if attacking midfield is a key transfer area for Liverpool in the summer. Last summer Liverpool went after a few different attacking midfielders like Mkhitaryan and Willian, but they failed to convince any to come and settled for young Luis Alberto, who has played a very minor role. So Coutinho continued in his crucial role in the starting lineup, playing in 31 games so far this season but only scoring 4, 3 before today. Today Coutinho started the buildup to the first goal and scored the third and was impressive throughout the match. Now I am convinced that he can be fantastic for Liverpool for years to come. 

Because of his big involvement at Liverpool it is easy to forget that he is only 21 years old, with his best years still to come. I think back to Jordan Henderson who was brought in when he was only 21 years old to Liverpool as well. For the first year and a half Henderson was largely criticized by the Anfield faithful, but as he grew and matured he developed into a mainstay in the starting lineup. Coutinho, while he has his flaws, is better than Henderson was when he was 21, so just think of how great he will be in two years time.

Coutinho's biggest weakness is his shooting prowess but Liverpool are doing fine letting SAS do the scoring for them. Today Coutinho showed that he is still capable of a goal every once in a while when called upon. Liverpool will undoubtedly be able to bring in the kind of players that turned them down last summer now that Champions League will return to Merseyside. Though now I am seriously doubting if any of them will be able to uproot Coutinho from his starting role. Rodgers has proven that he is great at developing young talent (he did work with clubs' youth setups before making the jump to management), and I believe that he will help Coutinho achieve his full potential. So I am happy to report that today Liverpool and Coutinho both passed our tests.

My 5 Most Wanted Liverpool Summer Transfers

Everyone can now agree that Liverpool will be playing in the Champions League next season. This means two main things in terms of transfers: Liverpool need a stronger and deeper squad and now they can attract better players to play for them. Here is my top 5 players I would like to see playing for Liverpool next season and their back-ups.

5. Ashley Cole or Bacary Sagna

-Liverpool's defense is the area that needs the most improvement over the summer and an injection of experience will help greatly. I picked Cole first because left back is the area that needs the most help and Cole will serve the Kolo Toure role for the left back position. Either can serve not as a starter week in, week out, but can help cover them.

4. Yevhen Konoplyanka or Jay Rodriguez

-Liverpool came very close to signing for Liverpool in January and his club have said that he will probably make the move in the summer. The Ukranian would provide some great pace and experience to the front line of the attack. Sterling is great, but at 19 years old it is a bit much to ask him to start all the time. I am a big Rodriguez fan, he is a great finisher and I think he would fit in well to the trident attack that Liverpool play with. Though I am a little hesitant that either of them can make enough of a difference at a big club like Liverpool, especially Rodriguez, but I would like to see one of them given a chance.

3. Adam Lallana or Mateo Kovacic

-I have included another Southampton player, and he will not be the last on this list. Lallana is in my opinion the best player on their team. The way he plays is just so smooth, simple and creative. Coutinho is not quite doing enough for Liverpool, especially in scoring goals, which Lallana is doing very well in again this season. His backup is Kovacic, a young attacking midfielder at Inter Milan who is making a big impression this season. He is reportedly not happy in Italy and may be making a move to a bigger club this summer. In terms of entertainment I think Lallana is player I want the most to leave for Liverpool.

2. Mateo Musacchio or Stephen Caulker

-Liverpool's center backs have been the most inconsistent players for Liverpool this season and I believe that there needs some change in this area. I don't know very much about Musacchio but I have been hearing a lot of great things about him. He is young and a great passer for a center back. His contract expires in the summer and a lot of clubs will be lining up for his signature. Caulker is a great center back as well, at a terrible team with Cardiff and will probably be sold when his team are relegated to the Championship.

1. Luke Shaw or Alberto Moreno

-Shaw is almost undoubtedly moving to a big English club at the end of the season with Chelsea leading the charge and Man U also trying. Moreno might be a more realistic, but might be as equally good as Shaw as well. Either way I think a new, young left back is the most important position to strengthen in the summer. Good left backs are hard to come by and Liverpool need to fork over some serious cash and get one of these guys.

Top 10 Possible Summer 2014 Transfers

1.       Lewandowski to Bayern Munich

-The Polish international has already announced his plans to sign a contract at Bayern, switching from his boyhood club Dortmund in another controversial move between the two clubs. With Lewandowski coming in, will Bayern sell one of their current strikers, like Mandzukic to make room for him?

2.       Falcao to Chelsea

-Falcao has long been linked with Chelsea and everyone was surprised when the Colombian international signed for Monaco in a big money move, which cost Monaco 50 million to get him from Atletico. Mourinho has fanned the flames on the rumors of Chelsea’s interest, but with his current long term injury will Chelsea make a big money risk? If he is brought in who will leave Chelsea? Torres, Ba, Eto’o?

3.       Luke Shaw to Chelsea, Man U or Liverpool

-It’s still hard to believe that the left back is only 18 years old. He is the hottest young English talent at the moment and all the big English clubs are circling. He will cost a pretty penny though, more than 20 million perhaps. Man U are on the lookout for a new left back with Evra due to leave at the end of the season but he is a known Chelsea fan, though Liverpool are also looking for a new left back and Rodgers probably willing to give him the most game time and champions league football next season it is hard to tell who will win this race.

4.       Victor Valdez to PSG or Monaco

-Valdez has already stated that he will not renew his contract at Barcelona, for some unknown reason. It is still unclear as to who will offer him the best deal for a free Bosman transfer. PSG and Monaco have been the ones most rumored to bring him in, though there are rumors of an English or Italian move for him. We will just have to wait and see if he will be any good without being on the best team in the world to back him up.

5.      Toni Kroos to Manchester United

-Kroos was close to moving to Man U earlier this year but a move never materialized. Man U signed Mata instead who hasn’t really made a difference for them yet. Kroos is a more defensive minded midfielder, all action which is what Man U are in desperate need of. It will be hard to prize him away from his boyhood club Bayern but it might be worth it.

6.       David Luiz to Barcelona

-Luiz has long been linked with a move to Barcelona, he has been seen as the replacement for the ageing Carlos Puyol. Chelsea have been adamant that he is not for sale but he has not been playing as much for Mourinho as he did in the past, so they might decide it is time to cash him in for a big payout.

7.       Van Persie to either Juventus, PSG or Arsenal

-This kid is a whiner. When things aren’t going his way he gets frustrated, doesn’t work hard and looks for a way out of the club. He seemed to really enjoy Sir Alex but now with his man crush retired be will probably be looking for a club to close his career with, my guess is out of the country with a big club like Juventus.

8.       Julian Draxler to Arsenal

-A deal for the young German international was close to happening in January but never came to pass. Schalke have been adamant that he will not leave anytime soon but they might decide to let him go in the summer, especially if they are unable to qualify for the champions league.

9.       Eliaqium Mangala to Manchester City

-Mangala has been linked with Man City for a while now. He has excelled with Porto over the past couple seasons and will probably make a big move soon. Man City are having some defensive worries with Demicellis making mistakes and Lescott out of favor with the manager. City surely have the money for it and will be looking to shore up their defense this summer.

1.   Mario Balotelli to Chelsea

-This is another rumor that Mourinho has fanned the flames with. Balotelli started his career with AC Milan quite well but this season has been a disaster for him and his team and they sit midtable right now. Mourinho has repeatedly been whining about his lack of good strikers and a move to Chelsea might benefit all involved as Mario did pretty well with City in England before.

Why is Liverpool conceding so many goals?

Liverpool is coming off a nine goal thrill ride of a football match and thankfully the Reds won the match 6-3. Suarez had a hat trick, Skrtel had a brace and of course Sturridge got a goal as well. You can usually count on a team to lose if they concede three goals in a single match, but Liverpool proved again that for Liverpool, that is not the case. But what happens when SAS is not banging on all cylinders because it is bound to happen every once in a while, even for world class players. Without the goals from SAS on Saturday Liverpool would have lost the match because they were shaky at the back, again. Cardiff went ahead in the match twice and Liverpool had to claw back into the match. This has become a common occurrence this season and simply cannot continue if Liverpool are to progress and have a chance at the title.

So why are Liverpool conceding so many goals? When you look back at some of the goals scored against the Reds this season which ones stick out the most? For me the two Toure mistakes, the own goal and pass right to Anichebe right in front of our goal, stick out the most. Also the Skrtel bicycle kick that landed straight to the opposition comes to mind. The most recent goals scored, by Cardiff on Saturday, highlighted the biggest problems we are having. Cardiff''s first goal came very early in the first half and the other not long after that. Both of those goals were from shots just inside the corner of the 18 yard box and the player was very much unmarked both times. Both times Agger was caught out of position, drifting too far in the middle and on the second goal Agger was left looking like a fool by Frazier Campbell who moved past him far too easily. The third goal was caused by another mistake at the back when both Glen Johnson and Skrtel went for the cross to Kenwyn Jones and he headed the ball to an open Jordan Munch, who was Skrtel's man.

In conclusion, it has been a combination of individual errors from the experienced center backs. I also blame the poor Cissokho as well as the occasional error from the inexperienced Flanagan. It is a side effect of Rodger's attacking style that errors at the back will occasionally happen. Passing out of the back and sending defenders to help in the attack will result in the occasional goal against us. Rodgers has stated that he has no intention of changing the team's attacking style and that they will continue to try and hash out the defensive mistakes.

The question is, what else can be done? For years now Liverpool's first choice center back pairing has been Skrtel and Agger (and Carragher for a while), but that was during a time of hardship for the club, when Liverpool finished 6th, 7th, 8th and 7th again. I love both of the players, especially Agger because of his strong loyalty towards the club, but also Skrtel because of all of the goals that he adds to the team. But I must say with a heavy heart that it is time for a changing of the guard. I think that Sakho is a fantastic defender and will be a stalwart for the club for many years to come, as Agger's replacement. Toure just signed for Liverpool last summer and he has undoubtedly accepted that the times of starting week in, week out are over and should be kept around, but only for cover in case of injuries. Tiago Ilori was brought in last summer as well, but he hasn't played a single match for the Reds and is now out on loan to Granada. He hasn't been given a proper chance and I hope he gets his chance next year. Now on to Martin Skrtel. He has made a lot of mistakes this season but he has done a lot of great things as well, so I am not sure that selling him would be the right thing to do. If Rodgers decided that it is time for him to move on, then he should replace him with Steven Caulker.

Caulker was given the run around by SAS on Saturday but he still has done a lot of great defending for Cardiff this season. It is almost assuredly written in stone that Cardiff will go down and their record signing will move on in order to keep the wage bill down and compete at the highest level. Rumors are surging that Tottenham will look to bring him back in the summer. It is also being rumored that Caulker is being targeted by Brendan Rodgers, who managed him while he was on loan to Swansea in their first EPL season. He is physical, good in the air and on the ball, young and English which will please FSG.

The fullbacks don't need as much change as the center backs. Johnson has been doing very well lately and most of the time this season. Jose Enrique has been out for a long time this season due to injuries, Cisskho is no good, and Flangan is punching well above his weight. There should be a new player brought in to replace Enrique, pushing him back to the substitute role. Luke Shaw would be a perfect fit in my opinion. He will become one of the greatest English left backs of all time and would solve the Red's left back issues they have had for years. Some alternatives could be Alberto Moreno (21) of Sevilla or Dennis Aogo (27) of Hamburg. Enrique is great on his day, but most of his days are spent on the injured list. As for young Jack Robinson (20) who is on loan to Blackpool this season, I don't think he is ready to take the starting position, yet, and should be used as a sub or possibly spend another year on loan.

In the end the decisions are made by Rodgers and the Liverpool management. They make the hard decisions for a reason, and he has made the right decisions for the most part as manager. It is hard to let loyal players like Skrtel and Agger go after so many years of great service to the club, but I think it is time. With the attraction of Champions League football for Liverpool next season they should be able to attract better players like Caulker and Shaw. I wish the current players would get their acts together so these changes wouldn't have to be made, but its been long enough. Here is the starting lineup I would like to see for next season.

My 2014/15 Liverpool team

Ian Ayre today promised that Rodgers will be granted sufficient transfer funds, despite the losses that Liverpool sustained overall this past year. I believe that Liverpool will begin to make some drastic changes in the summer, which should be for the better. Here is the team that I would like to see starting for Liverpool next season.

So here are the changes I would like to see:
Sagna replaces Johnson
I was once a big fan of Glen Johnson's but his performances this season have been very inconsistent, lazy and injury ridden. Sagna, despite being two years older at 31, is more consistent and healthy than Johnson has been. Rumor has it that Sagna has already said goodbye to his teammates as his contract expires with Arsenal in just a few months. Rodgers showed that he is a fan of experienced, older players if they can be brought in for free, like Kolo Toure. Sagna is great in possession and attacking, but is still better at getting back to defend than Johnson is. Liverpool's young right backs: Kelly, Flanagan, Wisdom and McLaughlin, need at least one more season before any of them are ready to hold down a starting position. Having Sagna will give them the time needed to develop.

Caulker replaces Skrtel
Martin Skrtel has been the most capped center back for Liverpool this season and yet has been the worst of them. It is good that he has scored some crucial goals and been very fit for Liverpool, but it is time for him to move on. He almost left last summer and so will probably end up leaving this coming summer. Caulker replaces him in the starting lineup. He has arguably been the best player for Cardiff this season but his heroics probably won't be enough to keep them from relegation. Caulker played for Swansea under Rodgers while on loan from Spurs and Rodgers is a long time fan of his. I think Tottenham were stupid to let him go and it would be a masterstroke to bring him in this summer, the timing is perfect. He is a young, English, star of the future that will be available for a good price, that just screams FSG to me.

Moreno replaces Cissokho
Liverpool have the option to make Aly Cissokho's stay at Anfield permanent, but I highly doubt that it will happen. Rodgers prefers to play Jon Flanagan and Glen Johnson, with Johnson on the left, than have him play. Left back continues to be a problem area for Liverpool. I was impressed most of the time with Jose Enrique's performances there but his injuries occur much too often and while I hope American specialists can finally solve his hamstring issues, there needs to be a better option. There are quite a few left backs linked with Liverpool but I believe Moreno has the most potential. Liverpool's young left back, Jack Robinson, has failed to impress me while he has been on loan with Blackpool this season and often suffers problems with his discipline. Moreno could play a bit part next season while Enrique enjoys a good run in the side and then Moreno will take over.

Konoplyanka replaces Moses
Another player due to go back to his home club will be Victor Moses, who has been one of the worst players for Liverpool this season. The Reds came very close to signing the young Ukranian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka from Dnipro in January but couldn't finalize a deal in time. It is rumored that Liverpool will return for him in the summer. Konoplyanka is a quick, tricky winger with a good eye for goal, especially from distance, which is something that Liverpool are in need of. Sterling has been fantastic this season but his finishing needs some work, especially from longer distances. Konoplyanka should come at a pretty good price, just short of 15 million I think and still has his best years ahead of him.

Other changes:
Borini and Suso return to Liverpool, given more playing time
Both players have done exceptionally well while on loan this season and I would be very upset if either of them are sold or sent out on loan again. Both players need some more development and experience but Liverpool will need more players next season as we should be playing more games. I believe both of them will excel for us next season.

Robinson, Flanagan, Luis Alberto, McLaughlin sent out on loan
These players still have some developing to do before they can influence Liverpool enough to help them win the title.

Conor Coady sold
Coady has done pretty well while on loan to League 1 side Sheffield United, but unfortunately he seems to be at his skill level there, and so it is time to regretfully part ways.

Summary:
Buy: Sagna (free), Caulker ( 8 million), Moreno (15 million), Konoplyanka (15 million)
Sell: Johnson (8 million), Skrtel (8 million), Coates (3 million), Coady (1 million)

Squad: Mignolet, Jones, Sagna, Kelly, Wisdom, Sakho, Agger, Ilori, Caulker, Toure, Moreno, Enrique, Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Allen, Coutinho, Suso, Borini, Suarez, Konoplyanka, Sterling, Aspas, Sturridge