Top 5 things Liverpool must do this summer

Liverpool had a rollercoaster season over the course of the past 10 months. The Premier League season started with a top four finish as the priority. However, the Reds surprised everyone with scintillating football in 2016 to end the year still in contention for the title.

However, the arrival of 2017 dashed the hopes of both title and trophies in successive weeks before injuries to key personnel further dented the morale of the side. Nevertheless, the team dug deep with the right mentality to finish fourth ahead of perennial top four presence Arsenal and big-spending Manchester United.

Ultimately, the season was one of progress on all fronts with top players improving, fringe players stepping up and the club initiating the transition of turning doubters into believers. A Champions League qualifier in August is the only step left to reach the group stages. Liverpool will be seeded for the tie, so it should not pose too much problem for the Merseyside club.

Meanwhile, between now and August, Liverpool have a very important summer coming up. Jurgen Klopp has to use this opportunity to do a number of things as their rivals will only get better next season.

Out of all of them, here are the top five things Liverpool have to do by all means this summer.

#1 Clear the Coutinho situation

Liverpool should settle Coutinho’s situation once and for all soon.

There is a certain allure for South American players to play for Barcelona in particular and Liverpool have come out at the sharp end of the stick of this desire before. The Reds lost Argentine Javier Mascherano in August 2010 under strenous circumstances and more recently, Uruguayan star Luis Suarez joined Barcelona in 2014 under more amicable reactions from the fans.

However, the point remains that it is a dream for these players to join the Catalan club and Brazilian Philippe Coutinho will definitely love to do the same. However, Liverpool cannot afford to lose him at this juncture. There is a reason he is called O Magico and he is rightfully the talisman of the team.

Roberto Firmino might be Liverpool’s most effective player, Daniel Sturridge could be Jurgen Klopp’s best finisher and Adam Lallana can very well be one of the first names on the team-sheet, but Coutinho is the true talisman of the side. Talismans are the players who combine outstanding ability with a great work ethic and step up every time the club needs to be picked up.

They not only play well but win matches on their own and make players around them better. Coutinho belongs exactly to this elite category and is truly the face of the side and losing him will put a huge dent in the side

Jurgen Klopp has to convince Philippe Coutinho to not get his head turned this summer.

Coutinho might eventually join Barcelona, but for the coming season, Liverpool have to keep him Anfield. This decision should be made clear by the club and the player. In this way, if Barcelona miss out on any of their prime targets and want Coutinho to play in the Andres Iniesta role, their advances will be met with a swift reply from the Liverpool hierarchy.

Jurgen Klopp has built for the team to take off. And in order to do so, his team’s talisman and already Premier League’s highest-scoring Brazilian at just 24 years of age has to be in the mix.

#2 Give Emre Can a new contract

Emre Can has only 12 months remaining on his contract.

There was a point this season when Liverpool fans would have been happy to let Can go in the summer. With Jordan Henderson being asked to fall deeper, the German was given the license to roam forward. However, his lack of attacking impetus in the advanced midfield role was evident and so were the nagging injuries that dented Can’s confidence and hence, performances.

However, since February, the Emre Can of last season who was the lynchpin for Liverpool’s Europa League final run-in, came to the fore. Physically dominant, a bundle of energy and growing in maturity, the 23-year old was the driving force for Liverpool midfield in the last three months. His attacking play is on the rise as well. Can scored five goals this season, a personal record.

These points make it obvious that Liverpool have to tie down Can to a new contract with only 12 months left on the current deal. A midfielder who has spent enough time at the club and in the league, Can has shown the quality and it’s time that Liverpool hold on to him as he enters his prime years.

Emre Can is future captain material as well.

The German has reiterated time and again that the delay in the new contract is not because of money. So, if there are question marks about playing a position and playing time, then they need to be sorted out soon. Further, European commitments next season will provide more playing time as well.

Thus, Can signing a new contract is an absolute priority in the summer as Klopp would not want a key player to leave for free next summer. One final point to note is that Emre Can is captain material for Liverpool which makes it all the more important for both parties to extend their association.

#3 Sort the defence

Liverpool’s defence has been susceptible for a while now.

It is no secret that Liverpool lack a defence worthy of winning a title. This has been the case close to a decade now, from the end of Rafa Benitez’s tenure. The lack of quality defence who can stand tall in big moments is a far cry for Liverpool.

Joel Matip definitely bolstered the defence this season and he brings with him the necessary ball-playing skills as well. On the other hand, Dejan Lovren can be the world’s best one day and look like a defender from the Sunday League on another. The lack of consistency is a major flaw for Lovren and Liverpool in general.

Another problem with both Matip and Lovren is the lack of durability which is very important for a team’s defence is based on organization. The central defenders are the orchestrators for it and the absence of continuity causes uncertainty and loss of confidence for the team as a whole.

Ragnar Klavan was brought in only as a back-up and young Joe Gomez will take time to realise his immense potential. Therefore, signing a top, durable and commanding centre-back should be one of the top priorities this summer. Virgil van Dijk ticks all the boxes but will be difficult to acquire due to his transfer value and competition. Either way, such a defender is a must-buy for Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool’s full-backs need to improve or get upgraded to fit in Klopp’s system.

Another problem of Liverpool’s defence are the full-backs. Nathaniel Clyne durable as well as reliable but his attacking game has not grown much this season. James Milner did pretty well as a makeshift left-back but he is right-footed and that slowed down many an attack this season. Klopp’s system requires full-backs to maraud their entire wing with aplomb.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has a bright future ahead of him but needs to improve his defensive work to claim a first-team spot ahead of Clyne. Alberto Moreno, meanwhile, looks favourite to leave this summer and a proper left-back is already a priority.

#4 Add much-needed pace

Sadio Mane had everything that Liverpool needed last summer.

A key area for Liverpool has been the lack of pace in the side. Daniel Sturridge looks to be losing a few yards with every injury he picks up and Divock Origi definitely has good pace but not the consistency to command a regular spot. As a result, the gaffer brought in Sadio Mane from Southampton and he turned out to be the signing of the season.

Mane brought with him some blistering pace, directness and a goal threat – adding an extra dimension to the team and the results are there for all to see. His absence underlined the point further as none among Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana, Can and Georginio Wijnaldum has the pace to breach defences or finish counter-attacks.

This area needs addressing this summer with a pacy wide player a definite necessity. Liverpool have been linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt, AS Roma’s Mohamed Salah and Bayern Munich’s Douglas Costa. It is a possibility that the links might not materialise but without adding pace out wide, Liverpool’s next season targets will be tough to achieve.

A definite decision on Sturridge’s future must be taken this summer.

A decision on Sturridge’s future needs to be taken as well. If both sides decide that parting ways to be the best option, then it is a must to sign a pacy striker. Firmino does admirably well to lead the line and can still be used in that position whenever the situation demands. However, a natural striker with bags of pace and finishing ability is an asset against a more defensive opposition.

Further, Klopp likes his players to press high up the pitch. So, having pace will ensure the attacker will be in a better position to enforce his ideas.

Another area that could use pace is midfield, especially in the attacking midfield role. Last season, it was important to get goals from midfield and shifting Lallana to midfield along with Wijnaldum’s signing solved the issue. This season will require pace as well and a player such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain offers that extra edge.

#5 Build quality squad depth

Liverpool’s bench had a very youthful look in the now-concluded season

Apart from Sadio Mane’s absence in January, dearth of squad depth became glaringly obvious as Liverpool limped out of contention for all trophies by the middle of the season.

So, it is an absolute no-brainer to improve squad depth this summer. The goalkeeper situation looks set for now with Simon Mignolet asserting himself as the no.1 and Loris Karius providing able competition. The defence needs to be improved in both quality and quantity. Hull City’s Andrew Robertson and Fulham’s teenage sensation Ryan Sessegnon are currently linked for the left-back spot and buying a couple of players for the role is a much-needed move.

The midfield has Henderson, Can, Lucas Leiva, Lallana, Wijnaldum and Marko Grujic apart from academy players. If Coutinho makes the switch to midfield in the summer, then there is sufficient depth but adding one quality player will definitely help the cause.

Jurgen Klopp definitely has to improve both quantity and quality of his squad

As discussed in the previous point, a wide first-team player has to be brought in. Further, another young wide player such as Leicester City’s Demarai Gray will bolster the ranks further. Considering the squads of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, bolstering the striker options needs to be done. A decision on both Sturridge’s and Danny Ings’ future will pave the way to decide whether another striker needs to be added to the fold.

Thus, a mix of experience and youth will equip Klopp to compete on all four fronts next season. Further, the extra personnel will help Klopp vary his tactics when needed with much more ease for achieving their goals next season.