After Saturday’s mauling at the Emirates, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers admitted that the defeat has ended Liverpool’s faint hope of finishing in the top four.
Asked about Liverpool’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League after the match, Rodgers said:
“We want to be in the Champions League, that is important and it is key for us, but it is highly unlikely this year,” he said.
“I wouldn’t expect the others to slip up, then add to that the growing number (of players) we have got unavailable and I think it will make it very, very difficult.”
So with no Champions League football next season, and possibly no Europa League football either, the question is what do Liverpool need to do in order to get back into the Champions League race last season?
There is no doubt that the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona and the injury problems to Daniel Sturridge have left Liverpool short of goals all season. This time last season Liverpool had scored 84 goals in the league. This year that number is 45. That is a 46% drop!!
Adding a world class to replace Suarez is something Liverpool should have done last summer, when they could dangle the promise of Champions League football to entice someone to move to Anfield.
But Liverpol don’t have that carrot this summer and Rodgers is aware of the impact that will have on attracting world class talent to move to Liverpool:
“Most players want to be in the Champions League, but I think also that Liverpool is a great club,” the Liverpool manager said.
“I said that before I came into the job, and it is been even more rubber-stamped now that I have been here for two-and-a-half-years.
“Liverpool is a phenomenal club that players want to play for, but, of course, players want to play at the top level of the game and if you are not in the Champions League it makes it difficult for you.
“We know that, but we just have to continue to fight in order to be a stable club in there – and we will continue to do that.”
Manchester United were the exception last summer in that they have so much money they could afford to overpay for players to bring them to Old Trafford without the promise of Champions League football.
Liverpool do not have that luxury. They cannot overpay for players, and they cannot afford to make another mistake like signing Mario Balotelli.
What positions do you think that Liverpool need to strengthen this summer?
