What a season it’s been for Liverpool Football Club! They’ve utterly run riot over the Premier League and played a style of football that’s amazed supporters and pundits alike. Recent results suggest that the team is far from the finished article, prompting questions about where improvements are needed as the summer transfer window approaches. Anfield is preparing for one of its most frenetic summers in recent memory. Both specifics are correct and the club will need to focus on a few vital areas in order to improve their performance.
No team has ever been as dominant in the Premier League as Liverpool. Week after week, the team proves that they are and how great they can be. Recent outcomes have sounded alarms, revealing some fatal flaws that threaten their prospects to build on their prior success. The team has suffered from a level of mental fatigue, a fact that some argue has led to a steep decline in performance. Fatigue certainly was the best during these decisive matches. It was most painfully demonstrated in the penalty shootout elimination against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and the abject loss to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.
Despite these disappointments, head coach Arne Slot should be excited by what he has to work with. After the loss at Craven Cottage, he dismissed the suggestion that fatigue was a primary factor in their recent struggles.
“I think there is no reason for us to be complacent,” – Arne Slot
The manager’s faith betrays his conviction that this team has the talent required to go toe-to-toe with the league’s best. Yet, at the same time, it highlights the imperative for a focused federal response this summer to fix what doesn’t work.
One such place that needs a spotlight shined on it is the depth of this squad, especially on the defensive side. The last center-back Liverpool has signed is Ibrahima Konaté, in the summer of 2021. This gap gives reason to be optimistic about their defensive stability going forward. Key contributors such as Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch have each begun all 31 Premier League fixtures this term. This significant over-reliance on a small group of individuals introduces possible complications due to fatigue and over-dependence.
Further, Andrew Robertson’s form has been closely critiqued. He’s had a rough season, especially all week against Fulham’s second tally in a recent match. The Portuguese left-back has been a player of ups and downs this season. Liverpool needs to either find a better solution or provide him with stiffer competition to spur his best form.
Kostas Tsimikas, who currently is the second choice behind Robertson, isn’t considered a long-term option. He just needs the minutes; he needs weekly playing time. If Liverpool fails to sign an elite level left-back this summer, he will look for pastures new.
The next summer now has the potential to be just as influential going forward as Liverpool seek to replenish their squad. Particularly with so many key positions needing an upgrade, the club has to be aggressive to land both immediate and long-term solutions. Not solving these issues would place their ability to keep competitive pace in danger with both domestic and European counterparts.
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