1. Despite having won everything under klopp , we have only won one final in 90 minutes against a poor spurs in a match where Allison was MoM.
2. Our midfield in both finals we lost against Madrid lacked creativity . Is this an area we need to strengthen given age profiles , inconsistency issues , potential ceilings in terms of ability and injury proneness ?
3. Diaz and Jota have polar opposite strengths and areas they need to work on . With Mane possibly leaving and Salah’s recent form do we again need to look at seriously strengthening here ?
4. Are we likely to spend the amounts we need to ? Elite number 10s and 9s don’t come cheaply . The next 4 seasons whilst klopp is with us and United are so far off challenging present a potentially golden opportunity to at least equal the 20 league titles . With city getting 2 excellent strikers we need to keep our level since January going and hit the ground running .
Your thoughts welcome .
Good post, and definitely food for thought with all of it. My initial reaction, then I will go back and read what others are saying:
1. It's a small concern, not a major concern. Winning a final in 90 mins is very difficult, especially given the quality of the opponent you invariably face. It would be a bigger problem if we weren't making it to finals, or getting to the sharp end of tournaments. With better finishing and Courtois not having a worldy, we would have won the CL. As for Chelsea and Man City in the other finals, they are stubborn, stubborn, very well organized, with their own elite qualities too. It's the rarified air of finals.
2. We definitely need to strengthen the midfield. We know we liked Tchouameni, and his age, athleticism, and ability to be a 6 or an 8 seemed to appeal. It got away from us as the price went up and up, as Real Madrid found themselves with more margin to spare after not landing Mbappe. We might sign someone of a similar sort of profile, or we might go for an opportunistic signing with someone like Gavi, given Barcelona's financial problems. That might also give us the option to switch to 4-2-3-1 which arguably might be one way the team evolves. It will be interesting to see how we do it, but I am convinced we will sign at least one midfielder this summer to strengthen that department.
3. Definitely we need to strengthen up front. Assuming Mane is leaving, the one I would go for would be Nunez. His knee issues are exaggerated, and that looks to be behind him now anyway. I like his size, as we look a bit small up front. His pace and desire seem good, and he certainly knows where the net is. He will improve further with our excellent coaching.
A front three of Diaz-Nunez-Salah would be excellent, with Jota, Firmino and Carvalho all having a say too. If Mo intends to leave on a Bosman next summer, maybe we will bring another Bosman in to replace him, in Serge Gnabry. There are loads of permutations for how that one might pan out, but the data points can build up as we don't have to solve it now.
4. The money we are earning from our success, plus the revenue the club is generating, point in a good direction of having money to spend. We can't compete with the artificially inflated clubs, but we can make our own moves. I think another great Liverpool team is starting to take shape, and I can't wait to see it emerge. On the face of it we should be able to land number 20, and more besides, in the coming years, but overcoming Man City, given their unchecked financial dominance, will be difficult. Even with that disadvantage, we are right in there, and the margin between us is wafer thin.
