This evening in the Football Transfer Tavern, our resident Liverpool fans are all raising a pint to Steven Gerrard who scored his first goal on a dream debut for the LA Galaxy against San Jose Earthquakes in the Western Conference last night.
Sporting some Liverpool shin-pads as were spotted by the cameraman to boot, Gerrard had a beaming smile after the match – something Reds fans haven’t seen for a long while after a difficult last 18 months spent in England.
While Reds fans have known for a long while now that they’ll have to endure life without their former talismanic captain in 2015/16, Liverpool fans’ spirits have been high after Brendan Rodgers swiftly moved for a number of reinforcements this summer.
So far, James Milner, Danny Ings, Joe Gomez, Adam Bogdan, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne have arrived and with Liverpool having agreed to meet Christian Benteke’s £32.5 million release clause in the last few days, the Belgian striker looks like he’ll be completing the jigsaw for the Reds.
Rodgers was also busy in the market last summer but failed to successfully get the best out of Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic and Mario Balotelli last season so there will be a certain pressure on the Northern Irishman to quickly gel his new recruits this time around.
With Liverpool’s squad seemingly transforming by the week so far this summer, we’re taking this moment to devise what we believe to be their strongest eleven for the forthcoming campaign.
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Click on the image below to reveal what we believe to be Liverpool’s strongest XI for this season.
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Simon Mignolet
While the words ‘dream’ and ‘Mignolet’ certainly don’t go together, there’s no doubting that the Belgian will be the Reds’ main man between the sticks again this season and ahead of new arrival Adam Bogdan.
Suffering a terrible first half to the 2014/15 campaign, Mignolet was dropped indefinitely to make way for the since departed Brad Jones after a series of costly errors but upon being reinstated, he started showing some of his best form once again
This season will be huge one Mignolet and will prove whether he has the abilities to stay at Anfield long-term or whether Rodgers will need to go in for a truly world class stopper in the next couple of transfer windows.
Nathaniel Clyne
Southampton must be absolutely sick of the sight of Liverpool mustn’t they?
While Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert have proved flops at Anfield, you can’t imagine Clyne will follow suit after his fantastic performances in the Premier League over the past few seasons.
Liverpool really needed the England international who will now fill a position which has proved a problem area for the Reds recently.
Jon Flanagan’s injury troubles haven’t got better, Javi Manquillo has been sent back to Atletico Madrid ahead of schedule, Glen Johnson has since joined Stoke City and Emre Can struggled in the role against the better sides.
So with Clyne now on board, the right back position seems to be locked down for good.
Martin Skrtel
Probably Liverpool’s best centre back out of him, Kolo Toure, Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho (that wasn’t hard!), Reds fans were delighted when the Slovakian international signed a new deal earlier this summer.
Tough and always up for a battle (he’s got the bandage to prove it above), Skrtel is a leader in the Reds’ back line and somebody that is never scared to put the boot in.
With the jury still very much out on Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren’s defensive talents – if we can even call it that – Skrtel more than merits his place in our strongest eleven.
Mamadou Sakho
While Mamadou Sakho is far from being considered the perfect defender, we believe he has more promise than Dejan Lovren and is certainly a better option ahead of the ageing Kolo Toure.
Looking a decent player on his day, his day hasn’t come regularly enough for Reds fans to totally trust the French international.
The onus will be on Sakho to stay in Brendan Rodgers’ first team this season with Euro 2016 around the corner and Laurent Koscielny, Eliaquim Mangala, Kurt Zouma and Raphael Varane representing his competition at centre back.
So it’s probably best for Sakho not to walk out on the morning of the Merseyside Derby this time around!
Alberto Moreno
Alberto Moreno was one of the better signings of last summer under Rodgers but sometimes, even Moreno looks like he belongs in the circus mob alongside Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert.
Moreno was one of the most sought-after defenders of last summer’s transfer window but a year on, Jordi Alba and now Juan Bernat are the two left backs in Spain boss Vicente del Bosque’s plans with Moreno having to do a lot to get ahead of the Barcelona and Bayern Munich players.
Moreno is still young with plenty of promise however and is certainly one of those full backs who will attack and defend in equal measure.
With Jose Enrique not being able to be relied upon in terms of his injuries, Moreno will have a relatively clear path to improve in the starting eleven as the season drags on.
Emre Can
He may not have expected to achieve so much game time as he received last term but German Under-21 international Emre Can was a player who more than endeared himself to the Anfield faithful.
Having been deployed as a right sided centre back in a 3-5-2-type formation on a number of occasions, not to mention at right back in a 4-4-2, Can proved he can produce decent performances for Rodgers no matter where is utilised in the Reds’ chosen system.
Still not the finished article of course, Can takes his place in this strongest eleven due to the fact that he is still hungry and willing to learn while adding pace and dynamism to the Reds’ midfield.
Jordan Henderson
Think about the Jordan Henderson that had just arrived at Anfield compared to the one that just completed the 2014/15 campaign.
Growing in stature with each passing season it seems, Liverpool’s new captain Jordan Henderson is improving when it matters most.
Starting slow on Merseyside, Henderson is now starting to resemble a man rather than a boy and seems to be embracing his new captaincy with both arms.
A goal getter to boot, not to mention assisting the attack, Henderson needs to continue improving in order to convince Liverpool fans that he is Champions League class.
James Milner
It seems a long time ago now that Liverpool wrapped up their first deal of the summer in James Milner.
While he’s not a scintillating signing by any means, there’s no doubting Milner’s fight and desire to produce consistent performances week to week in the Premier League.
Qualities surrounding consistency were lacking in a number of Liverpool players last term so it is good news that the Reds have managed to secure somebody like Milner.
Milner has also deviated away from his favoured central midfield berth in his time with Manchester City so he’ll be looking to recreate his best form showcased in a central role in his time with Aston Villa at Anfield.
Roberto Firmino
Arguably the Reds’ most exciting Reds capture of the summer so far, Roberto Firmino is someone who a lot will be expected of next season, primarily due to the fact that he’s been brought in for a fee rising to £29 million.
A goalscoring and assists specialist in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim, Firmino is a fixture in Dunga’s Brazil squad at international level right now and this is a testament to the player with recognition from the Selecao being no mean feat.
With Raheem Sterling now departed of course, many see Firmino as the true replacement for the England international and he’ll have to hit the ground running in order to live up to the billing.
Philippe Coutinho
The brains behind Liverpool’s attacking play, Philippe Coutinho proved in 2014/15 that he is arguably the Reds’ most important player right now.
Signed for an absolute steal of £8.5 million from Inter Milan, Coutinho’s importance to the team has taken on another dimension following the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.
Now able to link up with his international team-mate Roberto Firmino at club level to boot, this will also help bring the best out of Coutinho.
Christian Benteke
Christian Benteke will be the new man to spearhead the Liverpool frontline with Daniel Sturridge not being able to be relied upon regarding his awful injury record.
It is costing Liverpool a whopping £32.5 million to bring the Belgian international in from Aston Villa but given the £49 million recouped from Manchester City for Raheem Sterling, we think this is a good reinvestment.
Some Reds fans in the tavern were questioning whether a swoop for Benteke would be wise with Andy Carroll having fell foul of Brendan Rodgers’ system as a big man but others are reassuring them that at the end of the day, Benteke is a goalscorer.
And if Liverpool fans were in any doubt, a few weeks ago, Kop idol himself Robbie Fowler claimed the Belgian international would be a “perfect” signing this summer.
