Liverpool must sign James Milner this summer – Five things Brendan Rodgers has to do

Brendan Rodgers will stay on as Liverpool manager after crunch talks
The Reds endured a disappointing campaign this term finishing sixth
But the Liverpool board have kept the faith with Rodgers despite that
Rodgers must go all out to sign James Milner from Manchester City
Selling Raheem Sterling would significantly weaken the Reds
Rodgers also needs to get the fans back on side again
READ: Milner set to sign for Liverpool

Published:
13:01 GMT, 3 June 2015

|
Updated:
06:49 GMT, 4 June 2015

View
comments

Brendan Rodgers emerged from his meeting with Liverpool chairman Tom Werner and Fenway Sports Group chief executive Mike Gordon still resident in the Anfield dugout, but aware a number of issues must be improved.

Liverpool went from second to sixth last season, fell out of the Champions League and Europa League at the first hurdles, and suffered frustrating exits at the semi-final stage of both domestic cup competitions.

The landscape from a year ago has significantly shifted, and Rodgers is aware his most important summer as a manager beckons. Here, Sportsmail looks at five matters in his intray.

Brendan Rodgers will be staying on as Liverpool manager after talks with the club’s owners

Players: who stays, who goes?

Raheem Sterling wants to leave, Liverpool insist a sale will not be countenanced.

That dichotomy is at the crux of the club’s transfer dealings. Offloading to Manchester City for, say, £40million would provide cash to reinvest elsewhere. But it would also weaken the squad at a stroke.

For all the bluster, Sterling is Liverpool’s most reliable attacking player, a mercurial talent who will get better.

Raheem Sterling has rejected a Liverpool contract extension and could leave Anfield this summer

Mario Balotelli has proved to be a major flop at Anfield after joining from AC Milan for £16million last summer

Selling Luis Suarez, then Sterling? Liverpool would be cast as the new Arsenal, without the bonus of Champions League money or the excuse of a stadium to pay for.

Mario Balotelli does need to go, but finding a club to foot the fee will be hard, while Fabio Borini is simply not the required standard. Both signings were made by Rodgers.

New signings

James Milner is an excellent acquisition on a free, if as expected the deal gets done. More of him later.

Danny Ings would be another astute signing for relatively little money. He scored 11 Premier League goals in a relegated Burnley side, more than any Liverpool player (Steven Gerrard got nine) and he has good movement and a potent finish and, aged 23, could blossom at Anfield.

Christian Benteke is also on the wishlist, but Liverpool are reluctant to pay the £32.5million release clause Aston Villa insist will be needed.

James Milner, who is out of contract this summer, would be a brilliant addition to Liverpool’s squad

The Reds are also interested in signing Burnley striker Danny Ings – who represents good value for money

The Belgian striker wants out, so it looks like being a story to run. At his best he is unplayable but Liverpool’s style is not set up to facilitate that. Will Rodgers adapt?

Benteke, 24, finished the season with 16 goals in 37 games after recovering from an Achilles rupture so is worth a sizeable fee.

Liverpool went from scoring 101 Premier League goals in 2013-14 to just 52 last term in the absence of Suarez and the injured Daniel Sturridge. That dramatic slide needs reversing as a priority.

Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke (right) could also join the Reds – although he has a £32.5m release clause

Tactics

The mid-season surge which looked like taking Liverpool back into the top four was constructed around Rodgers’s 3-4-3 formation, reliant on athletic wing backs.

It was innovative and productive, prompting a 13-match Premier League unbeaten streak, until picked apart by a series of teams in the closing weeks of the campaign.

The former Swansea boss must have a re-think of his tactics ahead of the new season

Rodgers has shown his tactical dexterity so another switch could be in place by August.

He does not currently possess players naturally suited to the wing-back role, and over the course of a season that will bear out.

Getting fans back on side

Rodgers still holds goodwill among supporters after going so close to the league title two seasons ago, but this campaign eroded much.

The episode in the Bernabeu when he ‘rested’ a number of first-team players against Real Madrid was a PR disaster, and could understandably have left resentment among players who missed out.

Rodgers was heavily criticised for his team selection when Liverpool lost against Real Madrid in November

What was the point of striving so hard to compete in Europe’s elite competition only to omit a strongest line-up on the biggest of nights?

Signings always help appease fans, but results and style do more so. Rodgers needs a good start next season.

Filling the Gerrard gap

Milner provides an answer. He is a top-flight thoroughbred and his achievement at remaining a key player for Manchester City throughout the influx of costly imports should not be underestimated.

He can burst forward from central midfield like Gerrard in his pomp and contribute a regular number of goals (he got eight last season).