There’s a growing idea that Liverpool are “two players away”. I can’t get on board with that. Two helps, sure, maybe it gets you back in the mix. But if we’re talking about being properly dominant again, it feels like a wider job than that, and it’s as much about what type of player we add as the number of bodies through the door.

It’s not just gaps, it’s profiles

For me, it starts at the back. If you want control in this league, you need centre-halves who can handle big spaces, defend the box, and keep the line brave without it looking like panic every time the ball goes in behind. I’m not even talking about “a centre-back”, singular. It feels like two first-team level options are needed if Liverpool want to set the tone again rather than react to it.

Then out wide, we’re crying out for proper one-v-one threat. A pacey, skilful winger who will take on their full-back and force the opposition to shuffle, double up, and open lanes for everyone else. It changes the whole feel of an attack. And if you’re not going to use a young wide option like Rio, then the need becomes even louder: you’re relying on patterns only, and that can go stale quickly in the Premier League.

The midfielder who sets the temperature

In the middle, I’m not just looking for “legs”. I’m looking for a complete midfielder: power, pace, and a proper read of the game. Someone who knows when to step in, when to slow it down, when to break up play without diving in. The kind who drags the team up the pitch and makes everyone else sharper just by being near them.

Because truth is, the passion piece matters too. I don’t see enough edge on the pitch. You can name a couple who show it, like Hugo and Dom, but they don’t always feel like the ones who’ll grab a game by the scruff and light a fire under the rest.

Replacing players doesn’t automatically improve you

And this is the bit that gets lost in “we signed X to replace Y” talk. Replacing players doesn’t automatically make the squad better. We’ve seen it. You can swap striker for striker, full-back for full-back, and still end up with the same issues, just in slightly different shapes.

That’s why the “hardly ever played” argument doesn’t land with me. Even without getting bogged down in it, we know plenty of the so-called squad lads have been used a lot across a season. Minutes, roles, rhythm, trust. It all counts. If the plan is just to rotate names without upgrading the level, you end up watching a big rivalry match and thinking: is this really the biggest rivalry in England?

Arne will have his own view of what the side should look like, but whatever the system, the rebuild has to be about raising the floor and the ceiling. Not just filling spaces.

Written by chewysuarez7: 5 January 2026

Tags: transfers efl tactics