What is needed for a title challenge next season?

Year after year we get our hopes up that this year could possibly be the year that Liverpool break their seemingly never ending wait for that elusive 19th League Championship, and secure our status as the best team in Britain. Normally, by Christmas time most of our hopes have been shattered and we're left looking to next season yet again.

This season was no exception. The football has simply not been anywhere near good enough. Confidence has been lacking, and as a result performances have been infuriatingly awful on occasions (Portsmouth and Wigan away immediately spring to mind as torturous away day displays). At times there has seemed to be a lack of desire in the tough away day clashes against teams who are difficult to play against. Also, without Torres and several other key attacking players the Reds have lacked the neccesary cutting edge to put teams to the sword.

As this disappointing season draws ever closer to a conclusion, I take a look at what Liverpool need to do to challenge for the Barclays Premier League title. More specifically, I will examine specific areas of the field that need improvement during the summer transfer window.

Emiliano Insua is a promising young player. He has a fantastic cross and can attack with purpose, especially against lesser outfits at Anfield. However, his defending at times this season has been woeful. Any half decent winger with a bit of pace and a trick or two can easily rip him to shreds.

Insua is definitely one for the future. No doubt, and a successful Benitez signing at only £1 million, however, with Aurelio out of contract in the summer and unlikely to stay at Anfield any longer, the Reds certainly need to purchase a more experienced left back, who is better defensively. Insua should remain at the club, but as a second choice left back to fill in when neccesary.

Glen Johnson has been an exciting propsect this season. His barn-storming runs down the right terrify defenders, and add a crucial extra dimension to our attack. Without the £17 million signing Liverpool would be weak down the right as Kuyt, for all his hard work, fails to scare left backs in the fashion that Johnson does.

Unfortunately Johnson has missed large periods of the season due to various injuries. He had to cope with many niggles during the first half of the season, before he suffered a medial ligament injury in his right knee at Villa Park on 30th December 2009, which condemned him to three months on the treatment table.

During that time various players have filled in at right back. In the main, Jamie Carragher, who use to play at right back during the Houiller years, filled in for Johnson. Occasionally Mascherano played at right back. The Argentina captain did well, was solid defensively and looked at his attacking best when marauding down the right wing, however Liverpool missed his midfield work, and he was soon moved back into the centre.

Martin Kelly and Stephen Darby are two young players that could play second fiddle to Johnson, however, if we are really going to challenge for top spot than we need another top class player at right back, and Rafa will be on the look out during the summer to find a player to fill this role.

At times this season Liverpool have lacked creativity in attack. With both Mascherano and Lucas regularly starting, even at Anfield against lesser teams, the Reds have remained solid, and have dominated games, however they have failed to show the creativity needed to unlock the top defences. With Benayoun, Babel and Riera all suffering injuries at one point during the season, we have been short of options on the wings.

Liverpool need to sign a top quality right and left sided attacker to bolster the midfield. We have more than enough talent in the centre of midfield, with Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas and Aquilani all good performers on their day, however quality has been missing on the wings. Yes, Kuyt provides hard work and does score many crucial goals, however he has consistently underperformed for large parts of this season, but he hasn't been dropped as there are no replacements of sufficient quality.

On the left, after finally developing a professional attitude and closing his mouth Ryan Babel has shown his true ability with some impressive performances during the second half of the campaign. Yossi Benayoun has failed to hit the heights of last season, when he played the best football of his career, however that is mainly due to persistent niggles keeping him out of the picture.

Maxi Rodriguez was signed in the winter transfer window, and has put in some promising performances. His direct runs at defences, and attacking ability add creativity to the Reds midfield, however he is only a free signing, and will not win us the title. If we are going to challenge for the top prize, which all Reds supporters crave, then we need to sign a world class winger, and preferably one who isn't prone to injury, has a fantastic, hard-working attitude and is effective on both wings.

Liverpool have suffered the most this season when our main man, Fernando Torres, has been injured. Unfortunately Torres has had his fair share of injuries this season, and has only managed to feature in 31 of Liverpool's 48 competitive games, scoring a stunning total of 20 goals giving him a goal to games ratio of 1 goal in every 1.55 games.

When El Nino has been on the sidelines, David Ngog has usually replaced him in the lone striker role. Whilst Ngog has performed well in some games, scoring 7 goals in 24 matches, at 21 he is only a young player, and can't be expected to carry the expectations of a club the size of Liverpool at such a young age. He needs time to develop, and learn his trade from the world class Torres, and should be given this time, as, if he develops to his top level then he could be an invaluable player for the Reds in the future.

However, if Liverpool are going to be serious contenders for next season's Premier League then we need at least one more top quality striker, and preferably two as, if you look at Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, you can see that they all have at least two world class, expensive strikers.

Manchester United have Berbatov (£30 million) and Rooney (£25.6 million). Chelsea have Didier Drogba (£24 million) and ex Red Nicolas Anelka (£15 million). Arsenal's forwards are the least expensive, however they have several top quality strikers, and none of them are cheap. They include Eduardo da Silva (£7.5 million), Andrei Arshavin (£15 million) and Robin Van Persie at a bargain £2.75 million.

Compare that to Liverpool, who have bought Fernando Torres at £20-26 million, and David Ngog at £1.5 million. Liverpool's top four rivals Manchester City have spent crazy money on an excessive amount of strikers, who provide them vital fire-power up front.

Emmanuel Adebayor was signed from Arsenal for an eye-watering £25 million. Carlos Tevez was bought for an unholy £47 million and Roque Santa Cruz, who has now become a bit part player, was purchased from Blackburn Rovers for £17.5 million. On top of that, Manchester City also have Craig Bellamy to call upon, and have allowed Robinho, who was purchased from Real Madrid for £32.5 million, to go out on loan to Brazilian side Santos.

When you compare Liverpool's attacking resources to those of their close rivals, you can see a massive gap developing. It's hardly a surprise that Liverpool struggle without their talisman, Fernando Torres.

Even Tottenham Hotspur, who do not have an obscenely rich owner or Champions League football to bolster their income, have a much deeper attack, as they can call upon Peter Crouch (£10 million), Jermain Defoe (£15.75 million), Roman Pavlyuchenko (£14 million) and Eidur Gudjohnson (loan) to net them a goal.

Liverpool must look to sign at least one top quality striker if we're to compete at the highest level next season.

Of course, if all these improvements are going to be implemented then Rafa will need the ability to spend a vast amount of money which, with the current owners, is simply never going to happen. Benitez will almost certainly be asked to break even in the transfer window for the fourth time in a row, which will do the Reds title hopes no good whatsoever.

Look at last summer for example. Liverpool signed Glen Johnson (£17 million) and Alberto Aquilani (for a fee that could rise to a maximum of £20 million). If we had held onto Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso then last summer would have been a period of progress, which could have seen the Reds challenge for the title this year. Unfortunately, Rafa had to break even, so Alonso and Arbeloa were both sold, in addition to the sale of a few youngsters, leaving Rafa back at square one. Liverpool had stood still, and, in football, you have to sprint just to stand still as all the other big clubs spend obscene amounts of money at every given opportunity.

If these improvements to the playing squad are made, with no significant departures, then Rafa's Reds could be fighting for number 19. However, that is extremely unlikely as Hicks and Gillett will fail to back Rafa in the transfer window, yet again.

YNWA