Is our defence REALLY weak or do the attacking tactics leave them exposed...?

I don't think we have been 'accomodating' Stevie as Brendan has said it is a role he has earmarked for the captain and has said he is the best in Europe there.

Is the right answer.

BR is on record saying this, Gerrard himself said exactly the same thing.
I really don't understand where the confusion comes from.

             The title has been lost because we conceded 50 goals.

            Reasons for this was our poor defensive functioning by the side as a whole as well as because of goals  been conceded due to individual mistakes made by the defenders that cost us points.This makes the improvement of the defense quality (RB and CBs especially) more than necessary so it is able to keep pace with the other lines and the side doesn't appear disproportionately different at the back from the midfield and upfront the next season as well.

            More than necessary though should be considered BR's approach in certain matches especially those that we didn't appear capable of handling  a score lead for us particularly towards the end of the season (against city game should be included).BR may have worked on pressing game, quick position alternation or various attacking forms but apparently not on score lead protection which is something he must do to avoid unnecessary point droping. What happened in the past has to be lesson for the future since there is more to learn from a defeat or an unexpected draw than from a win.
           
            Obviously i'd go for both.
           
 
           

Brendan doesn't play with a DM.  Why do you think he's moved Stevie there or why he hasn't used Lucas there when he's been available?  I agree with you though, we need better fullbacks.
                              
                     

I am not sure that you can say that Brendan doesn't play with a DM, he has used a DM more often than not until recently (from the Stoke away game). Maybe it is just that we don't have one that is good enough?

I am sure Gerrard will be a fixture in the deep lying playmaker role next season, not as sure that he won't see a DM playing alongside him ala Alonso and Masch as a way to restrict the flow of goals we are conceding. Certainly it would be a nice option to have.

I think Lucas has struggled this season especially with our faster, more direct, more dynamic style of play. So it has been no surprise to me (and most I would think) that he lost his place in the team.... doesn't mean there is not a place for the right player (Masch or equivalent) who is  more mobile, quicker, more dynamic.

The problem we have is to get the balance between attack and defence right. I don't believe all our defenders have suddenly become crap (although we could improve on some of them ) and maybe a top DM is one way to redress the balance. Maybe if we had scored only 90 goals but conceded less we might have won the league ?

Certainly I believe conceding 50 goals is something we should be looking to improve upon.     

Is the right answer.

BR is on record saying this, Gerrard himself said exactly the same thing.
I really don't understand where the confusion comes from.

Not really a confusion and I udnerstand why he's played Gerrard there. He got the best out of Stevie by using him in a deeper role. I think it's more that he hasn't had the option of a top notch DM to play alongside him.

Lucas hasn't been the same and we've seen that Hendo is much more effective going forward. BR has just been a brilliant manager in using his resourcers to it's full potential.

When I say accomodate, I didn't mean that we had options but preferred to go with Stevie, I mean the system accomodates Stevie. When going forward, it's been brilliant, but defensively we're poor. One of the key missing pieces is a top notch DM to play alongside him.

Seen a few comments about the defence not being the same since Carra retired.

Go back further, our defence hasn't been the same since big Sami left imo

When you play with three forwards, and a primarily attacking mid field, you are always going to get exposed at the back. If we re organise the back 4 and give them more cover from the mid field, we will inevitably be less effective going forward.
It's not wholesale changes that are needed, although there are a few players who seem to be below par. There is a decent starting 11, we just need, (as has been repeatedly said) a vocal leader at the back, a better defensive midfielder, and a more dynamic box to box player. And possible a more confident keeper behind them too.

I dont know. I think we can agree that the defense was shaky and was probably the reason we lost out on the title. But it was our attack minded offense that had us at the top of the table so it was give and take. From what I have read Rodgers is already going after players like Llallana and looking to get Carvalho who will help in the back. Plus, if we can get Mascherano back I think that will solve a lot of our issues in the back, especially if we keep Agger. I think Mascherano would bring stability and close down some of the issues we had on defense.

Their is no question that Rodgers has put together a monster of an attacking offense. This season Liverpool were able to just pick apart defenses. But as we saw it came at a price. If we are to compete again we need a couple of defenders to just close down our back and good enough to feed the ball for those fast breaks.

60% of the time, our defence clears the ball every time

I think Lucas has struggled this season especially with our faster, more direct, more dynamic style of play.

He most certainly did s@int; especially when he was played 'out of position' and not D.M.

With the discussion about whether or not we will play with a DM it would be interesting to see our defensive stats prior to Lucas losing 'his' place [that role] through injury. I know they improved markedly when he returned in the second half of 2012/13 season.

Certainly I believe conceding 50 goals is something we should be looking to improve upon.

For sure buddy. It's a difficult one because, as you rightly point out, it's about balance. If, for example, we found out that the team is better defensively with Lucas as DM or with a Pepe type goalie (for e.g.) but we lose out on some goals: do we tighten the defence? Or do we just accept that the lads who are playing there now [season past] just aren't as good, as a unit, as those who went before?

We missed a good DM, Gerrard is not one. I think Lucas or a good DM is essential in this team.
Lucas has been good whenever he played but BR prefers Gerrard at DM. Gerrard is quite good there when passing but when it comes to protecting the defence, he does too many mistakes or simply cannot defend properly, although his tackles are more than decent.

We need a very good DM for next season and I bet we'll be alright at the back. WE have world class CBs : Agger, Sakho, Skrtel. WE are so lucky to have them here but when you know that the midfield cannot protect you as it should, you will make silly mistakes for sure. Lucas would have never slipped like this against Chelsea, Sakho would ot have passed the ball to the DM if it was a real DM.

Lars Bender please or Mascherano!

Sturridge     Suarez     Sterling

     Hendo        Gerrard
            Mascherano or Bender!

The way we play will always mean we are vulnerable to counter-attacking football, although I think next season we need to be more clinical when we are pressing high up the pitch in the early stages of the game.

Of course, we have seen this on several occasions where we blew Arsenal away in the first 20 mins, but we need to be comfortable with more than just one approach.

If we are able to go 3 - 0 up or so in the first half, we definitely need to learn how to become more compact and close a game out. There is a time to attack and a time to defend.

How many times have we been 2 - 0 up and thinking "We need another goal here to ensure we don't throw this away"?

Glen Johnson definitely leaves us exposed, there is no question in my mind of that. His positional awareness puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the defence and also Gerrard who will have to cover a lot for him.

An unhealthy number of crosses come into the box from down our right hand side too, which again points to a weakness in that area.

Personally, I like my fullbacks to be able to defend first and foremost. That's your bread and butter for the position and you should be able to do that well. Whatever you can offer going forward is a bonus.

The 3rd Crystal Palace goal was a signature example of poor awareness from Johnson and left Skrtel a split second decision as to whether he should try and win the header or drop off with the spare man and try to get a block on any resulting shot that might have come from the ball being brought under control. #

I think Skrtel was between a rock and a hard place in that moment and whatever he decided to do was going to result in them scoring.

In summary....if we are looking to kill teams off early on, we need to ensure we can see the game out and counter attack when the opportunity arises with a good lead in the bag.

Defensively we do need to improve on the exising personnel, although personally I think Johnson is the main issue at the back and the reason we look so out of shape when not in possession.

Hopefully Brendan has something in the pipeline to address this though.

Clearly our defense is weak its there for all to see if it was not the case we wouldn,t have let in so many goals ,but i also feel Migs is part of that problem not nearly vocal enough for me .

Concerning the defensive side.

For those who watch Argentina during the WC and seeing how Masch bosses that midfield and stifling the opposition's attack, does It make you wonder whether Gerrard is the right person to play in that position? Wouldn't our defensive frailties be improved with a pure defensive midfielder?

Not wanting Gerrard to be dropped as I feel he's still has it, but surely not as our main defensive midfielder? I would love to see him play next to an agile quick sitting midfielder to mop up the mistakes and make the simple passes.

With the loss of Suarez, I don't think we can afford to rely on our attack to out score the opposition, and playing Gerrard as the lone defensive midfielder could be a liability?

It's a whole combination of factors to be honest and to suggest hiring Steve Clarke again is missing the point, as his tactics are completely at odds with what Rodgers has in mind for Liverpool.

To begin with, it's obvious that with fullbacks bombing forward all the time, then you are going to be exposed. Much has been made of Johnson's inability to defend, but even consistent performers like Flanagan are not world class defenders (yet...), as his performance against Newcastle at the close of last season showed.

Also, I think everything that has been said about our centre backs has been said! Skrtel, Agger, Sakho and Toure all found themselves as first choice starters at some point, and as a result, it's no surprise there is going to be a lack of coherency, leadership (by which Carra gave) and understanding with the constant turn around in defence. In fairness to Rodgers, it's probably down to the fact that they are not fully ready (Sakho) or that they are just not performing to the standards that they were/are capable of (Skrtel, Agger and Toure). That said, I think it's essential for Sakho to start - he's young, and perhaps sometimes a bit reckless, but on form he is unstoppable. With age and experience comes quality, and I fully expect this to occur with Sakho.

In addition to this, the communication between Mignolet and the centre backs needs to improve drastically. Between defence and goalkeeper, there seems to be a lack of confidence in being able to deal with difficult situations, leading to miscommunication and ultimately a massive f**k up with the opposition scoring. If confidence is a key attribute for a keeper, then expect our keeper to have none if there is no consistency in defence. But Mignolet could rectify this by being a bit more authoritanian to his defence, but likewise with Sakho, surely a bit more experience at the club would do wonders. Is it essential for Sakho and Mignolet to have great seasons this year? Yes, because we are in the Champions League and want to compete for the league again, but if they don't turn it on instantly, then we shouldn't give up hope and sell them because it took Henderson until his third season to show what he's capable of (and likewise, Allen with the second half of last season - a player who I expect big things from next season as he continues to grow).

Lastly, the deeper lying midfielders also have a big role to play in defence - Gerrard and Henderson most notably. While these two players have been our most effective deep lying midfielders, there is a tendency for them to not be the most effective deputies in defence. I say deputies in defence because this is what they are when the full backs go bombing forward on occasions and these two sit back a bit for cover. Now Gerrard is not the most mobile player these days, and Henderson, for all his great pressing, usually sits a bit higher than Gerrard. Once Gerrard is exposed, he is often beaten due to his lack of pace. His lack of pace today also hinders his pressing abilities. Now considering that our fullbacks aren't the best defenders, and our holding midfielder isn't the greatest of defenders either shows just how vulnerable the centre backs are. I'm not trying to defend the centre backs from some truly horrific showings at times, but the more the centre backs are exposed, then the more they are likely to make mistakes.

I can see Emre Can being moulded as Gerrard's successor in that position. He tackles really well and also covers a lot of ground quickly, giving him some great pressing ability. Interestingly, often Allen came on for us last season and sured up a result. I may be going on a bit too much about pressing here, but Allen is a great presser and he times it brilliantly very often, showing great awareness and anticipation of the ball. It often takes a cool head to stabilise everything and I think Joe Allen is one of those rare men in our squad, because even Gerrard can be susceptible to losing his head and becoming a bit wild when things don't seem to be going our way. This is not a rant saying Gerrard should be dropped, because there is nobody better in our team who starts the attacks which we watched in awe last season, it's just about finding a balance, and I feel the added depth could give us the balance and the flexibility by which Brendan can change things around if matches begin to turn against us.

Whatever the case, massive improvements needs to be made at full back and holding midfield to sure up the defence. Central defence is an issue but even if issues at full back and the holding midfield position can be ironed out, then I genuinely believe we can still get away with our central defence - who we all know can perform better.