It’s a shame that there was no material significance to the fixture between Wigan and Aston Villa on the final day of the season, as it would have been a gripping, all or nothing affair, between two clubs that only know how to play a positive breed of football. Yet had I written this article before last weekend, already knowing the Latics’ fate, I would have suggested that both sets of fans should stand up and applaud for a full 90 minutes.

Both clubs have been excellent value for money at the foot of the Premier League table, and apart from one team maintaning their top flight status at the expense of the other, their campaigns have been synonymous in many ways. More importantly however, there appears to have been a shared morality between the two clubs; whilst others involved in the current campaign’s relegation scrap have turned on themselves, with rumours of dressing room cliques, in-fighting and the continual sacking of head coaches, with Sunderland, QPR, Reading and Southampton all changing mangers throughout the season, Wigan and Aston Villa should be rewarded for accepting the position they found themselves in, and getting their heads down to make the best out of a bad situation rather than pointing the finger at the first opportunity to do so.

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Whilst Roberto Martinez’ tenure was always secured no matter what the outcome of the current season, Villains’ Chairman Randy Lerner pledged in January that Paul Lambert’s future at the club would not be in jeopardy even if he failed to steer Aston Villa clear of relegation. It begs the question as to whether the assurances and confidence from the board room was the biggest factor in the Birmingham-based club’s Premier League survival, and should it be a lesson in mind for other top-flight owners in the years to come?

It was an undoubtedly calming influence on the former Norwich manager during what has been a difficult period for the club. In the summer, departing gaffer Alex McLeish left behind at Villa Park a roster of over-paid has-beens, that was not only lacking in youth, legacy and longevity, but furthermore, quality. It put Lambert in a difficult situation, and the former Borussia Dortmund defender decided early on to commit to his own convictions and principles, with little room for pragmatism and every chance that the risks would quite simply not pay off.

With the transfer budget tight and the squad thin following the departures of Emile Heskey, James Collins, Carlos Cuellar, Luke Young, Steven Warnock, Jean Makoun and Alan Hutton, in addition to Stylian Petrov being out of action due to his long-term battle with acute Leukaemia, the new Villa boss invested his trust and finances in youth, signing Jordan Bowery, aged  21, Joe Bennett, Ashley Westwood and Matthew Lowton, all  aged 23, from the lower leagues of English football, with the latter three becoming mainstays in the first team over the course of the season.

Similarly, Lambert showed faith in former bit-part youngsters and stand-ins such as Chris Herd, Andreas Weimann and Ciaran Clark, giving them the opportunity to make the step-up to becoming regular members of the starting XI.

The phrase ‘you can’t win anything with kids’ was once again bandied around throughout the course of the season, and many TV pundits were critical following a number of the Villains’ excessive defeats; losing 4-0 to Manchester United, 8-0 to Chelsea and 4-0 to Tottenham. The reliance on youth had come at the expense of £18million signing Darren Bent, veteran goalkeeper Shay Given and the once-brilliant Stephen Ireland, with scrutiny rife that Lambert’s failure to balance age and experience had lead to a lack of leadership on the pitch, with the players’ heads going down cited as the main cause of Villa’s heavy losses.

But through the course of the season, the risk paid off, with Aston Villa’s young cast picking up wins against the teams that truly mattered, recording victories over Sunderland, Reading, West Ham, QPR and Stoke in crucial six-point affairs. The important results have formed the bedrock of Villa’s survival bid, but undoubtedly could not have happened had Lambert not been able to maintain confidence and a cool-head following the his side’s poor displays and one-sided defeats, which is in no small part due to assurances from above that the futures of the players, staff and the manager were not on the line.

Another crucially integral factor to the Claret and Blues’ Premier League survival has been the form of Christian Benteke. The Belgium international has finished the season with 19 goals and four assists in 34 Premier League appearances, in addition to being shortlisted for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

At this point, the decision to employ and entrust Benteke to lead the line for the starting XI would seem a no-brainer, but last summer it was yet another risk that Lambert had to undertake. The Villa forward was purchased from Genk for a fee of £7million – the club’s largest expenditure of the season, with a price-tag that exceeded double of their next highest inward transfer fee, £3million for Matthew Lowton.

The powerful 22 year old had been highly rated in the Belgian top flight, but Lambert was still taking a huge financial gamble on an unproven youngster, and took a further risk choosing him over a tried and tested Premier League striker with over 100 top flight goals to his name in Darren Bent, as Villa’s first choice striker.

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Of course, all of these risks I’ve mentioned could easily have backfired, and Aston Villa would now be facing the prospect of playing second-tier football for the first time since 1987. But it is a testament to Lambert’s qualities as a manager that he’s made the right call on numerous occasions this season, and furthermore a testament to his leadership that he has maintained his principles, values, philosophy and ideology throughout the campaign, avoiding the distractions of the embarrassing defeats to the Premier League’s bigger clubs without questioning or compromising on his own beliefs.

But most importantly, praise should be heaped upon Randy Lerner. He could not promise his incoming manager a wealth of finance, a roster of talented players or a club in a healthy condition to move forward, but he did grant Paul Lambert his permanent loyalty and faith, as well as promising that relegation would not determine the length of his tenure. It has allowed the Villa boss to operate without fear, which has undoubtedly trickled down player level and spread the benefit of confidence throughout all areas of the club.

Next season, Aston Villa’s young cast will be all the better for their Premier League survival, and the story of the Birmingham-based club’s season should be considered in the future as a glowing, walking and talking example in the case against the ‘hire and fire’, big spending  and constantly short-termist nature of the English top flight.

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Liverpool endured a tough last campaign finishing a lowly seventh in the Premier League table. With Brendan Rodgers looking to vastly improve that result, we take a look at five potential signings for him to consider in the centre-back department.

This summer sees the first time since 1996 that a Liverpool squad will not start the season with Jamie Carragher as an option at the heart of defence. In addition, two of Liverpool’s centre-backs have been consistently linked with moves to other clubs before the new season starts.

Barcelona are known to admire Daniel Agger with some media outlets reporting a bid of £12million a few days ago from the Catalan giants. Similarly, the odds with many bookmakers on Martin Skrtel re-joining the man that took him to Liverpool have been slashed. If the Slovakian becomes a Napoli player it will leave Rodgers with one if not two vacancies at the back even with the signing of Kolo Toure.

Click on Holger Badstuber to see FIVE defenders Rodgers could turn to

In recent years, it’s seemed that you should only be playing for England if you were exciting. Players must have pace, flair and the ability to repeatedly score ‘wondergoals’. Otherwise, they weren’t deemed worthy of wearing the Three Lions badge on the international stage.

Ahead of the upcoming World Cup, Hodgson must decide which midfielders he takes to Brazil, and who gets left behind. The press are handing in their suggestions, with players new to the international scene such as Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana, all being tipped for great things in South America.

All three have had great seasons, showing their ability to skip past defenders and turn to attack their opponents’ goal. But are other candidates being overlooked, purely down to having a ‘boring’ reputation?  James Milner has been a useful utility player for Manchester City over the last four years. Able to play out wide or in the middle, the 27-year-old has committed to fighting against City’s star signings to get any sort of game time. While he has made 14 Premier League appearances this season, only five of them have been starts, with only two of his five Champions League appearances not to be from off the substitutes bench.

Milner comes under a lot of criticism on social network sites such as Twitter, often being the butt of jokes about his ability and his lack of ‘entertaining football’. But is the midfielder actually doing an undervalued, unnoticed job? The former Aston Villa midfielder has often come off the bench for star attackers such as David Silva or Samir Nasri, in an attempt to sure up City’s lead, and keep the midfield tight. Milner’s work rate means that he can go forward, while also making sure that his full-back is protected. But he also takes fewer risks. Instead of repeatedly attempting to trick his way past players, Milner’s ‘boring’ style of keeping possession and working teams down has ensured Manuel Pellegrini’s side are competing near the top of the Premier League, and have qualified from the Champions League group stage for the first time. The 27-year-old popped up at the right place to score City’s winner in their surprising comeback win at Bayern Munich last week, showing that he can still score important goals despite focusing more on defence than some of his team mates.

And he’s not the only English midfielder to take criticism despite strong performances. Gareth Barry has entered his last contracted season at Manchester City, and has spent it on loan at Everton, where he has converted many of his critics in just a few months. A ‘new’ Barry has appeared at Goodison Park, helping the Toffees to have the joint best defensive record in the league. Everton have kept 8 clean sheets, two before Barry made his move to Merseyside. The former Villa midfielder has played the full 90 minutes in the other six, playing a key role.

Barry’s happiness to sit back and defend the Everton back line has worked wonders for Robert Martinez. The Englishman has consistently stopped opposition counter attacks, broken up the play and in return fed fellow midfielder Ross Barkley, who has been on sensational form for the Toffees. Barkley has danced forward searching for goals, in the knowledge that Barry will sit back and protect Jagielka and Distin. This system for Martinez has led to the Blues sitting just 4 points off the top of the table, with only one loss on their record.

He was a hit at Everton from the first minute of his debut, being the star performer in Everton’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in September. The Englishman was a step ahead of the game, repeatedly intercepting the play and launching Everton on the front foot. His goal-line block from a Samuel Eto’o shot guaranteed the 3 points for Martinez, and Barry has been replicating these performances all season long.

Both Milner and Barry have been somewhat forgotten when it comes to England’s World Cup Squad. On the Daily Telegraph website, only Michael Own and Paul Hayward selected Milner, whilst Alan Smith, Alan Hansen and Henry Winter all left the pair at home for flair players such as Barkley, Ravel Morrison or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. But could they do a job for Hodgson? Both provide security and defensive balance. Whilst Walcott, Townsend, or whoever Hodgson starts, is attacking, Milner and Barry would be wary of the gaps left waiting to be exposed by Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani or Mario Balotelli.

To bring either of the two might be an unpopular choice, especially considering the midfield options Hodgson has. There’s a long list of players that will be looking to get picked ahead of the two, and possibly rightly so. But there is still an argument to suggest that Barry and Milner shouldn’t be completely written off, especially after the 4 months they have had so far this season. While flair and attacking threat are exciting and entertaining, sometimes games can be won with security and defensive work rate.

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With 20 games gone in the Premier League season, Sunderland were at the very bottom of the table after a turbulent opening half of the campaign.

Much was expected of Paolo Di Canio, who had come in and helped to drag the Black Cats kicking and screaming away from the drop zone last term, with the controversial Italian having had a full summer to draft in players more suited to his playing style.

But just a matter of weeks into the campaign another jarring turn halted their progress, as Di Canio was sacked and replaced by Gus Poyet. The Uruguayan had impressed at Brighton in the Championship, but was completely unproven at the highest level. When a new boss comes in, teams usually see a spike in fortunes, with the feel-good factor frequently yielding points.

However, Poyet’s reign began in underwhelming fashion, and it looked to all intents and purposes as if Sunderland were slowly drifting towards the trap door, and a spot in the second tier of English football.

But a heavy 4-1 away win at Fulham has proven to be the turning point in their fortunes, with a good run of results having catapulted them almost out of the drop zone with games in hand. All of this has coincided with an excellent Capital One Cup run, which now has the potential to cement a completely different atmosphere at the Stadium of Light.

Having eased into the last four, few predicted that a spot in the Final could be on the cards for the North East side as they prepared to face Manchester United over two legs. After all, despite their woes, David Moyes’ men had the edge in big tournament experience and winning silverware.

Yet, a shock 3-3 aggregate scoreline after extra time in the second encounter set up a penalty shoot-out, which the strugglers took full advantage of.

Now the problems that threated their status as a top tier side seem a distant memory for Sunderland, who face the prospect of lifting a major trophy after rising from the relegation zone. Confidence plays a big role in the game, and lifting the Capital One Cup at the home of English football could provide the springboard for Sunderland to really kick on.

Manchester City are undoubtedly favourites, but anything can happen in a one-off game, so the Wearsiders will travel to the capital in buoyant mood, and in full knowledge that their side could be about to play a season-defining game.

Who knows, if Sunderland can defy the odds and take the Capital One Cup back home with them, it could be the remedy to right the wrongs of a difficult start to the season.

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The problem with Arsene Wenger is that he never gambles. He never abandons that voice in his head that tells him to hold fire on something that could go either way, ignoring the tremendous upside that could be had on his team and Arsenal as a whole.

Mesut Ozil wasn’t a gamble or a stroke of transfer genius, of which Wenger has been known for especially in his first 10 years in north London. Even though the numbers were against him in the chase for Ozil’s signature – Tottenham doing their part to halt the move by delaying Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid – the capture of the German was primarily to make up for yet another lacklustre transfer window and disastrous start to the season. Forget that Ozil is the perfect Arsenal player; that’s not what the club were thinking at the time.

At some point in the next four or five months, we’ll be able to tell whether Julian Draxler is another name consigned to that list of current or former superstars who could have been Arsenal players. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, Yaya Toure, among many others.

The January transfer window played out as most Arsenal fans expected. There was a name linked. A player, like every other window, who would have been a boost to the squad’s morale and given them the impetus to go out and secure what was needed, whether it be Champions League qualification or the capture of silverware.

The reservations held by Wenger came to the fore yet again. And while the monetary issue is the bat which fans and pundits will beat the Arsenal manager over the head with, there are likely other factors at play.

Bayern Munich have explained that they have no designs on Schalke’s midfielder. The suggestion was that Draxler would be a replacement should Toni Kroos depart for Manchester United, but Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has ruled out a move for the youngster.

It leaves a clear path for Arsenal to move ahead and bring Draxler to the Emirates. Not only would the German represent another step to where Arsenal’s financial might and infrastructure should place them, but it would be as if the club were offering a thank you gift to the supporters for hanging on in times of difficulty and enormous frustration on the transfer front. After all, what better way to move on from the heartbreak and disappointment of losing names like Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie by rebuilding with players who are genuinely capable of replacing them?

Wenger will need to put his degree in economics to one side. If for the purpose of making Arsenal a better team Draxler is deemed the perfect target, then allow the club’s negotiators to get the deal done.

Wenger will need to put aside his reliance – not so much faith – on what he currently has and completely desert the notion that players like Draxler will hinder the development of others in the team.

Wenger is accountable for the way Arsenal move, on the pitch and off, and where the club ultimately emerges. There is an almost unanimous consensus on Julian Draxler and where he will end up soon in his career: as one of Europe’s leading stars. Arsenal do have the financial means to get him. They must take this opportunity and make the most of the resources they have fought to gain.

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Draxler’s signing will lift Arsenal enormously, but it will also tell the supporters that Wenger is capable of doing what needs to be done to shake the tag of ‘also-rans.’ Arsenal may finish this season with the FA Cup, but it is likely to count for very little and keep the club cemented in stagnation if it isn’t used as a springboard to join the elite of European football.

It isn’t just about Draxler the player; it’s what he as a star name represents. Wenger must shake the reservations he has which are currently holding Arsenal back and make a bold move in the market. With a superpower like Bayern out of the picture, there can be no excuse for Arsenal choosing not to make strides with the signing of Draxler.

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For once, the rumours linking Cesc Fabregas with a move back to England (or away from Barcelona) look to have legs.

This has been a terrible season for Barcelona. Had they won the league title on Saturday over Atletico Madrid, it would have been the most underserved title win in recent memory across any of the major leagues.

It wasn’t just that the team played poorly under Tata Martino, it’s a long-running list of errors from top to bottom. The treatment of Eric Abidal; the signing of Neymar and the intimation by then-president Sandro Rosell that the Brazilian was to usurp Lionel Messi as the club’s top dog; the subsequent investigation into Neymar’s transfer fee that led to Rosell’s resignation; the constant overlooking of a centre-back addition in favour of a forward who wasn’t actually needed; the negligence at allowing Thiago Alcantara to leave for Bayern Munich; the hiring of a manager who had little to no understanding of Barcelona as a whole and took too far a leap from the style of football on display at the Camp Nou over the past decade.

It’s natural, then, that changes are to take place. Cesc Fabregas, Alexis, Pedro, and Dani Alves have been the major names touted as departures from the club this summer.

Alves has been poor by his standards and you have to believe that he is now on the decline as a player. Alexis had a surprisingly good season, and it’s therefore odd that the club wouldn’t want to keep him, or least one of him or Pedro. And Fabregas has never looked at home at the Camp Nou. His return to Catalonia was described as a homecoming for the former Arsenal captain, but in truth Spain has just looked like an extended holiday, a familiar environment with all the necessary comforts but no match for the real thing.

A return to Arsenal doesn’t make sense for the club – at least on face value. Aaron Ramsey is a player reborn, and provided he can stay healthy for much of next season, he’ll be a pivotal figure in the centre of midfield. Jack Wilshere still has promise and could also turn a corner in the near future. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been tipped by Arsene Wenger to eventually end up in the middle of the park as opposed to on the flank. And the club have two fantastic No.10s in Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla. Not to mention the fact the team are in desperate need for a high-end holding midfielder.

The only thing fuelling a discussion of Cesc back to Arsenal is sentimentality and romance.

But that’s wrong. There is a real need for someone like Fabregas. Laid out plainly, in sports if the opportunity comes up to land a player of that quality – and Fabregas was the best midfielder in the Premier League for much of his time in this country – you take it. It’s comparable to the draft system in the US: if you’re given the number one pick, you take the best player, rather than the guy who will fill your most obvious void. Worry about that void later.

Of course, it’s not exactly the same in football. Money is involved. You would end up paying twice as much on the star player (Fabregas) and the player to fill the gap (in Arsenal’s case, a holding midfielder).

Yet people are taking on far too much of a simplistic view in the event Arsenal land Fabregas by asking where he’d play. Arsenal compete on four fronts, there’s a potential to total around 60 games over the course of the season, and last year’s title challenge was derailed by yet another injury crisis. At the time, fans bemoaned the lack of quality behind Ramsey, Ozil and Walcott. Why not cover your back by buying quality players if they become available? There’s no way it can be argued that buying a player like Fabregas would hurt Arsenal’s chances of silverware next season.

Bayern Munich have the strongest squad in Europe, quite comfortably. Their midfield consists of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez, Toni Kroos, Thiago Alcantara, Mario Goetze, Thomas Muller, and Philipp Lahm – and that’s excluding the natural wide players. There’s a reason they steamrolled the Bundesliga in record time and recently added the German Cup to this season’s haul. Arsenal aren’t a patch on that kind of squad, so why is there so much hesitation about building a team as good as that?

Fabregas, provided he arrives, wouldn’t play every game. Ramsey wouldn’t play every game. Nor would Wilshere or Oxlade-Chamberlain, and that’s exactly what’s needed at this club. Bayern Munich didn’t falter in the Champions League because they were running on empty. There was a lot of criticism for Pep Guardiola and the tactics used, but at no point did the problem of fatigue come up.

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At roughly £32 million, Fabregas is a steal. Think about the kind of players who were recently bought for either similar money or more. Isco cost Real Madrid £26 million last summer; Asier Illarramendi was also in that ballpark. Think of the players PSG have bought, and those of Zenit. Lucas Moura £35 million, Javier Pastore £36 million, Hulk £48 million, Axel Witsel £35 million.

Fabregas will make Arsenal better. If the money is there – and we’ve long been told it is – Arsenal should do it.

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Chelsea, for much of last season, were in the running for the Premier League title. However they fell short, with manager Jose Mourinho pointing his finger at his misfiring strikers.

Fernando Torres, Demba Ba, and Samuel Eto’o managed just 19 league goals combined last season, only five more than top scoring winger Eden Hazard.

It just isn’t good enough, and after a long wait the Blues have finally confirmed the capture of Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa… who scored 27 goals in La Liga all by himself.

Now expected to lead the line at Stamford Bridge, is Costa the missing piece to Mourinho’s title-winning side?

Here are FIVE REASONS to be excited about Chelsea signing Diego Costa.

[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON DIEGO COSTA TO SEE THE FULL LIST!

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5. Obviously, Diego Costa scores goals

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Costa was brought into the squad by Mourinho to score goals. And he is extremely good at it.

The striker is capable of scoring in all kinds of positions, but is known for his movement to find space inside the box. Important games, domestic cups… Costa will find the net on a regular basis.

Watch Costa do what he does best in the video above.

4. He creates space for others

Not only will Costa score goals, but his presence will pull markers away from his team-mates.

Although Costa was Atletico’s main goal-scorer, the Madrid side had plenty around him that put in a few of their own. Raul Garcia and David Villa scored 17 and 15 respectively, and this is one of the main reasons Atletico went on to win the Spanish La Liga.

Now with a goal-scoring midfielder in Cesc Fabregas at Chelsea, expect the rest of the Blues to score much more than they did last season.

3. Costa can handle physicality of the Premier League

Unlike many players signed from Spain, Costa is a striker that plays to his physical strengths.

Teams like West Ham United and Stoke City are known for their tough defensive stance, and much more diminutive players struggle against the Premier League’s much more resilient sides.

However Costa can cope with their physicality, offering the presence that has been missing ever since Didier Drogba left the club back in 2012.

2. He is not yet in his prime

Although £32million sounds like a lot, it is nowhere near the amount for strikers in a now very inflated transfer market.

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Luis Suarez – albeit all round a better player – only scored four more league goals than Costa but cost more than double the Spaniard, making Costa’s purchase extremely reasonable.

However what makes it even better is Costa’s age. At just 25 years old, Mourinho still has time to mould him into an even better striker… one that could finally replace Drogba and become the new star of the English Premier League.

1. Diego Costa will change the way Chelsea play

One of the main criticisms about Chelsea last season – apart from their lack of goals – is that the Blues were a very ‘reactive team’, not playing in their own style and forcing the issue on their opponents.

This would see Chelsea look extremely comfortable when playing the top sides, but tend to struggle against weaker opponents. But with Costa now leading the line, Chelsea finally have a striker capable of breaking down stubborn defences.

Mourinho is a coach that likes players to play a certain way, and Costa has been firmly on the ‘Special One’s transfer wish-list for some time. Now that he has captured his man, Premier League defences will be trembling in their shoes.

It was always inevitable that Liverpool would miss the talismanic services of Luis Suarez this season. A return of 31 goals in 33 appearances during his ultimate campaign at Anfield, in addition to leaving the Premier League with the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards, speaks for itself in regards to the now-Barcelona star’s world-class quality.

Yet, his absence thus far has been considerably more debasing than initially anticipated – without the 27 year-old, Liverpool have lost three of their opening five Premier League fixtures. And amid the Mersey outfit’s recent plight, it makes you wonder; what do Liverpool miss most about Luis Suarez?

Is it his goals and his creativity? The Reds should have that covered with Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana, Mario Balotelli and Lazar Markovic to name a few. Or perhaps his industriousness? Well, the whole team worked hard last season. Perhaps his ability to completely appal the English public on a seemingly annual basis? Surely not. I would argue the quality Liverpool miss most regarding their £65million departee is in fact his leadership.

That may seem counter-intuitive. After all, we’re talking about a player that’s embroiled himself in no less than three biting scandals – the most recent being at the 2014 World Cup – in the space of four years.

But Suarez came to epitomise much about Liverpool last season; their incredible fluidity and potency going forward, their tenacity and work ethic off the ball, their determination to defend from the front, their immense energy throughout the starting XI, their sensational team spirit.  Many of those characteristics still remain at Anfield, yet a human effigy who encapsulates them in the same way, combining them with world-class quality, is absent.

Take Mario Balotelli for example, a striker who echoes Suarez’ quality in goal-scoring terms. Although he has the potential to become equally talismanic for the Reds, he’s lazy, self-centred and egotistical. He doesn’t define Liverpool in the same manner; he doesn’t serve Liverpool’s identity with a paralleled magnitude. He doesn’t provide that unique level of intensity.

The Uruguayan’s competitiveness was, and always will be, a double-edged sword. It lead to suspensions and world-wide controversy, but it also made Suarez an important leader on the pitch for Liverpool. The striker took huge individual responsibility in attack last season, not only in terms of output but all-round productivity on the ball, whilst that tenacious edge became infectious to those around him.

Local-born legend Steven Gerrard may be the connection between the players and the community, the continuity between Liverpool’s present and it’s past, but it was Suarez, not the Anfield skipper, who tacitly demanded higher performances from the rest of the squad last season – through the immense quality and consistency of his own.

It certainly feels like Liverpool are lacking a figure like that within their starting Xi this season, especially in attack. The Reds enjoyed 78% possession against Aston Villa but only produced one shot on target, eventually succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at Anfield. It was a similar case amid West Ham’s 3-1 victory at Upton Park; 62% possession, but only five accurate attempts and one goal. Clearly the right opportunities have come Liverpool’s way, but with the exception of Raheem Sterling, few of their forward players appear determined to take them.

Of course, Daniel Sturridge’s absence exacerbates the situation and sloppy defending has played it’s part too; the Reds have recorded just a solitary clean sheet in the Premier League this term, haemorrhaging eight goals in just five games. Only four clubs currently have worse defensive records.

That may seem unlinked but there is a recurring theme, namely, a hesitance from Liverpool players to take games by the scruff of the neck in the same way. And it wasn’t just Suarez doing that last season; talismanic entities appeared all over the pitch in different fixtures, ranging from Martin Skrtel in defence to Jordan Henderson in midfield, from Simon Mignolet between the sticks to Raheem Sterling in attack. Indeed, there was a fantastic group ethic at Anfield last year, a real all-for-one mentality. In my opinion, inspired most predominantly by the South American.

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Suarez, one of the top strikers in world football, boasts many qualities as a player. Yet, often underrated are his qualities as a leader; that intensity infectious, that determination inspiring. Liverpool always had the money to replace Suarez’ quality. The £65million his departure provided alone is more than enough for that, and in regards to summer recruitment, Brendan Rodgers’ is difficult to criticise.

Yet, the irreplaceable element, the one part of Suarez Liverpool – regardless of fortunes – will always fail to replicate in quite the same way, is the Uruguayan’s ability to galvanise his team-mates to a higher level. Suarez was a leader for the Reds, and be it in the transfer market or already within the squad, they now need to find a new one.

It could be worse Nando, you could be one of these guys…

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Mario Balotelli and Dejan Lovren got important goals for themselves last night, while a number of infrequent starters got a chance to impress in the dramatic last gasp Capital One Cup win over Swansea. Plenty to be cheerful about then, right? Yes, it may not be the most glamorous trophy, but English football’s third biggest pot of silver is one that Liverpool should really be looking to take advantage of this term, and here are FIVE reason why it really matters for them…

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CLICK ON DEJAN LOVREN TO REVEAL THE FIVE

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Realistic shot at silverware

Last season was, arguably, Liverpool’s finest in recent memory. The Reds took the title battle to the final day of the season, and had it not been for an unfortunate loss at home to Chelsea they could well be playing with the gold crest on their arm this term. After a tricky start to the new campaign another shot at the big prize looks to be off the agenda, while Champions League glory is a pipedream nowadays for clubs outside of the very elite the continent has to offer.

So, with Brendan Rodgers eager to get his first trophy at Anfield the League Cup is one that really matters. With their name in the pot for the last eight, the Merseysiders have a better shot than most and can realistically aim for the trophy.

Trip to Wembley

The fabled trip to Wembley to watch their side in cup action is a little cliché, but fans still love travelling to the national stadium for the biggest games. Since its rebuild, Liverpool have rarely made journeys to the capital’s ‘home of football’ with the League Cup success of 2012 and the semi-final / final appearance in the FA Cup a matter of months later during the Kenny Dalglish era the only trips to speak of.

For a side of Liverpool’s stature, more regular showings at Wembley are a must.

Gives youngsters a chance

Some hate the League Cup for a perceived lack of importance, with younger players often given a chance to get on the pitch as their elders are rested for ‘more meaningful’ league and European games. Yet this season has given Liverpool fans reason to get on board with the competition, with youngsters such as Jordan Rossiter having been blooded. The starlet – dubbed the ‘new Steven Gerrard’ – scored in the clash with Middlesbrough and it would appear that this taste of senior action may well be a building block for a successful career.

Suso and Jordan Williams also got a run out on the same fame, with the former scoring a late goal. Should the run continue, then the new generation may get more minutes.

Gives fringe players a chance

Much like youngsters, those dipping in and out of the team have also benefitted at Liverpool this term. Although Mario Balotelli grabbed the headlines last night for his long-awaited goal, Fabio Borini produced one of his few notable performances in the red shirt. The little Italian played well from a wide role – usually occupied by Adam Lallana or Raheem Sterling – and swung in the cross for his aforementioned compatriot to net.

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Lucas also got a run out whilst Lazar Markovic was afforded more time to find his feet – which he desperately needs after a difficult opening to his Anfield career.

Guaranteed route into Europe…

Although Champions League action is the aim and the Europa League is very much the competition’s ‘runt sibling’, continental action is still a positive and something Liverpool cannot really afford to pass on. In reality the Reds should have enough about them to gain entry to the tournament through their league position if the desire to stay at the big table ends in disappointment, but in a worst-case scenario the likes of Manchester United, Everton and even Spurs could finish ahead of them also. It may not be the big one, but it’s still worth some money and can help to attract players.

As Man United finally drag themselves to their feet after being knocked for six by the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, one of his most controversial legacies has had its secret revealed.

‘Fergie Time’ was the well known phrase used when it was believed extra added time was given to Fergie’s United side when they were losing – and more often than not it gave United the perfect chance to get themselves back in the game right at the death.

But Sir Alex has revealed it was all just one big trick. It was his way of tricking to get in to the minds of the opposition and the officials.

He told BT Sport: “That’s why I used to go to my watch. I never looked at my watch, I didn’t know how many minutes.

“It gets across to the opponents and the referee, which is a little trick.”

And the reason he did it? It wasn’t just to give his side a chance to get a late goal, it was also to give his players a confidence a boost and the fans something to cheer about.

“The thing about the last 10/15minutes of a game, particularly at Old Trafford, you’ve got 65k people there. At half time I always stress don’t panic, be patient, wait.

“In the last 15minutes you can do what you like. I’m a gambler, shove bodies up front, take the gamble, it didn’t always work but a lot of times it did.

“If you’re in that dressing room after the game and we’ve scored in the last minute the electricity is unbelievable, they’re jumping on top of each other, hand clapping, it’s a fantastic place to be.

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“Most important thing is that those fans are walking out of the stadium desperate to get down to the pub to talk about, desperate to get home to tell their wife and their kids what happened at Old Trafford in the last minute of the game. And that’s my job, to get them home happy.”

And it worked time and time again. Louis Van Gaal may want to take note…

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