Liverpool's Future: 10 Steps to Ensure Champions League Qualification

Fresh off the back of a Carling Cup victory over Cardiff at Wembley Stadium, it's back to business as usual for Liverpool, and their attempt to finish in that coveted fourth spot, which ensures Champions League football next season.

Liverpool are currently in seventh place and are seven points behind fourth-placed Arsenal—albeit with a game in hand.

So what plans does Kenny Dalglish have to turn Liverpool's league form around?

Here are some ideas that might turn the tide.

League Positioning

Perhaps I'm being a little sarcastic here, but unless Liverpool finish in the top-four at the end of the season, they will have to make do with the Europa League.

Liverpool's Carling Cup victory over Cardiff has ensured that Europa League is already assured, so the first thing that has to be addressed is getting higher up the table.

Home Form Comes First

So how are Liverpool going to finish fourth in the league I hear you ask?

Now we're getting to the crux of the matter and it all has to start with Liverpool's home form.

Liverpool—whilst they have not lost at Anfield so far this season—have only won four games out of a possible 12.

The eight drawn games have been against Sunderland, Manchester United, Norwich, Swansea, Manchester City, Blackburn, Stoke and Tottenham Hotspur.

Whilst the results against the two Manchester clubs and Spurs could be forgiven, the rest are simply not good enough.

Just converting two of those draws to wins would put Liverpool three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal with a game in hand.

So How to Get Home Wins? Goals of Course

So how do Liverpool win more games at home?

Well Liverpool's new-look defence of Johnson, Skrtel, Agger and Enrique has looked solid all season, and defending hasn't seemed to be a problem.

By process of elimination, that leaves goal scoring to be the problem.

Last season—which was a pretty miserable one for Liverpool—resulted in the club scoring an average of 1.55 goals per game at the end of the season.

This season to date Liverpool are averaging 1.16 goals per league game.

That isn't going to get the job done.

So How to Get Goals?

Two things you need to get goals are great service and good goal scorers—two areas which Liverpool spent big money on before this season began.

Fernando Torres left and Andy Carroll arrived with Luis Suarez in January 2011, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson all came in to supply ammunition over the summer.

So is the problem great service or good goal scorers?

I think the answer is both.

Suarez is a fantastic player but neither he nor Carroll look like they're going to score over 20 goals a season in the league.

Downing and Adam have both been relatively unimpressive, but perhaps Henderson can be given a reprieve due to his young age.

So what should Liverpool do next now that these purchases haven't worked out?

Spend or Make a Phone Call?

At this point, it would be easy to turn around and say Dalglish needs a summer clear out or further additions in the summer.

That doesn't help achieve a Champions League finish at the end of THIS season.

An alternative could be to call upon a few forgotten men of Liverpool football club—namely Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani.

Liverpool's creation has occasionally lacked spark, and there exists two players on Liverpool's book who have made their careers out of unlocking defences.

Whilst it is clear Aquilani—and possibly Cole—will probably be moving on come the end of the season, for the time being, they are Liverpool's assets and should be valued as such.

Both players have regained their form, and fitness, following their spells at Lille and AC Milan, respectively.

So what could Liverpool have to lose by calling upon them in their hour of need?

Go Old School

Obviously, there are implications with recalling players from loan deals.

Milan are rumoured to have an option to buy Aquilani at the end of his spell, and that option may disappear if Liverpool were to recall him.

Should that be the case, then Dalglish needs to be unafraid of calling upon the old guard Dirk Kuyt

Kuyt was Liverpool's top goal scorer in the 2010/11 season, yet, so far this season, he has only completed 90 minutes seven times in the league.

When he's not scoring goals, he makes up for it with a high work rate and that attribute shouldn't be underestimated.

Kuyt has played his way back into contention of late, and surely deserves a start following his Carling Cup cameo appearance against Cardiff.

Dalglish has to be cut-throat to achieve fourth place now, and that means there's no room for stubbornness.

Go...young School.

If that previous slide applies to the old guard, then it has to apply to the Liverpool youngsters also.

Liverpool have some exciting proteges at the club in the form of Suso, Raheem Sterling and Joao Carlos Texeira.

But, when are Liverpool going to give them a chance?

Granted that Texeira has just arrived and the others mentioned are very young still, but Wayne Rooney was only 16 when he made his professional debut, proving if you're good enough, you're old enough.

The youthful ignorance they could bring to the team may shock some opposing players.

What Else?

What else can Kenny Dalglish do now?

Nothing.

Perhaps all they can do is finish as high as possible without getting fourth place.

The club opted not to sign anybody in the January window, which was surprising considering the club's league position and apparent lack of forthcoming goals.

Perhaps the club declaring Liverpool wanted Champions League football was purely to appease the fans for this season and the Champions League was really only an option for the season after.

If that was the case, then Dalglish is going to have to spend wisely in the summer with at least two big-name signings in the midfield and forward positions.

The next two slides represent a couple of options in each position which could satisfy that job.

Midfielder/Winger

Liverpool need an attacking midfield or winger that can excite, entertain and unlock.

Two options that could be viable for Liverpool are Eden Hazard and Lucas Moura.

Liverpool may have a bargaining chip to use with Lille if they moved for Hazard because Joe Cole must surely be of interest to the French club.

Brazilian International Lucas Moura—or Lucas to some—may be a more difficult signing to acquire, but nobody said this game was easy.

One of those signings would be a huge step for the Merseyside club.

Striker

As I stated in a previous slide, if the service being provided is good, then a top striker is needed to finish the job.

Luis Suarez assumes a role similar to Alessandro Del Piero in style, and Andy Carroll requires a certain type of football to be played to maximise his effectiveness.

Two options that may give Liverpool that cutting edge are Athletic Bilbao youngster Iker Muniain and Napoli's Edinson Cavani.

Iker Muniain looks set to be the next hot prospect to come off the Spain factory line of talent, but whilst he is still playing for a relatively small club, he might be available if the price is right.

Edinson Cavani has been linked with a few teams over both the summer and winter transfer windows, so his signature might be more difficult to get than Muniain's.

Both players provide a different option to the strikers Liverpool already have, and that's what the club needs to bypass teams.

Being able to change formation, shape, and the type of threat you offer can make opposing teams struggle to adapt.

Afterthoughts

So there are 10 steps to achieving Champions League football for either this season or next.

What happens should Liverpool not make the required purchases this summer?

I don't think that anybody thought Andy Carroll would fire Liverpool to Champions League football—even on the day he signed—so I still don't view his purchase as a marquee signing, despite the fee involved.

Liverpool are proving to be a good cup team this season, and whilst winning trophies is always great, the Champions League brings revenue greatly needed to evolve further.

Unfortunately, I don't think Liverpool have enough in their locker to catch Arsenal or Chelsea for fourth this season.

Hopefully, they prove me wrong.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out my table predictions for the Champions League and Europa League spots for the end of the season.

Also have a read on how the bottom 10 clubs can avoid relegation to the Championship.

On twitter? Follow me @petercwebster where I post all my B/R content.