Thursday, 13th June, 2013
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has explained that one of his priorities is building the depth of his side’s squad, prior to kicking-off the 2013/14 campaign.
The Reds snapped up 32-year-old Ivorian defender Kolo Toure from Manchester City this summer, and the former Arsenal centre-back will arrive at Anfield on a free transfer after his contract with the Citizens expires on 30th June.
The Northern Irish boss will also be starting his second season as the manager of the Reds, and he has insisted that he is looking for a compact group of players who have the hunger to compete for a place in the starting line-up.
"You can flip it about, but it’s the depth really. We just need to build up the depth of the squad”, Rodgers told his club’s official site.
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"I want to have people who might be disappointed because they’re not even on the bench. At the minute we probably don’t have that so it’s competition we want to get.
"I don’t want a massive group, we want a tight group with a real core of 17 or 18 players who feel they should always be playing and then supported by a few of our top young talents."
The former Swansea boss also explained that he has a better squad this summer than at the start of the 2012/13 season, and his sights are set on improving the Reds’ performances in the League Cup and the FA Cup.
“This time, we’ll certainly give the League Cup and the FA Cup a proper go – we have a much better squad to do that.
"We had a paper-thin squad last year, we had kids all the way through. Obviously those players who have come in have added quality and it’s no coincidence that we have kicked on when we’ve had quality in the group.
"We need to improve the group and the depth but that’s what gives me great hope for the summer. If we can add that, we can make a real start and then we’re ready to challenge”, he added.
The Merseyside giants finished seventh in the English Premier League this term, totalling 61 points from 38 matches.
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