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Liverpool’s 3-1 loss at Manchester City on Monday night brought about plenty of problems for Brendan Rodgers, even after splashing out on two defenders and bringing in a third on loan. Alberto Moreno, Dejan Lovren and Simon Mignolet were all accountable for the three goals conceded.

A major problem at Liverpool has been the lack of quality at defensive midfield. A quality addition for that role will certainly see the club improve on their defensive record of last season.

Brendan Rodgers has less than a week to address the defensive gaps in his squad and ensure Liverpool are capable of building on the season they had last term.

Here’s a look at five players who would help to strengthen the defence at Anfield.

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Alex Song

Marseille are said to be the latest club interested in Alex Song, who will more than likely leave Barcelona before the window closes next week.

A host of other Premier League clubs have been linked, including former club Arsenal, but Liverpool could also make use of the services of the Cameroon international.

Song’s ability to play at centre-back will also be seen as a plus for Brendan Rodgers, who, despite adding Dejan Lovren, still has defensive concerns.

Barcelona’s willingness to see of Song this summer will see him available for a bargain fee.

Benedikt Howedes

Liverpool have already signed three defenders this summer, but one more wouldn’t go a miss considering their defensive record of last season.

Benedikt Howedes has been on the radar of a few Premier League clubs following the World Cup, where he lined up on the left of Germany’s defence. The Schalke defender is a natural centre-back, but can also stand in at right full-back.

He’s experienced and would bring leadership to the squad at Anfield. The German international would be a big help during the team’s Champions League campaign.

Morgan Schneiderlin

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Liverpool return to Southampton in order to strengthen their defensive midfield position.

It’s been an area long in need of address at Anfield, with Lucas and Steven Gerrard the only options, and neither viable long-term solutions.

Schneiderlin has long been linked with a move this summer and would be a great addition at Liverpool. He’d come at a high price, but Brendan Rodgers has already hit the £20 million-mark three times this summer.

Sami Khedira

Whether it’s now or in a year, Sami Khedira will leave Real Madrid, but the preference of the European champions is a sale this summer, with Khedira’s contract coming to an end.

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The German international was reportedly close to a move to Arsenal, but Bayern Munich and Chelsea have also registered an interest.

Khedira is said to be available for a knockdown fee and would go a long way to helping Liverpool mount a challenge on the league title this season.

Asmir Begovic

Simon Mignolet was criticised for Manchester City’s third goal in the 3-1 loss on Monday night, allowing Sergio Aguero to fire in from his near post. It hasn’t been the first time the Liverpool ‘keeper has been questioned, and a replacement, or at least a good backup, may be needed.

At this stage of the summer it will certainly be difficult to find a club willing to negotiate the sale of their goalkeeper, but an option could be Asmir Begovic, who was strongly linked with a move out of Stoke last season.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international is a step up in quality from Mignolet and would play a big role in shoring up the leaky defence at Anfield.

Arsenal look set to make a £1.5 million move for Croatian U17 International Ante Roguljic, according to The Sun.

The starlet who currently plys his trade at NK Adriatic Split is thought to be ready to make the step up to Premier League action.

It is believed that Roguljic has been the subject of scouting missions from several Premier League clubs, and Arsene Wenger is looking to steal a march on his rivals by tempting the Croatian to North London.

The 16-year-old attacking midfielder has made a real impression at youth level and has been likened to Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric.

Roguljic competed for Croatia under-17s in the European qualification for Slovakia 2013, producing a number of dominant  displays.

The player impressed in Croatia’s latest set of games as the under-17 side have won all three of their qualifiers with Roguljic scoring in two.

The Gunners have a proven track record of developing and nurturing young talent. It is thought that they would look to bring the player through in a similar style to the way they have with several of their youth products, the most notable being Jack Wilshere.

The trend has also emerged this campaign with both Serge Gnabry and Thomas Eisfield successfully stepping up into the first team to appear in the Capital One Cup.

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However, he is not the only player from the Arsenal academy to break through into the first team in recent seasons with Francis Coquelin, and Wojciech Szczesny also graduating with flying colours, establishing themselves in the Starting XI and matchday squads.

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Mohamed Elneny received plenty of praise from Arsenal fans for his performances in the middle of the park last season, but during the World Cup, the 25-year-old failed to impress.

Overall, it was a disappointing campaign for Elneny’s national side Egypt as they bowed out at the group phase.

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The team’s star man Mohamed Salah was not fully fit for the tournament after he suffered a dislocated shoulder during Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat in May.

In the end, Egypt failed to win a single game as they were beaten 1-0 by Uruguay, 3-1 by Russia and on Monday night suffered a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

The nation finished at the bottom of Group A, and to make matters worse for Elneny, Arsenal fans have been criticising the midfielder, who is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt.

The defence-minded player, who made 31 appearances in all competitions last season, started every one of Egypt’s matches in the tournament.

Arsenal are almost assured of a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League after a comfortable victory away to Swedish side Ostersunds FK on Thursday night.

In what promised to be a tricky encounter in difficult, unfamiliar surroundings, Arsene Wenger’s side dealt with the first leg very well indeed, rushing to a 2-0 lead in the first half before Mesut Ozil killed the game and potentially the tie with a third just before the hour mark.

Given the competition is Arsenal’s best hope of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League this season, it’s vital that Wenger’s side apply themselves properly on these Thursday nights.

Fans were generally pleased with the performance but were unhappy with one player in particular.

Danny Welbeck came into the side due to Alexandre Lacazette’s injury and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being cup tied, but failed to make much of an impact, leaving supporters frustrated.

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The player had previously only made 12 starts this season and it was a big opportunity to impress which he failed to take.

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance…

United States 0-1 Germany

With a tie enough for both teams to progress, a lot of pressure was off as long as Portugal didn’t win by a large margin. Thomas Muller was once again Germany’s scorer, netting just 10 minutes into the start of the second half. It was a tight game with the American side trying to find opportunities via counter attacking football with the European team pressure hard in search for more goals. The match ended with a victory to the Germans, although both contestants are through to the next round.

Portugal 2-1 Ghana

Even though Portugal orchestrated their first victory of the tournament, it was a little too late to make a big difference as Ghana joined in on the pair being eliminated. The United States got the edge over the European side due to their goal difference after point having four points from three games. John Boye’s own goal in the 30th minute gave Paulo Beto’s men a little hope for qualification, but Asamoah Gyan cancelled the lead at the 57th minute mark. Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in almost all of his teams attacking play and eventually sealed all three points for his nation with a strike on the 80th minute mark.

South Korea 0-1 Belgium

Belgium began slowly once again, leaving it late before clinching all three points from their final game of the group stages. The 1-0 win over South Korea meant they were through as they picked up maximum points from the previous encounters. The Asian side should have capitalized on the fact that their opponents had only 10 men for the entire second half after Steven Defour was sent off in the 44th minute for harsh tackle on Shin-Wook Kim. Divock Origi’s 77th minute attempt was pushed into the path of Jan Vertonghen, who slotted the ball into the back of the net with ease.

Algeria 1-1 Russia

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History was made for the Algerians after their draw confirmed their progress into the round of sixteen for the first time ever. Russia was desperate for a win as it would guarantee their progression, which looks set to happen after Alexandr Kokorin scored an early header in the 6th minute. The match took a huge turn when Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev failed to grab a set piece cross leaving Islam Slimani to head the ball home from six yards out. The score line sent the Russians packing while Algeria await their encounter with Germany.

owner Tony Fernandes claims he is completely behind manager Mark Hughes after he saw his club slump to their sixth defeat of the season away to Arsenal on Saturday.

Hughes has been the subject of increased speculation regarding his future at QPR following a winless start to the Premier League this season.

But Fernandes took to Twitter to defend his manager and explain that whatever has been written in the press has no truth at all.

He tweeted: “Mark has my backing and the shareholders. We need a little luck and no injuries. What’s written in the press is all rubbish.

“I honestly believe we have one of the best managers in the premier league. And we are in for the long term. Whatever happens. We love QPR.”

Fernandes also pleased with the fans to trust him in on his decision to stick with Hughes through what is a difficult time for the club and welcomed any fans with any questions to approach him at their next home fixture against Reading next Sunday.

“I’ll be there at Reading so Rangers

 fans I’ll be available to meet and chat. Trust me on this one. Keep the faith. Stability is the key.”

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Hughes brought 12 new players in at Loftus Road in the summer, in an attempt to improve on their final day relegation survival last season, but still finds his side bottom of the league with just three points from their opening nine games.

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As reported by The Daily Mail, Southampton have made a move to sign Norwich City midfielder James Maddison this summer, with Everton also credited with an interest in his signature.

What’s the story?

The paper say that Saints lead Leicester City in the chase for the 21-year-old, with Everton one of a number of clubs who also hold an interest in bringing him to the English Premier League in 2018/19.

He is valued at around £20m according to the report.

Can Everton ensure they don’t miss out on one of the stand-out homegrown talents in the country?

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Should Everton move for him?

Few players in the English Championship had a better 2017/18 season and, alongside the likes of recently promoted Ryan Sessegnon, Maddison has emerged as one of the stand-out young prospects  in the second-tier.

He scored 14 goals and created 8 assists from attacking midfield in league action, demonstrating that despite being just 21 years of age, he can perform to a high standard on a consistent basis.

A potential future England international, currently part of the nation’s U21 set-up, he’s a talent that could prove to be a bargain in years to come at the reported £20m fee.

Working under a coach like Marco Silva could help him develop even further, and elite English talents are becoming harder to find and more expensive in the transfer market.

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Now is the time to move for him and the Toffees should ensure that Southampton, or any other Premier League sides beat them to the player’s signature this summer.

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In the modern game, managers can never feel that their jobs are safe due to the constant merry-go-round.David Moyes was appointed as Slaven Bilic’s successor at West Ham United in November, signing a deal until the end of the season.The Scotsman did not head to the London Stadium with the best pedigree due to his failed spells in charge of Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland.Since taking over, though, Moyes managed to win over some supporters thanks to a six-game unbeaten run in the Premier League across December and January.In recent weeks, though, results have not gone to plan and now the team are on a four-game winless run in all competitions.A report inÂThe TelegraphÂclaimed that the Hammers are already looking for replacements and will dismiss Moyes regardless of whether or not they retain their top-flight status.The East London outfit have decided to respond to these claims byÂreleasing a statementÂinsisting that no decision has been made on the manager’s long-term future.

“The club would like to place on record that it categorically refutes the claims made by the Daily Telegraph regarding manager David Moyes.

“There is absolutely no truth whatsoever to this story. As previously stated on a number of occasions, the club and David Moyes agreed a deal until the end of the 2017/18 season, at which point both parties will sit down and discuss the future.

“Until then, the Board and David Moyes will continue to work closely together with the Manager having full responsibility of footballing matters and the full support of the Board. Everyone’s sole focus is on trying to achieve results for West Ham United.”

Fans have since tweeted their thoughts on the situation.

It’s always easier to replace the manager than it is to overhaul an entire squad. Something that won’t sit too well with David Moyes, as he seeks to repair his severely damaged reputation in English football.

Mark Bosnich is quoted as saying, “it has been obvious for some time that things are not quite right there,” while adding that Ryan Giggs has clashed with the manager over Moyes’ methods this season.

It adds further fuel to the fire started by Anderson after he secured a loan move to Fiorentina. The Brazilian midfielder has stated that many players were unhappy at Old Trafford and were looking for a way out – a comment he’d later go on to deny. Furthermore, the tension which appeared to rise between Robin van Persie and the manager fits the story that all is not well at Manchester United.

Moyes is already under enormous pressure. We may be at the point where there is little expectation in the manager turning things around, even with less than 10 games to go in the league, but instead simply enforcing a damage limitation policy. Things won’t get any easier with United set to meet Bayern Munich in the Champions League next month.

But while Moyes is struggling for results – a fact that may make his position untenable if matters continue to deteriorate – Moyes is also battling on another front in trying to win over the entire squad. The manager may suggest otherwise, but there is simply too much smoke from various sources for there not to be any fire.

It will make very little difference that Ryan Giggs is coming to the end of his playing career. The Welshman, per Alex Ferguson’s wish for the club to emulate the model of Bayern, will more than likely stay on in the coaching capacity he started this season. Players like Giggs and van Persie who have rocky relationships with the manager, spell little but future difficulties for the club if they retain Moyes. Will players want to come to United if there is a track record of the current manager falling out with members of his squad, and will he be able to convince them to stick around, especially in times of on-field crisis?

Everything points to an eventual exit for Moyes. It’s not working on the pitch, with United’s situation steadily getting worse rather than showing signs of improvement. If the manager has also lost key members of the dressing room, it makes it difficult to envision him succeeding, even if he does drastically improve his ideas to right the ship.

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The mathematical equation of four into two isn’t one that would appear to be particularly manageable to most people, but you try telling that to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City. The Italian boasts an attacking quartet that most other Premier League bosses could only dream of. And as we saw against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, the depth of talent within that quartet is a somewhat invaluable asset.

Boasting any one of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli would have most supporters salivating but to have all four in the squad at the same time? It almost seems greedy.

But until now, Mancini seems to have been able to pull off the task of keeping all four of his gifted frontmen, relatively happy. Of course, there have been injuries, suspensions and several months worth of gardening leave in between, to keep his strikers fully occupied. Yet this season could be a somewhat different scenario for the Italian to get his teeth into.

As Manchester City fought back from a goal down with a one man disadvantage to beat Steve Clarke’s side 2-1 at the Hawthorns on Saturday, they exhibited all the gleaming attributes that saw them become Premier League champions in such dramatic style last term. But beyond their startling mental resilience to overcome the odds, it was their wealth of attacking options that Mancini could call upon to change the game, that were just as unique.

All great teams have the sort of proven strength in depth that allows them to turn a game on it’s head from the bench and although Dzeko didn’t quite turn in a showstopping performance, it speaks volumes that Mancini had a striker of the quality of the Bosnian to bring off the bench. He offers City a different dynamic to all three of his striking rivals and his superb headed goal for the equalizer was executed with an aerial ability that is perhaps unrivalled in the ranks up at the Etihad.

Yet after the game, Dzeko wasn’t particularly all smiles, despite his match winning brace.

“I’m not a super sub and never will be,” he said, speaking after the game.

“I scored a lot of goals before I arrived at Manchester City and not as a sub. I’ve scored goals from the beginning. Sometimes it will be from the bench, sometimes from the beginning of the game.

“In the last few games the situation has been like today. I will never be a super sub. I want to play.”

Such is Dzeko’s amicable tone, that even as he has delivered his disgruntled sentiments to the cameras, he didn’t seem like a man who was fuming with his manager’s decision. Indeed, the Bosnian had just returned from an international double-header that would have influenced the decision to leave him on the bench, as Mancini’s assistant David Platt was particularly eager to point out. But it does suggest that the City are now entering a critical period in the management of their mercurial attacking unit. A long season awaits, but the chances are that at least one of the four are going to be left particularly unhappy as the term plays out.

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You can make the very valid argument that all four of Mancini’s fevered quartet made a cameo against West Bromwich Albion, but you would have thought that last Saturday’s fixture represented something of a one off. It’s not going to be every week that City find themselves a goal down with ten men left on the pitch and nothing to loose. Such a gung-ho approach won’t be in effect every week.

And while all four of them bestow their individual qualities, you could perhaps argue that Mancini is left with a very small amount of room for tactical manoeuvre with his quartet. Both Balotelli and certainly Dzeko, require central accommodation within a starting line up and Carlos Tevez doesn’t offer much more flexibility. Sergio Aguero has the ability to play as a second striker, or even slightly wider if pushed, but with 23 league goals last season, you’d be hard pushed to meddle with him too much.

Ultimately, four top class strikers are ultimately competing for two starting spaces and you get the feeling that something has to give sooner or later.

The school of thought is that the Argentine pair of Tevez and Aguero are Manchester City’s de facto first choice strike partnership. But in Mario Balotelli, City bestow a striker who not only exhibited a glimpse of finally fulfilling his startling potential during the European Championships, but a player whom Mancini clearly believes in. His continued showing of faith despite a deluge of misdemeanours, suggests as much anyway.

Yet in Dzeko, they have a striker who harnesses a better goals-per-minute ratio than any of his Manchester City peers, during the calendar year. The Bosnian may not have be able to conjure up the sort of sublime pieces of skill his three striking rivals can, but his abilities as a goalscorer aren’t in any doubt. Dzeko toiled behind Aguero last season, was stuck behind Balotelli for long periods and Carlos Tevez upon his return, in City’s pecking order last season, Yet he still conjured up 19 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions last term.

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Being able to call upon four strikers of the quality of Aguero, Tevez, Balotelli and Dzeko is a wonderful story, but it’s one that is surely destined to have an unhappy ending. No one can predict the way the winds of injury will blow, but you’d imagine that none of Mancini’s strikers will go on any four month holiday’s this season, to break up his striking dilemmas.

Who will be the first to break? Dzeko has stated his desire to stay and fight for his place at Eastlands and undoubtedly, the smart money would have to sit with the enigmatic Balotelli. But one thing’s for sure, if it is Dzeko, someone would be picking up one hell of a goalscorer. And with his knack of picking up important goals, you wouldn’t bet against him coming back to haunt City, either. It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out at the Etihad and make no mistake about it, Mancini has a real test on his hands to keep all four of his strikers happy.

How do you see the striking situation playing out at Manchester City? Can Mancini keep all four of his frontmen happy? Let me know on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tell us how the Italian should play this one out.