What's needed for Liverpool?

With the news of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson leaving what is needed for the reds to succeed in the upcoming season? 

All football fans will agree that Henderson played a pivotal role in the Liverpool system whether that be on the pitch or in the background. With his departure expected for Saudi Arabia outfit Al Ettifaq FC, Liverpool would have lost both their vice and main captain in one transfer window. While Liverpool have brought in new recruits such as Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to freshen up their midfield, they would be without a clear leader. 

While Virgil Van Dijk is capable of taking the captaincy after Henderson, Jurgen Klopp will be questioning whether selling Henderson is the best decision while a rebuild is occurring. After losing James Milner to Brighton, It was fair to say many believed Henderson would take his role with sub appearances late in games to influence a game. Henderson's experience is needed for a smooth Liverpool rebuild. 

Currently This is how Liverpool will be looking to line up for the season ahead:

With Trent Alexander-Arnold's  new midfield position being put into use and Stefan Bajcetic's return Liverpool's midfield will be fuelled with energy while their back line is falling short. For the remainder of the summer transfer window, It's clear Liverpool need a new defensive player to fill the gap left behind by Trent moving into the midfield. 

The Front line is looking increasingly dangerous although without recently departed Roberto Firmino. With players such as Cody Gakpo and Diego Jota able to come off the bench, we could be set to see lots of goals from this Liverpool side. 

The main worry Liverpool fans will have ahead of this season, is the weakness in defence. While both Van Dijk and Konate are excellent starters a third world class centre back is necessary to keep competition high for the two defenders. While Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are good rotation players for this Liverpool defence, they are too risky to play all the time due to their patchy form.

With this taken into account Liverpool still hold a good chance of taking home some silverware at the end of the season. Liverpool are always contending for titles therefore they cannot be written off. Liverpool kick off their pre-season tour on the 19th July against Karlsruher so until then we can only guess how Liverpool will play.