Mark Lawrenson: Draw is a step in the right direction

Feb 12 2008 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL were decent value for their point at Stamford Bridge.

As always when the two sides meet, there was little in it but Rafael Benitez’s side created their share of chances to have taken more than a point off Chelsea.

Although Liverpool’s season has been undermined by a number of draws this year, the point picked up against a fellow top four side represents a step in the right direction.

However the fact that Liverpool are still so far off the pace when it comes to winning the Premier League side illustrates how much work remains to be done at Anfield.

On the back of a comfortable 3-0 win over Sunderland, not losing to Chelsea is a good result and the fate of the race for a place in next year’s Champions League remains in their own hands.

However it is the lack of quality in depth in the Liverpool squad that remains a cause for concern. Clearly Benitez still needs new faces – but the uncertainty surrounding the club during the last transfer window has not helped.

There now needs to be a clear strategy and positive support for the manager to enable him to plan properly for the summer transfer market so he can continue to build a team of winning Liverpool’s first league title since 1990.

The likes of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres would walk into any of the top four sides – but can you say the same of many of their colleagues?

Liverpool cannot afford to let doubts over the future ownership of the club, the new stadium or the manager himself unhinge their summer spending plans.