
Football
Share
Published 18:37 19 Apr 2015 BST
Updated 08:25 20 Apr 2015 BST
Explore more on these topics:
Rodgers has got to take a little bit of responsibility for the result.
I don't know why he decided to change the formation after Coutinho's goal but Brendan has tinkered a bit over the last three or four games.
He tried a false number nine last week against Newcastle with Coutinho and played four at the back in the game before that.
It seems like Brendan is looking for something else, an alternative to the 3-4-3 that has brought him such success last year and I'm just left wondering why he's changing things.
You could see that there was no fluidity about the way that Liverpool played today.
The last ten minutes of the game went as you'd expect with Villa dropping deep to protect their lead and Liverpool decided to go route one with the long ball and it produced a few opportunities, albeit half-chances.
That was the only time when you thought that maybe they could get back into the tie but for a large chunk in the middle of the game, Liverpool didn't really create and it almost looked like some of the players didn't fully know Rodgers' system.
Steven Gerrard dropped back to a holding midfield position and nearly found himself between his centre-halves at stages.
Balotelli came on and was his usual self. If he had a goal ratio similar to his offside ratio, I swear he'd be unplayable.
To be fair, I don't think that Rodgers will come under too much pressure despite what some people say.
Realistically, he's gotten knocked out of a cup semi-final because Aston Villa played really well. Managers can't come under pressure after just one bad result. The pressure comes after a series of defeats or poor performances so I reckon Rodgers is safe enough.
In terms of looking forward, Brendan might have a bit of a clear-out to do in the summer.
The key areas for me are at centre-forward and central midfield - Rodgers needs one of each and they need to be experienced.
You've seen how much Liverpool have struggled to get goals since Luis Suarez left and Daniel Sturridge can't seem to find any luck with his fitness. It seems like just when Daniel does get fit, he gets another injury set-back so I feel for him.
Liverpool can't have another season where they're dependent on the likes of Balotelli or Lambert to come up with the goals. Nor can they rely on Philippe Coutinho to switch positions and play as a false number 9 to get on the scoresheet.
Rodgers needs a striker who's going to be reliable and contribute 20-25 goals a season.
And obviously they will need to bring in a central midfielder with plenty of experience to attempt to fill the gap left by Steven Gerrard when he leaves in the summer.

Football

The Premier League final day viral moments blog: Follow all of the action in our live hub
It’s the final day! The Premier League is back for the final time this season with all sides playing at once! In JOE’s new Premier League Win-Lose-Draw Predictor, you can prove your footballing nous up against your mates, while also being in with a chance of winning €1,000/£1,000 each week.And if no users predict all […]
Football
14h
Quiz: Name every PFA POTY from the Premier League era
This is a tough one! Bruno Fernandes has been announced as the winner of the PFA Player of the Year for 2025/2026. So what better time is it to test your knowledge of the player-voted individual award. Can you name every player to be nominated as the best player in the Premier League by his […]
Football
1 day ago
Can you name the Irish players to win the Europa League/UEFA Cup
Football