Manchester In The Way For LFC

Liverpool’s transfer business this summer seems to be drawing to a close with the arrival of Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke. At best there may be one more incoming at Anfield, but it is likely to be dependent on players leaving the club first.

Therefore, with the squad taking shape, we can now begin to assess whether it has the quality and strength capable of ousting one of last season’s top four clubs – Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United – and propelling Liverpool back into the Champions League.

Liverpool have, on paper at least, made some very promising signings. Roberto Firmino has especially excited fans, who are hoping that the Brazilian is Liverpool’s next foreign superstar, after Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres.

Nathaniel Clyne will undoubtedly be an upgrade on a declining Glen Johnson. Moreover, even if James Milner is not quite as glamorous as Firmino, he will quietly bolster Liverpool’s midfield alongside new captain Jordan Henderson, in a partnership that is likely to suffocate opponents with their high intensity, pressing, energy and work-rate – all qualities that manager Brendan Rodgers looks for in his players.

Yet Danny Ings and particularly Benteke are players with unrivalled pressure on their shoulders. They are expected to fire in the goals needed for Liverpool’s top four challenge and vastly improve on the dismal tally of Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini from last season.

Have Liverpool made any ground on their rivals above them?

Well, it still seems extremely unlikely that they will be overhauling Chelsea this year.

The reigning Premier League champions have been quiet thus far in the transfer market, with their only major arrivals being Falcao on loan from AS Monaco and Asmir Begovic from Stoke City. Both are not expected to be automatic first-team players, with Falcao replacing Didier Drogba as back-up to Diego Costa and Begovic replacing Petr Cech as understudy to Thibaut Courtois.

Jose Mourinho may feel frustrated that a couple more new faces have not arrived at Stamford Bridge, although there is over a month before the transfer window closes.

Chelsea are trying to sign Everton’s John Stones, which may cost them £30m if they want to get the deal done, while personally I cannot believe John Obi Mikel is still at the club. Furthermore, an upgrade on Oscar or Willian is still required, as Juan Cuadrado has failed to replicate his Fiorentina form in England.

However, whilst Chelsea’s squad may not be utterly perfect yet, it still remains the best in England with the best manager in England.

Therefore, whilst the gap between the champions and everyone else may have closed because Chelsea have barely strengthened, they remain favourites to defend the title and certainly finish above Liverpool.

Likewise, Arsenal seem too far ahead for the Reds at the moment.

Both teams operate similar methods in attempting to combine a core of young players with experienced, top class players. However, the Gunners are simply further along on this path compared to Liverpool.

After years of selling their best players while waiting for the Emirates Stadium to bear fruit financially, they now have the cash to rival any other superpower in world football.

Arsene Wenger will remain astute in his purchases, because that’s what he does, but the signings of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and now Petr Cech in recent seasons demonstrate the philosophy now firmly coming into place.

A world-class striker and midfielder would really set the alarm bells off in the blue corner of London, and Arsenal have the finances to chase the highest calibre of players: Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Paul Pogba, William Carvalho, Marco Verratti and Ilkay Gundogan.

Nevertheless, Arsenal’s young group of players are now beginning to enter their peak years, with Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and others all ready to help Arsenal provide the sternest challenge to Chelsea, as they look to win the title for the first time in 12 years.

Manchester United are one of the two teams above Liverpool last season that the Reds can target this time around, although they have improved over the summer and remain hugely formidable.

Louis Van Gaal was always going to spend big for this season, and there has been no holding back so far.

Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin are the latest Old Trafford recruits to the tune of roughly £80m, with more set to follow.

Goalkeeper Sergio Romero, a free agent after leaving Sampdoria, has been rumoured to replace either David De Gea or Victor Valdes, with both facing an uncertain future in England. Personally, Romero seems more likely to replace Valdes than De Gea, so if the 24 year old Spaniard departs for Real Madrid, then Ajax’s Jasper Cillessen or Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris are the favourites to become Van Gaal’s next No.1.

Meanwhile, there could be another high-profile departure at Old Trafford in Angel Di Maria, who endured a disappointing debut season after a near £60m move from Real Madrid, and is a £45m target for Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcelona’s Pedro could come in if Di Maria leaves, although United will have to activate his £22m release clause, yet that seems more realistic than a move for Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale from the Spanish capital.

As with Liverpool, United are undergoing a busy summer in a time of transition, with lots of new faces likely for the upcoming campaign.

Reputation means little in the Premier League, so whoever’s signings can settle in quickly and make the better start could be crucial in the fight for a Champions League place.

However, the team Liverpool are most likely to overtake in order to finish in the top four are Manchester City.

This statement might have sounded crazy just a year ago, when Manuel Pellegrini’s men won their second Premier League title in three years, but change is needed at the Etihad.

Despite a number of transfers in the last couple of years and lots of money spent, the team that won the title in 2012 was almost identical to the one that struggled in 2015, with City’s key players now beginning to suffer from age.

Captain Vincent Kompany is 29 (although 34 year old John Terry should provide plenty of inspiration), Pablo Zabaleta is 30, Yaya Toure 32 and David Silva 29.

Of their spine, only Sergio Aguero remains in his prime years at 27, but he is not too far off Daniel Sturridge levels for scaring fans with injury issues.

Little has been done to address this from City, who this year are concentrating on English players to satisfy the home-grown quota as they have lost James Milner, Micah Richards, Scott Sinclair, Frank Lampard and Dedryck Boyata this summer.

Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling have already arrived in acrimonious circumstances, while 18 year old Patrick Roberts is another example from City of money for home-grown potential.

About £65m has been spent on the trio above, when in reality their combined value is closer to £45m. Given the position City are in, and the targets they want to achieve, they surely need to be overspending on world-class players, replacing the spine that has served them so well for so many years.

Wolfsburg remain resolute over Kevin De Bruyne, while Pogba is financially out of reach, even under a more relaxed Financial Fair Play.

Additionally, numerous City players have been linked with the exit door, so Pellegrini may have to cope with a similar level of transition to Van Gaal and Rodgers, making them all closely intertwined in the battle for a top four finish.

Until last year, Manchester was the regular destination for the Premier League trophy, but whilst both Manchester City and Manchester United could definitely challenge for the title, London seems the likelier location for the 2015/16 English champions.

Rodgers and Liverpool both really need to return to Europe’s elite competition, while it would be incredible for the new, expanded Anfield to witness Champions League football in its first season of operation.

The Manchester duo stand in the way of that, and if the Reds can finish above both, then a top four finish beckons.