As the dawn of a new Premier League season looms, all eyes will be upon Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool after a summer of heavy spending. Five new players have arrived in Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique and Doni. Things could certainly go either way – with so many new players, a gelling period may be required for many, but can the club afford a slow start?
For the first time in a long while there will be no European football on offer at Anfield this term and finishing in the top five league places remains the bare minimum. The emphasis at the moment though is on planning for the future. This season will justifiably be seen as a stepping stone to larger challenges in the future. Dalglish is beginning to make his mark on the side and he has added diversity and depth to the squad. While all the talk around Anfield will be about small, incremental steps, in private, a push for a Champions League place will be the club’s main aim for the forthcoming campaign.
Premier League: It’s inevitable when you spend as much money as Liverpool have this summer that expectations will rise. The club will have to build upon last season’s topsy turvy form and 6th place finish and display a new-found level of consistency. For the first time in a long while though, the club will be looking upwards rather than backwards which is a major bonus. Arsenal may be susceptible to a top four challenge more than anyone else. With the likes of Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and Andy Carroll, the club will pose a keen attacking threat. The club’s poor pre-season form does point towards a lack of cohesion at the back and with the emphasis placed upon attractive, attacking football, it will be interesting to see how Dalglish will strike the balance between defence and attack.
The only immediate weakness within the squad that comes to mind is that the side appear to lack at least one more quality centre half. With no European football on display this season and with their main rivals, namely Spurs and Arsenal, distracted by trips over the continent for the foreseeable future, missing out on a Europa League place may well prove to be a blessing in disguise. There appears to be an excellent team spirit around the place now and that can often prove the difference over the course of a long campaign. With a united team focused on one goal and all pulling in one direction, I fully expect Liverpool to make the Champions League places.
Prediction – 4th (3rd at a push)
FA Cup: The FA Cup can quite often throw up a lottery when it comes to the draw. Just last season Liverpool drew Man Utd away in their first game in the third round. The fact that Roy Hodgson had just been sacked from the club and Kenny Dalglish reinstated as manager on an interim basis just days before the fixture can hardly be seen as the best preparation for an unusually tough test at the best of times. Losing captain Steven Gerrard early on to a red card hardly helped matters either.
Informative article as ever, I believe downing will be a key figure in helping lfc mount a challenge of sorts, his interactions with Suarez and passing abilitiy will serve Carroll, I truly think he is the key to most things within our games his role will be just as big as gerrards in the long term