Liverpool Football Club: 2013/14 preview

The Kop

The deafening of noise in the Premier League will finally resume with Liverpool kicking things off against Stoke at Anfield. Brendan Rodgers will know this season will be crucial in his much talked about revolution at the Merseyside Club, and the game against Stoke will be ever so pivotal in how things were to pan out for them in 2013-14.

The Reds were busy in the transfer market. By signing two Spaniards, one Belgian and an Ivorian so far, the club has cemented its interest in luring in overseas players unlike the previous regimes that preferred local talents. Liverpool fans will moreover hope that these signings pay dividends for the money invested in them.

The game against Stoke for Liverpool will also signify Rodgers’ plans in how he chooses to go about with his squad with his possible selection choices in the articles: Part 1 and Part 2 of “How Liverpool should line up against Stoke City” .

However, the more important outcome of the first few games will be his eagerness in finding replacements for Jamie Carragher in the back four and possibly for Luis Suarez, should he leave. A problem Liverpool has failed to solve in recent memory is to find substitutes for Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano in the team’s lineup.

With Carra the omnipresent stalwart at back four calling it quits in May and the Uruguayan expressing interest to play for a club prevalent in the Champions League, Rodgers will have to ensure that he has abundant squad depth available to be slotted into the line-up.

2013/14 will mark the first real ascent of Liverpool to a top 4 challenge since they finish second under Rafael Benitez. It will also announce if the young core of players spearheaded by Philippe Coutinho are capable enough to cement their spots as one of Premier League’s best.

What we did right last season:

Liverpool’s talking point last season was the appointment of a young Ulsterman at the helm of a team which looked desperate for motivation. Off went Kenny Dalglish and in came the enigmatic Brendan Rodgers.

It might be too early to judge Rodgers’ stint at Liverpool but he certainly demonstrated few positives in 2012-13 season. In games that Liverpool won, they thrived fluidly in sealing games with big margin victories. The thrashing handed out to Norwich and Newcastle best illustrates the attacking prowess of this rejuvenated setup at Anfield.

Rodgers keyed in players in new roles as he experimented with Sturridge, Henderson and Coutinho in various attacking roles while he was not shy in rotating the defence as well. There were times when such measures failed but in the long-run, Liverpool seemed to have finally found their ideal primary kernel of players.

Liverpool’s another success from 2012-13 was its bargain signings from the January transfer window. Apart from the plethora of goals the club scored in 2012-13, the team seemed to have found a formidable partnership in attack with Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.

Both players came into the team with longings to earn first team calls. And with similar fervour, they flourished in the second half of the season to combine for most of Liverpool’s goals.

What went wrong last season:

Liverpool’s summer signings failed to make the desired impact. Borini and Allen battled injuries and did not play out the entire season, while Nuri Sahin was shipped out of the team in January for his inability and unwillingness to play as the holding midfielder.

This cost Liverpool dearly in the first half of the season, as the team plummeted to the bottom half of the table. Rodgers’ men further struggled to beat teams that finished above them in the league – the only exception being against Tottenham in March.

The club’s problems for over two years have been its futility in finishing games off in the final thirty minutes. Had Liverpool managed to win at least four more of its games against the teams it failed to seal games off such as Reading, Everton, West Ham and West Brom, it would be playing in Europe in 2013-14, instead of living off in the peripheries of qualification.

A final worry for Brendan Rodgers which he needs to rectify heading into 2013-14 is Liverpool’s fate in Cup competitions. Having made the finals of both the FA Cup and Carling Cup under Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool humiliatingly bowed out far too soon in both competitions in 2012-13 against less favored oppositions.

Brendan Rodgers

What Liverpool has done to improve:

Brendan Rodgers took a laudable stand on the speculations arising if Luis Suarez is to stay at or depart from Liverpool. His affluence to repeatedly state the club is always greater than the player and that they player has to honour the loyalty at the club earned him much adulation from the fans.

In the transfer window, Liverpool management was quick in signing Kolo Toure as the experienced candidate to replace Jamie Carragher in the lineup. Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto were also brought in from the shores of Spain to add flair to the “tiki-taka” formation that the Liverpool manager has instilled at the club.

A purchase that did raise doubts at first, Simon Mignolet was signed as Pepe Reina’s sought after replacement – In spite of that, the Belgian shot-stopper has settled into the squad with good showings in pre-season, where he looked composed in handling set pieces and one on one duels.

Key players for Liverpool:

Liverpool’s stellar performer in 2013-14 was Luis Suarez as he managed to stay in the limelight both for his performances and antics. With that being said, the Uruguayan will be the go to man backed up by Iago Aspas and Daniel Sturridge in the forward roles.

Daniel Agger will be the soldering force at the back four, having just been appointed as the club vice captain. A favourite amongst the Kop, the centre back will be easing into a more attacking defender role as the team has a settled Kolo Toure to guard the fortress in defence.

Steven Gerrard signed a contract extension in the summer that will keep him at the club beyond his 35^th birthday. Last season, the skipper showed glimpses of his eulogized talent after enduring an injury ridden 2012-13 campaign.

This year, he will want to play a key role in attack by holding onto the ball and setting up plays as the holding midfielder or a make shift winger in the 4-3-3 or 4-1-2-3 formation. To partner him, will be another one of Liverpool’s key players: Lucas Leiva, whose chance to earn a call up for Brazil 2014 will motivate him to perform at his best.

Arguably, the most important player in the Liverpool squad is another Brazilian named Philippe Coutinho. In the preseason games, Coutinho was instrumental in the seven victories with numerous flashes of brilliance and trickery with his crafty feet. He will also be the club’s replacement for Gerrard at the CAM role, should he be employed there by Brendan Rodgers.

Ideal formation:

With the current set of players, Liverpool’s line up in the 4-3-3 will look like:

Mignolet

Johnson, Toure, Agger, Enrique

Allen/Henderson, Lucas,Gerrard

Coutinho, Aspas, Sturridge

If Brendan Rodgers reverts back to a 4-1-2-3, then:

Mignolet

Johnson, Toure, Agger, Enrique

Lucas/Allen

Gerrard, Coutinho

Aspas, Sturridge, Henderson

Where they would like to finish:

Liverpool’s ambition for the upcoming years is to be in the reckoning of Europe’s elite clubs by plying its trade in the Champions League. Finishing fourth or above in the EPL table might seem far-fetched at the moment, but that is where Liverpool would like to finish in 2013-14.

This summer Rogers strengthened the squad in domains all over the pitch. The team would be less fancied to go behind ceaselessly in games against easier oppositions. However, it remains to be seen if this current group of players are good enough to salvage the elusive top four spot for Liverpool.

Liverpool’s closest rivals to the top four spot in 2013-14 will be Arsenal and Tottenham. While the former has been faintly active in the transfer window, the Spurs have gone all guns blazing in successfully attracting lucrative talents from Europe to North London.

If Liverpool can start off 2013-14 by remaining within the top six places by the end of December, it is remotely possible for the Reds to usurp the fourth spot in EPL table from both Arsenal and Tottenham. The club has to begin its season by snagging maximum points, and especially for that to happen, Anfield will have to remain a fortress.

In the Cup competitions, Liverpool fans will want Rodgers to make deep runs in both domestic tournaments given the club is not involved in 2013-14. The squad is young but adequately experienced in the domestic front to be betted on to make an appearance at Wembley in either the FA Cup or the League Cup.

Where Liverpool will actually finish:

Realism is more called for at Anfield than optimism. That is how Liverpool fans should take to the upcoming season.

Finishing above Arsenal managed by an astute and experienced Frenchman might be harder this season and with Tottenham likely to cling onto Gareth Bale, Liverpool will have to prioritize their interests to fight for the fifth spot.

In the Cup competitions, Liverpool will want to capitalize on its youth experience by at least reaching the Finals of either one of them. It would not be a surprise if they can repeat the wonders the team achieved in 2011-12 by reaching both finals, and winning at least one of them.

For 2013-14, I would reckon with Liverpool finishing at 5^th in the Premiership table, getting knocked off in the quarters of the League Cup while winning the FA Cup against Manchester United at Wembley.