Last Season: 2ndPre-Season Prediction: 4th - With intelligent summer purchases squad depth has been increased and should see the Reds more than capably cope with the loss of Luis and the challenge of Champions League football.
At the start of last season you would have been hard-pressed to find a Liverpool fan disappointed with coming second in the League. Such was the manner of their season though, with 24 victories in a 26 game unbeaten run, that fans will have been heartbroken to see that infamous Gerrard slip against Chelsea which also saw their chances of a first Premier League title fade away. Nevertheless, after a period of reflection that disappointment can be pushed aside and the realisation that Rogers has instilled a sparking philosophy in this Liverpool side which should carry them forward for years to come is a major positive, as well as the fact that they are finally back in the Champions League.
However, there is a pretty large, teethy elephant in the room that I have neglected to mention so far. Luis Suarez. With 31 goals in the League last year and an ability to change a game with the flick of a boot, his departure to Barcelona leaves a monstrous hole at the front of this Liverpool side. Echoes of Bale's departure to Madrid seem in place as Liverpool have gone on a spending binge to fill this departure but there is notable more intelligence to the signings. Improvements have come across the park with Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic providing creative flair in the midfield whilst Rickie Lambert provides an alternative up top. Emre Can is a solid addition to bolster the center of the park whilst Dejan Lovren and Javier Manquillo provide a welcome boost to, what was a fairly leaky defense last season.
Despite this summer spree, Rogers insists that Reds are not done there and expects more signings to be brought in to ensure that Liverpool are able to have a large enough squad to fight in both the Champions League and the Premier League. The main priority is still to find a world class striker to replace Suarez, with Lambert at 32 not being able to fill that gap in the long term. Both Falcao and Cavani were on the radar but deals for either of them look unlikely so it will be interesting to see who Rogers turns to next. Alberto Moreno is another deal which looks set to go through as Liverpool seek to ensure they do not concede another 50 goals like last season, with the left-back being heavily linked with a transfer from Seville.
The main challenge of pre-season was the International Champions Cup which was relatively successful for the Merseyside club. Victories over Milan and Olympiakos and a penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester City saw them reach the final which they eventually lost to Manchester United. That said, a first team mauling of Borussia Dortmund a few days ago will have boosted the confidence of an already positive team and, on the whole, pre-season can be heralded as a great success.
The big question, is can Liverpool replicate their success without the talismanic Luis Suarez leading the line? I believe that the answer is yes, albeit in a different style. Last season there was a reliance on Suarez and co to outscore the opposition. With the signing of Lovren though, Rogers is clearly trying to address the defensive weakness of last season and the reduced quantity of goals from Suarez should be counteracted by this new defensive stability. Whether this will be the case remains to be seen but don't expect European football to have a major impact on Liverpool's season.
Key Man: Raheem Sterling - The loss of Suarez places greater emphasis on the striking capabilities of Daniel Sturridge but it will be his partner in crime who will need to make the step up to replace the Uruguayan. Sturridge has already proved he is a 20-goal-a-season man but Sterling needs to ensure he can provide the creativity lost up top. One of the few bright sparks in England's dismal World Cup run, Sterling has had a solid pre-season after terrorising Phil Jones in the ICC and will be hoping to make another step up in an already hugely promising career.
One to Watch: Emre Can - The pick of the youngsters signed this summer, Can is a powerful midfielder and long-term successor to Steven Gerrard. The 20-year-old has had a fantastic pre-season impressing fans and neutrals alike with his determination and physicality in the center of the park, most notably his well-documented brushing aside of Mario Balotelli [Below]. Liverpool have not had a truly outstanding defensive midfielder since the departure of Javier Mascherano, but with the right development, Can could easily fill that gap. Are we looking at one of the bargains of the season?
Best Summer Signing: Dejan Lovren - The major weakness of Liverpool last year was their vulnerability in defense. Martin Skrtel may have knocked in seven Premier League goals but was susceptible to a lack of concentration at the other end of the park. And with Daniel Agger seemingly falling out of favour with Brendan Rogers a trademark defender was needed to bring assurance to the back line. Lovren had a stellar debut season in the Premier League with Southampton and was quickly earmarked as the 'next Carragher'. In amongst a host of forward thinking signings, Lovren is likely to turn out to be the best.
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