Sports Ladder (28th January - 3 February)

UP - Team GB - For the first time since 1986 Great Britain have made it through to the quarter final of the Davis Cup after an outstanding display on the clay courts of San Diego. Despite a loss in the doubles the British contingent won all three singles matches to claim an unassailable 3-1 lead. The highlight was inevitably a superb five set victory for James Ward over Sam Querrey.

UP - Seattle Seahawks - Not only did the Seahawks win this years Superbowl but they crushed the Denver Broncos 43-8 on a cold night in New Jersey. The pre-match discussion revolved largely around the Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning who once again choked in a playoffs match. He has now lost 12 of 23 post-season games. Inconsistant.

UP - Atletico Madrid - Has La Liga turned from a two-horse race to a three-horse race? It certainly seems so! Atletico Madrid are currently leading La Liga for the first time since 1996 and with both Barcelona and Real Madrid slipping up at the weekend Atletico now hold a three point lead at the top. The in form Diego Costa has arguably been the best player in Spain this year.

UP - Women's Tour de France - Good news for female cycling as they finally have an event in the Tour de France. On the final day the women will compete in a one day race to Champs Elysees. Described as a "game changer" for womens cycling who have not had a Tour de France even since 2008. Perhaps we could have a double British winner?

UP - Zac Purchase - Worth mentioning the retirement of double Olympic medalist Zac Purchase. Purchase, 27, won a silver medal during his home Olympics in 2012 as well as a gold medal four years earlier in Beijing. A fantastic rower and an outstanding Olympian I wish him well in the rest of his career.

DOWN - Kolo Toure - Oops. Not the finest game of Kolo Toure's career. A horrific moment as he single-handidly gifted West Brom a point by passing the ball straight to Victor Anichebe. A moment of madness which Liverpool cannot afford if they wish to get back into Europe. Toure has hardly set the world on fire since his move from Manchester City and will need to do a lot more to prove himself to the fans now.

DOWN - Andy Flower - Despite spending months claiming he would not step down Andy Flower has gone more or less full u-turn and resigned this week. Probably for the best after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash. The resignation came after new managing director Paul Dowton decided he wanted one coach to cover all formats instead of different coaches as it is at the moment. Looks like this flower hasn't blossomed.

DOWN - Kim Kallstrom - On Deadline Day in the summer Arsene Wenger signed Mesut Ozil to the delight of Arsenal fans. This January Deadline Day he signed Kim Kallstrom on loan to slightly less delight. This small quantity of delight completely disappeared the next day when it emerged he will be out for around a month after arriving at the club injured, even though he managed to complete his medical. Awkward.

DOWN - Barcelona and Real Madrid - It is extremely rare to find a weekend where Barcelona lose a League match. It is even more rare to find out where Real Madrid also fail to win. Yet that is exactly what happened this weekend as they collected just one point between them, leaving Atletico Madrid as the solo front runners. Could there be a new winner for the first time in ten years?

DOWN - Sebastian Vettel/Red Bull - You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would suggest Sebastian Vettel has not been the best driver in Formula One over the last few years. However, this weeks pre-season testing would suggest that perhaps his reign is coming to an end. Issues with the reliability of the car have left him and the team leaps and bounds behind their rivals before the season starts in March.

Premier League Preview: Liverpool

Last year was largely a season of transition for Liverpool. With the introduction of Brendan Rodgers at the start of the year, the season had few objectives other than a solid first season. This was achieved and, although Liverpool did not qualify for European football, a solid 7th place will provide a strong platform going into this season.

Off the back of the extremely successful January signing of Philipe Coutinho, Rodgers has again delved successfully into the depths of the transfer market, signing two attacking Spaniards, Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas. He also signed Kolo Toure, a player with a wealth of experience, on a free transfer and perhaps most impressively, Simon Mignolet, one of the League's best up-and-coming goalkeepers. The one bizarre transfer was the loan signing of loyal Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina to Napoli. With the signing of Mignolet it is understandable but it still seems an odd choice to alienate one of the more loyal Liverpool players.

After a largely successful pre-season, Rodgers will be looking to press on and target a spot in Europe next season. It will be tough but I think Liverpool will certainly be much closer to a European spot than they have been the last few seasons. The rest of Liverpool's summer will obviously revolve around the Luis Suarez transfer saga but I think Liverpool will improve regardless of whether he stays or goes, as they have enough quality in the squad.

Key Man: Steven Gerrard - The Liverpool veteran, despite being past his peak, is still pivotal to the Liverpool set-up. His leadership and influence as a Captain cannot be understated and he still has a wicked right foot. Moving into his sixteenth year at Liverpool he will be looking to win a trophy this season, after not winning one (League Cup in 2012 aside) for seven years.

One to Watch: Philippe Coutinho - The young playmaker was exceptional when bought by Rodgers in January and, at only 21, the Brazilian can only get better. He is a traditional Brazilian, with exceptional technique as well as supreme vision and an eye for goal. He has continued his form into pre-season and will certainly be one of the players of the season if he can keep it up.

Best Summer Signing: Iago Aspas - Although Mignolet is a fantastic signing it is the intriguing signing of Aspas that caught my attention. After scoring four goals in pre-season and with wantaway striker Luis Suarez half way out of the door at Liverpool, could the Spaniard be the man to replace him?

Last Season: 7th

Pre-Season Prediction: 6th - Liverpool to triumph over Everton but narrowly lose out to Tottenham and Arsenal.