After finishing a close second to Manchester City last season, many a Liverpool fan would say that they should now begin conjuring up a real force in order to start challenging for the title, not only over the coming season, but for the many seasons that will follow. Who can blame them after the unbelievable year they’ve had?
However, with the recent sale of Luis Suárez to Spanish giants, Barcelona, it is no doubt that the manager, Brendan Rodgers, is going to have to get hold of someone with something a little bit special in order for them to compete as well as they did last year. On the other hand, it is also true that many of Liverpool’s problems last season came from defensive errors that should have been more organised, and it could be said that by simply sorting out the defence, a lot of their problems would disappear. This strategy would mean that despite losing their main man, Luis Suárez, as long as they still hit 70-80 goals in a season and lessen their number of goals conceded, they could still be in with a very good shout of winning the Premier League.
With £75m to spend, if Brendan Rodgers did choose to make some additions in order to replace the goals lost from the little Uruguayan, he wouldn’t be strapped for cash. With recent rumours involving players such as Wilfried Bony and Marco Reus, Liverpool could be set to bring in some real quality, even if it means offering more than the player in question is worth, which is something they have done in the past, after all. Exhibit A: Andy Carroll. With that said, perhaps many a Liverpool fan wouldn’t be too upset with over-offering (within reason) for a player with the ability of Marco Reus if it meant his move to Anfield was secured. At the end of the day, they’ve got the money.
After qualifying for the Champions League this year after so many years without it, it is safe to say that the minimum objective that Liverpool players and fans would allow would be to consistently achieve 4th place, (or above, of course). Anything lower than 4th place would leave many loyal scousers feeling very disappointed. However, with the usual ‘top four’ teams being stretched out into more of a top six, the upcoming season may prove even more hectic for the teams higher up the table. Even the teams lower down cannot be trusted, and often pull out an unbelievable victory against the league leaders every now and again. In the Premier League, no one is safe.
Also, with Steven Gerrard’s retirement drawing ever closer, everybody will be keeping their fingers crossed for their first League title for over 2 decades. The skipper’s dedication and commitment to the club is something that should be highly respected and appreciated, especially with loyalty becoming rarer and rarer in modern day football. It is no doubt that if somebody deserves it, its Steven Gerrard.
Lastly, in terms of the Champions League, Liverpool fans would want their team to go all-out with a ‘no holds barred’ approach to the competition that they have thoroughly bossed throughout their history. The 5 stars prove it. The minimum expectation would probably be to get through the group stages and begin picking up some speed in order to push them through each coming game. A realistic aim would be to reach the quarter-finals, and let’s be honest, reaching the last eight in a competition that they’ve been absent from for so many years isn’t bad going.