When people talk about the big teams in the Barclays Premier League, the majority will still include Liverpool as a member of the so-called 'big four' of English soccer. But when you look at their final position in the Premier League, you will see this is not a tag Liverpool have earned on the field over the last few years.
The fact is Liverpool have not finished in the top four since 2009. That is one of the main reasons that, for the fourth straight year, Liverpool will begin the 2012-13 Premier League season with a new manager.
Brendan Rodgers surprised everyone with the job he did at Swansea and now his focus will be on trying to help Liverpool improve on their struggling league form of the last few seasons. The new man has handled himself impressively in the press since taking over, and his style of play should endear him to Liverpool fans.
Liverpool's fan base wants a team that can compete for a Premier League title, yet a much more realistic goal is to try to get that all important fourth spot to ensure Champions League play in 2013-14. If Rodgers does manage to lead Liverpool to a fourth-place finish, then real progress will have been made this season.
Rodgers’ first two signings, Fabio Borini and Joe Allen, are players that Rodgers has worked with in the past that fit into the 4-3-3 system he wants to use. The signings may not be as high profile as some Liverpool fans would like but they show Rodgers' clear idea of how he wants his team to function.
But Liverpool faces a tough start to their Premier League season, as their first five fixtures include clashes with Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City. If they can pick up points in these matches then it could set the Reds up for a good season; if they struggle early on it will be very interesting to see how much patience the fans and owners have with their new manager.
Rodgers inherits a defensive unit that, on paper, gives the side a good platform to build from. Pepe Reina has been one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League over the last few seasons. His form dipped last season that some people are suggesting Liverpool need to bring in a strong number two to put pressure on the Spanish netminder.
Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger are a strong central defensive pairing although the injury prone Agger may be sold to Manchester Ciy before the season begins to raise funds for other signings. If Agger leaves, Liverpool will need to enter the transfer market to replace the Danish footballer. Quite frankly, Jamie Carragher’s best days are certainly behind him and possible replacement Sebastian Coates is still unproven Premier League.
Glen Johnson was one of Liverpool’s star performers last year and provides an attacking threat from right back, with Martin Kelly a very capable backup. Jose Enrique started his Liverpool career well but a dip in form towards the end of last season means that he may come under pressure from academy product Jack Robinson for a place in the starting lineup.
A big plus for Rodgers is that Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva has returned to full fitness and will add a little more quality to a midfield that relied too much on the likes of Jay Spearing and Jordan Henderson last season. Despite being the wrong side of 30, Steven Gerrard also missed a lot of games last year through injury which also contribued to the team's results.
Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez recently committed his long-term future to Liverpool and Rodgers is expected to build his attacking three around the striker. He has become a crowd favorite at Anfield and is considered one of the top strikers in English football, although he needs to be more prolific in front of goal if Liverpool is to be successful this year.
Rodgers will also need a healthy return of goals from the likes of Borini and the largely disappointing Stewart Downing to help ease the goalscoring burden on the little Uruguayan. Raheem Sterling may also see some playing time this year but the youngster may still may be a year or two away from challenging for a regular place in the starting XI. Liverpool also has record signing Andy Carroll to call upon but if preseason is anything to go by, the England striker is not part of Rodgers’ plans for this campaign.
Liverpool have a core of real quality players with the likes of Johnson, Agger, Gerrard, Lucas and Suarez more than capable of holding their own against the best in the Premier League. If this core group can remain fit, Liverpool has a fighting chance of a top-four finish.
But Liverpool’s lack of strength in depth was exposed last year as the side struggled to compete when Lucas and Gerrard spent extended spells on the sidelines. Charlie Adam and Spearing may be solid professionals but you just can’t see Liverpool living up to their fans’ lofty expectations with these two running their midfield. One odd fact: at no time last season did Agger, Suarez, Gerrard and Lucas all set foot on the field at the same time for Liverpool.
Rodgers has shown himself to be a bright young manager and Liverpool have enough quality to improve on last year’s league position. Yet, they do not have enough to overtake the likes of Spurs and Arsenal in the battle for a top-four finish. Take this to the bank: Liverpool will end up sixth.
