Part 5: English Premier League Season Preview and Predictions
Liverpool
Liverpool have been at the wrong end of almost every football related joke that has been made over the past couple of months. The reason for this is the fact that the Anfield team managed to finish in what appears to be an all time low finish in the past decade or so. Liverpool finished at the seventh position, finishing below the top 4 after years.
Most experts analyzed the team’s performance and claimed that, there was no motivation amongst the players. The players seemed to be running on zero and were on the pitch just for the sake of being there and nothing more.
When star players like Fernando Torres got injured, they had no immediate replacements for him and had to resort to players like David N’Gog to fill in the empty space left by the player.
The team’s former manager Rafa Benitez blamed Liverpool owners for the teams’ poor performance. He was not given the appropriate spending money that he required to sign players and in the end had to resort to selling his star players to try and bring new blood to Anfield. The biggest shock was the sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. His departure left the fans of the club feeling very confused and disappointed.
Rafa Benitez felt he couldn’t take the team any further with the way things were being handled by the officials at Anfield and hence decided to move to Inter Milan instead. Roy Hodgson was appointed as his replacement however there was still a lot of doubt for the teams’ coming season.
The new season for the team was surrounded by many questions. Will Fernando Torres and Gerrard be fit enough to play the entire season? Will Roy Hodgson prove to be a worthy replacement to Rafa Benitez? Will the team manage to make it to the Champions League? Who will be the owners of the club at the end of the summer transfer window?
In the opening game against Arsenal, Torres managed to make a second half cameo mainly due to the fact that he got injured during the World Cup finals. Gerrard however seemed to be fit and it appeared as though the extra performances that he was putting in for England didn’t have any negative effects on his health or fitness.
Roy Hodgson managed to draw his opening game against Arsenal, even though Liverpool were down to ten man for most parts of the match. This proves that the manager possesses the right kind of mentality to steer the team forward. He even acknowledged that making the Champions League was one of his top priorities for the coming season and for that cause, he bought and sold a number of players.
The players that were sold over the summers were, David Martin, Mikel San Jose, Robbie Threlfall, Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera. The players that he brought in are, Joe Cole, Jonjo Shelvey, Milan Jovanovic, Danny Wilson and Christian Poulsen.
It appears as though Liverpool is finally on the right track and could do much better than they did last season. The biggest change at the club so far has been the inclusion of Joe Cole. His addition to the squad led to Gerrard and Torres stating that they wished to stay at the club for at least another season. This leads many to believe that Hodgson is well aware of how to handle things at the club.
The biggest question however still remains as to who will be in charge of the team at the end of the transfer window. There have been numerous bids for the team but no one has claimed to show any determination or drive to purchase the club.
Experts believe that no matter who takes over the club, Liverpool can easily push for the top four position. They can even manage to do so with the current squad that they posses. If Torres can remain fit, then their cause will be given a positive push in the right direction. Liverpool have always been successful in the domestic cup matches and experts believe this season will be no different. They might even shock every one and go on to lift the Europa Cup. However anything can happen in the near future and every one will just have to wait and see how Liverpool performs in the coming months.
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