After exceeding expectations and coming within whisker of a first title in over two decades, Brendan Rodgers has evolved by strengthening in defence and adding much depth to deal with a return to the Champions League.
What happened last season
Brendan Rodgers had his team playing the most swashbuckling brand of high-octane football, built on an intense press and rapid attack.
It was a sight to behold and took the club to within a few weeks of a first title since 1989/90.
Of course the 31 league goals of Luis Suarez was the foundation for much of this football and success, but he wasn’t the only one flourishing.
Rodgers’ nurturing touch instilled so much confidence into his troops that we saw the emergence of Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho into top-class attackers, while Jordan Henderson and Steve Gerrard were possessed in midfield.
Defence proved a headache for much of the season (Liverpool conceded 50 goals), but we still saw some encouraging progress from Jon Flanagan and Mamadou Sakho, and the odd great game from Simon Mignolet.
Despite the defensive issues, such was the belief in Rodgers’ proactive approach that his team would simply out-score opponents. At one point they put together a thrilling 12-game winning streak.
It was mental strength not seen at Anfield for years.
One of the interesting aspects was the way in which Rodgers adjusted his troops and game-plan, varying between a back three and four, playing with a midfield diamond, two screening midfielders in a 4-2-3-1, or playing with a midfield three.
Flexibility was clearly at the core.
Given the aim was to make the top four and qualify for the Champions League, it was a season of exceeded expectation, but given they got so close to the long-coveted prize, it was also tinged with disappointment.
In the backdrop remained the memory of the 96 lives lost at Hillsborough, poignantly honoured throughout the season.
What happened in the off-season
The big news, of course, surrounded the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, and while there’s no doubt his influence and goals will be severely missed, it also comes with the relief of knowing he won’t implode again for Liverpool, as he did in Brazil.
For all his outrageous quality, and I’ve not seen a better player in Liverpool red, the fact he was so high maintenance was no doubt a distraction for Rodgers.
For now the manager has been concentrating on building the depth of his squad and adding the pieces he thinks can help Liverpool deal with the various fronts they will face thanks to the return of Champions League football to Anfield.
Initially the off-season focus appeared to be in the front third, and dealing with the loss of Suarez by adding more options. That saw Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert come in from Southampton, and young Serbian attacker Lazar Markovic come from Benfica.
While Rodgers may have paid a little over the odds for Lallana, he’s a player I’ve long admired and should flourish in the technical and quick-transition Rodgers blueprint.
Markovic, looks the type of quick, ball-carrying attacker that should also complement Liverpool’s swagger.
Importantly, both Markovic and Lallana have the technique to play in front of any team that decides to park the bus.
Lambert, meanwhile, is the type Rodgers will look to use as a plan B, when he needs a direct-cross approach late in games or requires a more physical presence in the odd tough game away to lower placed sides.
While Liverpool are yet to capture a big-name replacement for Suarez, at this stage the manager has added to the front third numbers, and each look like they can each do a job and share the goal-scoring burden.
Apart from the additional capture of adaptable midfielder Emre Can from Bayer Leverkusen, the focus in more recent times has been the defence, and Rodgers looks to have done a great job of strengthening there.
Dejan Lovren was his prize capture, with Rodgers making little secret that he becomes his main defender. The manager sees him as an organiser, a dominant physical presence in both boxes, and a comfortable user of the ball, with both feet.
He can be expected to form a formidable presence with Sakho, who impressed last season and particularly at the World Cup.
Fullback was a problem area for Liverpool last season and to that end Rodgers has brought in two Spanish-based players in Javier Manquillo (right) and Alberto Moreno (left), suggesting that they are the type of fullbacks that like to get close to attackers and block crosses, and are comfortable coming forward.
For once, Liverpool has a manager who appears able to identify an issue and find a solution, and his evolutionary work in the off-season has been impressive.
Why Liverpool’s fans should be excited about the 2014/15 season
The big word is depth, and to expand on it, more quality depth. With more games in the schedule, Rodgers has covered his bases well and clearly looks to be evolving the squad, and taking the club forward.
To give you an example, he now has no less than three right fullbacks (Glen Johnson, Manquillo and Martin Kelly) and three left backs (Moreno, Jose Enrique and Flanagan).
In central defence, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger, Kolo Toure and Sebastian Coates back up Lovren and Sakho.
In the centre of midfield, Rodgers knows he can call on Joe Allen and Lucas if he has to rest Gerrard, Henderson or Can.
It’s no less light up front, with Lambert, Lallana, Jordan Ibe and Suso ready to back-up Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge and Markovic.
Rodgers summed it up best this week: “The pleasing thing is I can make changes and still feel we are strong, which hasn’t been the case since I have been here.”
The main man that can carry Liverpool’s 2014/15 hopes
I’m looking forward to seeing just how much this team and players like Ibe, Can, Markovic, Lallana and Suso can evolve and flourish under Rodgers.
We saw last season how he persevered patiently with Sterling in the first half of the season and how the kid exploded from the midway point. The thought of him doing the same with Ibe and the like excites.
Rodgers is clearly building a system and style that is greater than any one player. In that sense, the manager is clearly the main man, but on the field he is building his base of leaders that can step up and own the team.
Gerrard has been the main driving force for an eternity and is getting on, so some of the team’s leadership, I sense, will be passed on to Lovren and Henderson. They are key players in Liverpool’s season.
But in terms of allowing the team’s attack to flourish, a motivated and fresh Coutinho (how Scolari could have used him in Brazil) looks in sparkling form, and the hope for Liverpool fans is he can take the next step and add a few goals to all the flourish and flow.
Verdict – Fighting to retain Champions League status
The significant strengthening by Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham means that this year’s title race will be even more competitive than last season’s thriller.
There’s no doubt the likes of Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Manuel Pellegrini and Mauricio Pochettino will be coming up with plans to stop the rapid thrust of Sterling and Sturridge, so Rodgers will need to be even stronger and more adaptable than last season.
The other challenge for Liverpool is that, unlike last season, they are punching in more than one ring, so Rodgers will need to balance the flowing football with ensuring bodies and minds remain fresh and motivated.
The fact he has added more quality depth in all the areas, particularly in defence, means Liverpool are in a better position to handle these multiple fronts.
Yet, while Rodgers has built a stronger all-round squad, the strength elsewhere and the addition of Champions League football means Liverpool would do very well to stay among the top few.
Liverpool FC side to compete in 2014/15
Goalkeeper: (1) Brad Jones, (22) Simon Mignolet.Defender: (5) Daniel Agger, (35) Conor Coady, (16) Sebastian Coates, (38) Jon Flanagan, (26) IIori, (2) Glen Jackson, (3) Jose Enrique, (34) Martin Kelly, (6) Dejan Lovren, (na) Manquillo, (43) Ryan McLaughlin, (17) Mamadou Sakho, (37) Martin Skrtel, (Kolo Toure).
Midfield: (24) Joe Allen, (23) Emre Can, (10) Coutinho, (8) Steven Gerrard, (14) Jordan Henderson, (20) Adam Lallana, (21) Lucas Leiva, (na) Lazar Markovic, (31) Raheem Sterling, (30) Suso.
Forwards: (40) Krisztian Adorjan, (11) Oussama Assaidi, (29) Fabio Borini, (33) Jordan Ibe, (9) Rickie Lambert, (15) Daniel Sturridge, (36) Samed Yesil.
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