2013/14 EPL season preview: Liverpool

After the rebuilding exercise that was last season, Liverpool have enough depth to get closer to the action this time around, but must prove they have the mentality to do a job without the ball.

What happened last season
After the disastrous spending and football of Kenny Dalglish, and the dire reign under Roy Hodgson prior to that, last season was very much about rebuilding under a new manager trying to return Liverpool to the days they could realistically expect to challenge both domestically and in Europe.

Dalglish took Liverpool back to bygone era in terms of playing style, and Brendan Rodgers, in just one season, has proved he is well down the path to undoing that damage.

Overall it was a season of vast improvement at Anfield in terms of the quality of football, testified by the fact they scored 24 more goals than the previous campaign.

While a seventh-placed finish may have been a touch below par, the reality is that Rodgers was going through a massive re-engineering process both in terms of his squad and the way he wants them to play.

Out went the likes of Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam and instead of looking to get it wide and hit a big man in Carroll and play for second balls, Rodgers had them playing out from the back into a 4-3-3.

It was significant structural reform, and Rodgers, in the main, balanced the re-build well, adding more technical quality around his main asset, Luis Suarez.

While the gifted Uruguayan proved to be high maintenance, he was not Liverpool’s main problem last season.

Where Rodgers’ side fell down most often was against teams like Stoke City, who battered and bullied them with aerial ping-pong and exposed a physical weakness in central defence, midfield and goalkeeper.

While the second half of their season was as productive as any in the league, overall there were too many draws.

For all the brilliance of Suarez and later Philipe Coutinho, too often they would control possession, struggle to score, and be hit on the counter. Not ruthless enough.

What happened in the off-season
Apart from the on-going saga that has  been Suarez, Rodgers has added depth through the acquisition of two Spaniards, striker Iago Aspas and attacking midfielder Luis Alberto, adding to his creativity and goal-scoring threat.

At the back he has replaced the retiring Jamie Carragher with the experienced Kolo Toure, and made a change between the sticks, bringing in Simon Mingolet and sending Pepe Reina on loan.

Mignolet looks a good pick up and should add some quality to Liverpool’s distribution, as well as bringing aerial relief.

Rodgers has given his squad every chance to gel and be ready to start the season well with a bevy of warm-up games, including a wonderful four days in Melbourne.

The results and quality of football has been on the rise and catching the eye have been Aspas and Steven Gerrard, while Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva have been in great form in midfield.

Meanwhile, Jordan Ibe has impressed out wide, seemingly enough to convince Rodgers to sell Stewart Downing.

With Suarez looking likely to stay on after completing his 10-match biting ban due to the lack of suitors, Rodgers is confident he can get him focussed.

Why Liverpool fans should be excited about the 2013/14 season
While limited by how much he has to spend, Rodgers continues to build a squad and system able to withstand the rigours of such a demanding season.

Liverpool will always look to dominate and play positive, flowing football and Rodgers now appears to have his players well in tune with the demands of the system, and has more options to throw at it.

The big question continues to hang over Suarez, but Rodgers has built a squad that now has a number of creative and goal-scoring threats in Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Aspas, with Alberto, Ibe and Sterling lending support.

The main man that can carry Liverpool’s 2013/14 hopes

While Rodgers is very much trying to build a system that isn’t so heavily reliant on individuals, there’s no doubt he still needs front third quality to compete with the big guns.

In the back half of last season Philippe Coutinho proved, with his wonderful weight of passing what a great pick-up he was.

Hitting the ground running, he looked equally at home either in the number 10 role or out on the left, and his combination with Sturridge, when Suarez was absent, was a seamless.

Coutinho is clever enough in that he allows Liverpool to go quickly on the counter or break down a sitting defence, and has the added motivation of pushing for a spot in Brazil’s World Cup squad.

Aspas, Sturridge and Suarez would do well to be on their toes whenever Coutinho is on the ball.

Verdict – Fighting for a European spot
Overall the squad appears to have more depth but is still at least a quality central defender and attacker short of pushing the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Instead, if they can start the season as they finished the last one, they should be able to battle the likes Tottenham and Arsenal for positions 4-6.   

While much hinges on what happens  with Suarez and whether he is motivated to contribute, Rodgers can also expect goal and assist contributions from the likes of Aspas, Sturridge, Fabio Borini and Coutinho.

One of Rodgers’ biggest challenges is to ensure his side aren’t touched-up by physical strikers like Christian Benteke or teams like West Ham, or picked off easily on the counter.

Liverpool are far from the finished product, but have had an excellent 2013, and there form augurs well.

Ultimately, they need to show the kind of mentality that allows them to consistently control opponents not only with the ball, but without it.

Liverpool will look to midfielder Joe Allen to lead the team this year.

Brendan Rodgers will look to further implement his possession-based philosophy at Liverpool.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard celebrates the opening goal during the 2013 pre-season tour match of Liverpool FC against Melbourne Victory at the MCG in Melbourne. (AAP Image/Mark Dadswell)