As Liverpool enter their second consecutive season without Champions League football, there remains a fresh sense of optimism on Merseyside that seems to have carried over from where they left off at the end of last season. The return of King Kenny at Anfield triggered such optimism, and the signings of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll not only softened the blow of losing Fernando Torres to Chelsea, but signalled an intent to try and get Liverpool back in to the Premier League’s top four. Liverpool finished the season in sixth place, and after a start to the campaign that saw Roy Hodgson out of a job, many Liverpool fans will have been content with this kind of finish.
This summer transfer window has seen a number of changes at Liverpool with Dalglish’s priority of strengthening his midfield evident from the outset. The likes of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, and Stewart Downing had all completed their moves to Liverpool by mid-July, and despite a relatively poor pre-season, these players appear to have adjusted well in their new surroundings. Liverpool have taken 7 points from their opening three league games, but their performances away at Arsenal and at home to Bolton have already provided reason to believe that this current crop of players are a force to be reckoned with.
Both Henderson and Adam opened their goal scoring accounts against Bolton on the weekend, and Luis Suarez has continued to impress the Liverpool faithful after showing glimpses of his ability on the back end of last season. The only concerns that some fans may have will lie in the impact that Andy Carroll is yet to make at Anfield, though Dalglish has suggested that the club may have rushed his recovery from injury last season, and the £35m striker has been tipped by the Scotsman to prove his worth over this campaign.
Dalgish has the depth and strength of a squad certainly capable of a top four finish, and if anything, will be hoping to offload some of his fringe players before the transfer window slams shit at 11pm on Wednesday. Having brought in two forwards, three midfielders, a full-back, and a goalkeeper since taking over in January, the Liverpool boss is expected to end his spree with the signing of Uruguayan centre-back Sebastien Coates in the next 24 hours.
While most Liverpool fans would be satisfied with a top-four finish come May, there are undoubtedly some who are already dreaming of being crowned champions of England for the first time since 1990 – and if these first three games of the season are an indication of what is to come at Anfield, one can hardly blame them.
Liverpool have already been tipped to finish in the top four alongside Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City. While the other three sides will be competing on both a domestic and European front, Liverpool did not even qualify for the Europa League this season, and so will be playing just once a week and having regular breaks between games which could prove to be crucial to their season. While both City and Untied have looked just as strong in their opening fixtures, when the Champions League campaign gets underway, and as fatigue and injuries begin to take their toll on first team players, Liverpool may be able to take advantage.
Chelsea, though they have also taken 7 points from their opening games, have looked far from convincing under new boss Andre-Villas Boas. Late goals against both West Brom and Norwich have kept his side’s unbeaten start to the campaign in tact, though it is clear there is still work to be done if they are to be serious title contenders. Liverpool, at the moment, will fancy their chances against any of the (predicted) top four, and after recent seasons in which they have struggled to come close to the likes of Manchester United or Chelsea, Dalglish’s players will be relishing the opportunity to compete at the very top of the table.
While fourth place remains to be the target for Dalglish, this could ultimately turn out to be a minimum expectation for the club as the season progresses. The championship may be out of reach this year, as new faces continue to adapt and defensive frailties may prove to be costly once more, however third place, or perhaps even second is not necessarily out of the question for this Liverpool side. Dalglish will be desperate to keep his players focused and unphased by any initial success, but for those optimistic fans in the Kop end, the dream of reclaiming the English championship is likely to live on for the foreseeable future – and until they see any different on the field, it’s probably fair enough.
Written by Thomas Kenny for FootballFancast.com. Where will Liverpool finish this season? Is 4th place really the limit for this side? Let me know your thoughts either below or @sixthofficial on Twitter!
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When you look at the previous season, Liverpool gathered more points from the top teams compared to the small struggling teams…if liverpool continues not to under estimate any team then they can possibly beat anyside in the premier league..we don’t have to to be afraid of the initial brilliant display which the Manchester clubs have shown so far, as for city they really ve big problems with defending so far and for united as we all know that united will drop points because any team that will be facing them will always look forward to a challedge so the only homework for Liverpool is to gather all the required points against the Low clubs and before you know it they could be toping the table as there team really seem to be balanced at the moment
I would have agreed if we had signed a decent striker and not sold Raul Meireles. now I’ll have to pray a bit harder which will be hard as I’m an atheist.