With the 2015/16 English Premier League season a matter of weeks away, Richard Jolly provides his thoughts on each of the 20 teams and predicts their final league finish. Here he looks at Liverpool.
If Liverpool did not end last season in crisis, they were not far off. Their only wins in the last nine games came against the hapless pair of Newcastle and QPR. They finished with a 6-1 thrashing at Stoke, their heaviest defeat for 52 years. Raheem Sterling laid the path for his acrimonious departure, assistant manager Colin Pascoe and first-team coach Mike Marsh were sacked and it surprised some that Brendan Rodgers escaped the same punishment. Yet Liverpool have been swift, decisive and firm in acting. They held out for a huge fee for Sterling and brought in £49 million (Dh279.5m). They made seven signings, seeing off considerable competition to land James Milner and Danny Ings, and spent heavily on Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke. Yet if it gives an impression of positivity, Liverpool had so many problems last season that it will take a huge turnaround in fortunes for ambitions to be realised. Their strikers only mustered eight league goals – and with doubts how often Daniel Sturridge will feature, there is an onus on newcomers Ings and Benteke to prove prolific – while their defending left much to be desired at times and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet endured a torrid first half to the campaign. Now, after their spring failings, it is vital Liverpool consign last season to the past.
Key Man: James Milner – Handed the unenviable task of replacing Steven Gerrard but the unflappable Milner should cope. After transfer-market failures in recent years, Milner's arrival without a fee represented a rare success.
Pivotal Signing: Roberto Firmino – Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres apart, Liverpool's biggest buys have rarely succeeded. The £29 million Brazilian is the second most expensive player in their history and has to ensure Sterling is not missed.
Crucial Factor: The start. Liverpool begin by visiting Stoke, where they lost 6-1 in May. By the end of October, they will have faced five of last season's top seven, plus had a Merseyside derby. There is the potential for things to go very wrong.
Prediction: 5
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