'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQb/2gAIAQEAAAAAgDf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAB//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAGf/xAAeEAACAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMFAAQREhNBYf/aAAgBAQABPwCO+rq+nhgtNWTahmjD1+552WRFEkgZmTjqT2Jx7kq7LFZbSRg8Kr6cLMB9PvP/xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAv/aAAgBAgEBPwCn/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAD/9oACAEDAQE/ABohf//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
“A miss is as good as a mile”. This holds true for Liverpool’s 2013-14 campaign in the Premier League where the team had their destiny in their own hands, but saw it slip away as they narrowly missed out on winning their 19th league title.Luis Suarez, the chief architect of a largely successful last season for the club, has moved on to Barcelona, and the onus will be on other players to step up and continue the good work at the club.We look at five players whose performances will have a major role in the club’s fortunes in the upcoming season.
#5 Simon Mignolet
The tall Belgian goalkeeper joined Liverpool from Sunderland last summer, and made an instant impact as he saved a penalty in the closing stages of the team’s opening game of the 2013-14 season to ensure a 1-0 win against Stoke City.
Though Mignolet was ever-present in Liverpool’s campaign in which they finished a close second and made some solid saves, question marks were raised about his goalkeeping after conceding a series of goals off shots he should have stopped. Critics also pointed out to his poor ball distribution skills which often led to good opportunities for quick counter-attacks being wasted. His ball distribution success rate last season was just 58% and because this aspect of play is core to the playing style of Rodgers’s Liverpool, Mignolet will want to improve this statistic.
There have been some rumours recently that the Liverpool management isn’t fully convinced by Mignolet’s skills, but in the present circumstances, he is set to start the season as the team’s number one goalkeeper. He will look for a better return of clean sheets, after managing just 10 from the 38 matches last season.
One big factor in Mignolet’s favour is that the talented keeper is still only 26 years old, which is relatively a young age for a goalkeeper, and he will look to improve and develop his game further. Liverpool fans will hope for a solid season from the Belgian, as a reliable goalkeeper is often the foundation for a team’s success, and the onus will be on Mignolet to perform and deliver.
Buy the new 2014/15 kit here
#4 Steven Gerrard
The team’s talismanic captain and their mainstay for over a decade, Gerrard will be well accustomed to being among the most important players (often the most important) for Liverpool every season. Though at the age of 34, he isn’t getting any younger, and his game doesn’t involve much of his trademark bursts into the opposition penalty box and goals, he still has a crucial role to play for the side.
The versatile player, who has probably played at every role bar those of centre-back and goalkeeper, settled very comfortably at the quarter-back position last season, and his performances were a major reason for the team’s good showing. He scored 13 goals (including many calmly taken penalties) and had an average pass accuracy of 86%, setting up attacks from the midfield.
While the limelight has been grabbed by the emergence of youngsters at Liverpool, Gerrard’s role will continue to be important, as he will be needed to lead the team by example during the matches, and also mentor the youngsters on and off the field.
With Gerrard retiring from international football, the England team’s loss will be Liverpool’s gain as he can focus solely on his hometown club. After the much mocked slip against Chelsea (and the subsequent squandering of a golden opportunity to win the title) was followed by a very forgettable World Cup in Brazil, Gerrard has admitted that he was hurting, and there won’t be a better way for the player to redeem himself by putting the disappointments behind and having another excellent season for Liverpool.
Buy the new 2014/15 kit here
#3 Raheem Sterling
Such has the rapid development of Sterling at Liverpool as he has cemented himself in the team, that it is hard to believe that the player is still only 19 years old. The youngster, who initially played on either wing, has been gradually increasingly deployed in a more central role by Rodgers, and we can look for more of the same in the coming season. With the departure of Luis Suarez from the club, it won’t be a surprise if Sterling is played in a more advanced position to link up with Daniel Sturridge in attack.
While Liverpool’s inability to sign players like Willian and Yevhen Konoplyanka caused a lot of heartburn for the fans, it ultimately proved to be a blessing-in-disguise, as the lack of attacking options forced Rodgers to play Sterling more often that he would have initially wanted to. And the teenager didn’t disappoint as he formed a strong attacking team with Suarez and Sturridge.
After being linked to a loan move away from the club last summer before a change of heart from the manager, Sterling went on to appear in 33 league matches in the 203-14 season, scoring 9 goals and creating many scoring chances, which were regularly converted into goals by Suarez and Sturridge.
After an impressive show in the pre-season games this summer, Sterling will look to continue his good form into the new season and will look to be among the players at the top of the leaderboard for goals and assists.
Buy the new 2014/15 kit here
#2 Dejan Lovren
A major reason for Liverpool’s good show last season was the fact that the attack often compensated for the defensive lapses. While Brendan Rodgers will be keen to continue the goal scoring form of the team, he will certainly want the defence to tighten up and perform much better.
For this, it had been widely expected that there would be changes in personnel in the defence. But when it emerged that despite availability of some more illustrious names, the club’s preferred choice was Croatian Dejan Lovren, it raised a few eyebrows. The fact that the club was willing to shell out £20 million to Southampton to get Lovren’s services showed how keen they were to get their target.
After signing for Southampton last summer from Lyon, Lovren impressed everyone with his solid defending, before ankle ligament damage brought a premature end to his season. But his efforts didn’t go unnoticed and he was named at 31st position overall and 5th among EPL players in the Bloomberg Sports’ Power List which provides statistical rankings of players from Europe’s top five leagues.
After the dismal defensive record last season, the Liverpool management have identified Lovren as the answer to tackle the problem and he is certain to start at the centre of the defence for Liverpool in the coming season. He has been tipped by Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher to take on a leadership role and the responsibility of organizing the defence. Only 25 years old, Lovren has all the traits to go on and emulate Carragher at the club, and will look to make instant impact in his first season.
Buy the new 2014/15 kit here
#1 Daniel Sturridge
With his last season’s strike partner Luis Suarez now gone to Barcelona, the onus of continuing the goal-scoring will be on Sturridge. The SAS duo scored an incredible 52 goals between them in the previous season, with Sturridge contributing 21 of them. The void left behind by Suarez and the inability of the club to find a suitable replacement for him has meant that Sturridge will have to step up and take on the mantle of the lead striker.
Liverpool have a tradition of having prolific strikers at the club leaving for new challenges, but each time a new player has emerged to ensure that the goals don’t dry up. In fact, Sturridge has excelled previously in Suarez’s absence, as he scored 11 goals from 10 games in which the Uruguayan was banned after biting Branislav Ivanovic. Rodgers will be hoping more of the same from Sturridge in the 2014-15 season.
At least one more new striker is expected to be added to the squad before the transfer window closes, but whoever comes in and whatever formation the team plays, Sturridge will be central to the Liverpool attack. With the team participating in the Champions League this season, the England striker will have the opportunity to showcase his skills among the best in Europe, and he will be eager to prove his consistency in the Premier League.
With his pace, movement and ability to score goals, in addition to him now being the focal point of the attack, Sturridge can look forward to continuing his rich goal-scoring form, and help Liverpool enjoy another successful season.
Buy the new 2014/15 kit here
