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The new season in the English Premier League has been a roller-costar ride so far, teams who were expected to be in midtable are sitting in Champions League spots while other expected title contenders are relegated to midtable. And one of the teams that have performed well above expectations is Liverpool. At the start of the season the Merseyside only dreamt of a top six finish but after nine games into the season, Liverpool has emerged and evolved into a team that all oppositions fear of. The fans have started to see a new dream of bringing the title to Anfield and the thing is they have all the signs to be positive. So here are the reasons why Liverpool could be title contenders or potential winners this season.
No European headaches
Liverpool fans would’ve cursed themselves when the team failed to find a spot in Europe, but that disappointment is going to become a big advantage this time around as the team will have less travels and more time to concentrate on the Premier League. While the lights of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United will be hit by the jostling schedule at one stage or the other, Liverpool will enjoy the luxury of keeping their players fresh and fit to dispose in the domestic matches. And this could be the deciding factor in the long run as the League stretches to a little over nine months.
Managerial dilemma at other clubs
Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are still in a transition stage after appointing a new manager. Some might argue that Jose Mourinho never left Chelsea, but the fact is that the current squad he has is nowhere near his previous one. Meanwhile, Manchester United is languishing in the mid table after David Moyes is still trying to find his feet. City has also been inconsistent, mostly on the road and though Tottenham didn’t change the manager, the team is faced with a task of balancing the departure of Gareth Bale and the incoming of a string of players. This leaves Arsenal as the only possible threat to Liverpool in the early stages. Getting a good healthy lead in that early stage would be enough for the team to propel themselves to the top part of the table for the rest of the season.
SAS
For those who aren’t familiar with the term, SAS stands for Suarez and Sturridge. The team looked dangerous enough without Luis Suarez and will now be a handful with the Uruguayan’s return. Coupled with an Englishman who is having the form of his life, Liverpool will have no problem finding the net. Suarez was agonizingly close to winning the golden boot last time around if it wasn’t for the ban and this time he will be looking to make up for that. Sturridge meanwhile has turned into a prolific scorer that the manager could trust on any occasion. And the duo could easily notch up thirty goals or more in between them for the season which will be more than plenty to challenge for the title.
Balanced Squad
Depth in defense, prolific goal scorers, creativity in midfield, attacking wing backs, inspirational figure, they got it all figured out. Brendan Rodgers spent his money well in the summer and has ended up with one of the most balanced teams in the league at the moment. Simon Mignolet hasn’t disappointed yet in the goal keeping department while the defense is well covered by the lights of Kolo Toure, Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and Momadou Sahko. Jose Enrique and Glen Johnson provide both attacking and defending skills in the wing while the midfield is held by Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Lucas Lieva. Philippe Coutinho and Victor Moses add the creative spark while the goals are banged in by Suarez and Sturridge. What more could a manager ask for? And Gerrard deserves special praise for leading the team with his experience and making them a cohesive unit during the matches.
The brain behind everything
He might not be charismatic as Jose Mourinho or experienced as Arsene Wenger, but Brendan Rodgers definitely knows how to run a club. He had a big task of replacing Kenny Dalglish when he joined last year, and he did it in style. He made all the right moves in the market and managed to translate the spending onto the pitch. Under him Liverpool has transformed into a side which is a treat to watch and at the same time gets the job done. Tactically sound, disciplined and crowned with wonderful possession football, Rodgers has silenced his critics who doubted his caliber to manage such a prestigious club. And he has pulled all the strings that was needed for Liverpool and at him at the helm, the team is definetly title contenders and potential winners.
