A return to the top six, but no higher, according to our predictions.
Where will your side finish in 2012-13? With the season just one week away, our pundits have put our heads together to give you a comprehensive set of predictions.
Opinions and analysis on all 20 Premier League clubs are given here by 12 of our writers and pundits here at HITC Sport. On the basis of the predictions from our ‘daring dozen’ we have calculated how the table will look come next May.
How does it work? All the predictions are totalled together, the team with the lowest score will finish 1st, and the highest will finish 20th. Here are the predictions for your club.
Verdict- Liverpool will finish in 6th
Highest prediction: 3rd, Lowest prediction: 9th.
Dan Coombs: 6th; In the games against the big teams, Liverpool performed well last season, it was just their lack of cutting edge against the so-called smaller sides which saw they ultimately fall apart. Brendan Rodgers faces a tough start in terms of fixtures, but if he can come through that relatively unscathed he will stand in good stead. Anfield is not a place opposing teams will enjoy playing at if the Reds can implement the same kind of possession football the manager showcased at Swansea.
Vic Daniels: 6th; Solid start for Rodgers, but Liverpool fans understand that there will be no quick fix.
Mathew Nash: 6th; Star Player – Steven Gerrard. Top Scorer – Luis Suarez. Slow start to the season I feel at Anfield but coming good in the home stretch. This season will be Luis Suarez’s for the taking, with the Evra debacle behind him he can concentrate on scoring goals, which he will do in this side.
Tomo Taka: 5th; Brendan Rodgers is one of the best young managers in Europe and he will prove so again. Liverpool have underperformed in the last few years but will be closer to where they were. I do think however Liverpool and Tottenham will finish some way behind the top four. Like Tottenham, Liverpool’s success this season will hinge on the squad’s ability to implement its manager’s philosophy but their advantage is that Brendan Rogers knows how to effectuate it in the Premier League. Best player will be Suarez. Gerrard is 32 and ageing, he was impressive in the 18 league games he played last season scoring 5 and making 2 goals but Suarez is the more important player now at only 24 years old. He will have to firmly put the racism affair behind him or he risks further distractions and possibly suspensions. Biggest challenge will be how new signings perform. Under Hodgson and Dalglish, Liverpool have signed players that fans might not deem to be of the standard required at the club. The likes of Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing were bought for excessive transfer fees and Rodgers has to be careful to not make the same mistakes in signing Borini and Joe Allen. Both are players he knows well but do they have the pedigree to take Liverpool into the Champions League?
Jake Lane: 6th; Liverpool have quality players – what teams wouldn’t want Gerrard in their midfield or Suarez up top? They also now have a manager capable of getting the best out of ALL his players. Dalglish only connected with the British players and not even all of them, Brendan Rodgers on the other hand, will get the likes of Charlie Adam performing once again. Player to watch under Rodgers: Joe Cole. The Reds must also sort out the Andy Carroll debacle and hang on to Craig Bellamy. With the quality of the teams above them and with a new manager at his first “big” job, should be happy with sixth, although their fans won’t be.
Nigel Owen: 9th; Liverpool were embarrassing on and off the pitch last season. Kenny Dalglish was out of his depth in today’s game, and the clumsy handling of the Suarez/Evra saga further dragged the once great club down. Brendan Rodgers has so far only signed an old favourite of his, Fabio Borini, who he had in the youth team at Chelsea and then on loan at Swansea. He was a success at both of these clubs, but doing the same business at Liverpool is a much tougher assignment – just ask Andy Carroll. Carroll, however, did look to be finding his feet finally towards the end of last season and at the European Championships with England, so I found it surprising when the new boss stated he would listen to bids for the big front man. He can score with his head and his feet, and is a handful when fit. Liverpool are hardly blessed with firepower, scoring less than relegated Blackburn less season, so a striker showing signs of fulfilling his potential would surely be an asset to hang on to? Sergio Borini is the man Rodgers has hung his hat on to start the rebuilding job at Anfield. A flying start and Liverpool could be back up to knock on the door of the top 4, but a sluggish one and the pressure will be on Brendan Rodgers very quickly.
Surya Solanki: 6th; New manager and a new striker in the form of Fabio Borrini, but the midfield still lacks creativity and the defence could suffer heavily if Daniel Agger is sold. Might finish above than Spurs if Clint Dempsey is signed, but personally, don’t see that happening even if the American is bought.
Paul Moore: 7th; It will take Brendan Rodgers time for his ideas to work. Gerrard is due a great season, while Charlie Adam will find games hard to come by under Rodgers.
John Aggrey: 8th; They will be eighth because; Things haven’t been good of late at Anfield and taking into account that the squad haven’t brought in a good striker since Torres left for Chelsea has done no good but even further compounded their miseries. With Gerrard having no proper support Borini and Suarez probably above average the rest for now remains standard. Expect more balls hit the woodwork than more balls get to the back of the net. There’s hope though in Brendan Rodgers if he can make Liverpool unbeatable at Anfield. Their star man should be Luis Suarez any day. Do you want me to tell you for free? The man is on fire and excluding his off the pitch antics, walking alone should be one thing Liverpool fans should forget about. Biggest challenge will be having Carroll scoring once again. Keeping Gerrard fit is one thing, giving him support and allowing him to move forward is another. I love Tiki Taka; just don’t know if Brendan can make it work on the Anfield turf.
Naveenan Thanendra: 6th; Having given the boot to Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool has given a chance to Brendan Rodgers to change their fortunes. He will be looking to revolutionise the way they play, which is something that will not be achieved overnight. They have already brought in Fabio Borini to try and improve their conversion rate up front, and look close to signing Joe Allen to aid Steven Gerrard in dictating the game from the middle of the park. However, the uncertainty with Skrtel and Agger’s future could hinder their progress, especially if either one is sold. Ultimately though, it will be the transition time to Rodgers’ desired style of play and the lack of real strength in depth across the park that will prevent Liverpool from reaching the upper echelons of the league.
Keval Shah: 6th; With Liverpool’s first three home games against City, Arsenal and United, Rodgers will face an early baptism of fire in his first season in charge. Liverpool will be buoyed by the news of Suarez signing a long term deal, and the club will be hoping he can spark a partnership with new signing Fabio Borini. With Joe Allen signed, I predict a higher placed finish than the 8th achieved last season for Brendan Rogers’ boys.
Khiam Barry: 3rd; Brendan Rodgers will install a footballing confidence to Liverpool, complimented by the attacking and creative flair of the returning Joe Cole from his loan spell at Lille. Borini will be a good signing and Luis Suarez will again be Liverpool’s main man alongside Gerrard.
Connor Jipps: 7th; Liverpool have been boosted by this weeks news that controversial star player Luis Suarez has signed a new contract tying him down to the club for the long term future. The appointment of charismatic and pragmatic first team coach Brendan Rodgers, combined with Suarez’s contract extension, heralds a new beginning for the club in their quest to regain league stature to a club bereft of it in recent years. The signing of Fabio Borini, who Rodgers worked with at Swansea, will add extra firepower to a team that last season scored less league goals than relegated Blackburn Rovers, whilst if reports are to be believed Liverpool are not far away from agreeing a fee for Welsh international Joe Allen. However there has been disappointment for the club this summer as Tottenham snapped playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson away at the final hour leaving Rodgers looking for alternatives for a position Liverpool are currently weak in options. Fans will not have welcomed news that Daniel Agger could be set to leave, having formed a solid partnership with Martin Skrtel in the centre of the defence whilst Andy Carroll’s impending move away signals a near end to a disastrously overpriced mismatch. King Kenny’s spending last summer has hampered Rodgers transfer budget without a doubt for this summer and he’ll have to use all the skills he honed at Swansea to pick up a few more bargain purchases before the end of the transfer window. I can definitely see Liverpool improving as a side, but I just can’t see them getting remotely close to Champions League qualification.
Full predicted table: (1) Manchester City, (2) Manchester United, (3) Chelsea, (4) Arsenal, (5) Tottenham, (6) Liverpool, (7) Newcastle, (8) Everton, (9) Fulham, (10) Sunderland, (11) Aston Villa, (12) Stoke, (13) QPR, (14) Swansea, (15) West Ham, (16) West Brom, (17) Norwich, (18) Reading, (19) Wigan, (20) Southampton.
Where do you believe Liverpool will finish next season?
image: © kevinzim
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