Liverpool Season Preview
Those in charge of cobbling together the league schedule every season got really clever when it came to Liverpool.
Like with any club about to embark on a new season, it is always a good idea to remind yourself where they may have left off. For the Reds, it could not have ended more horrifically back in May, when they were trounced by Stoke City 6-1 to mark the end of their campaign. Why not then make Liverpool's first opponent next weekend.....Stoke City at the Britannia?
Brendan Rodgers will certainly want to see some revenge next weekend, but more importantly, he is tasked with steering the club back into a Champions League spot, after sputtering to a 6th place finish a season ago. Naturally, with a fall from Champions League status comes the tricky situation of building a squad that is talented enough to finish Top 4 this time around, but without having the allure of being in the big tourney this season to attract top tier talent. So far, so good in the summer window though, as a couple of huge names moved on but several impact players have been brought in to take their place.
Roster Movement to Date
Liverpool have arguably been the most active club in this summer's window. Odds are, they still aren't finished, but here is the major movement for them to date:
Transfers In
Christian Benteke
Nathaniel Clyne
James Milner
Danny Ings
Roberto Firmino
Adam Bogdan
Joe Gomez
Transfers Out
Steven Gerrard
Raheem Sterling
Sebastian Coates
Rickie Lambert
Glen Johnson
Brad Jones
Andre Wisdom (loan)
One cannot help but point first to the loss of Gerrard. Yes, he is past his prime and last season was not an impressive one by his standards, but to lose the face of the franchise, the man who has worn the armband for the entire 21st century, has to have some effect on the club. The Reds are set for the transition as well as they could be though, with Jordan Henderson taking a giant step forward in development last season and the acquisition of James Milner, who will offer plenty of leadership.
From a financial standpoint, the Reds cashed in big with Raheem Sterling, collecting 49m in return. That money alone nearly covers the transfer fees of Firmino and Benteke, who both figure to be heavily influential for the club. They also upgraded their right back spot by parting ways with Glen Johnson and bringing in Nathaniel Clyne, who will start immediately. Coates moved on for a chance at some real minutes, Brad Jones was released and replaced by Adam Bogdan to back up Simon Mignolet. Wisdom will spend another season on loan.
Danny Ings and Christian Benteke should help the position that hurt Pool the most last season, though Ings may not accrue the kind of minutes that would make him appealing in fantasy. Rickie Lambert will look to re-invent himself with West Brom. Who has really made noise early is Gomez, who is thought to be a defender of the future, but has impressed big time and may challenge for time this season.
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Manager - Brendan Rodgers
Entering his fourth season in charge at Anfield, it has been an up and down tenure with Liverpool. After establishing a new identity with the club in his first year, he nearly guided the club all the way to the title in second. It was a step backward with a 6th place finish last season though, and the pressure is on for him to get the club back in the Top 4. He still appears to have the support of the fans and the city behind him to start the new season, but a slow start could get supporters clamoring for a change. After being at the helm for acquisitions of players like Mario Balotelli, he also needs to improve on recruiting. It remains to be seen how much better he has done with player movement this summer, but on paper, he looks to have done good business.
Keepers - Simon Mignolet, Adam Bogdan
Mignolet returns to claim the #1 shirt and poses very little threat from Bogdan. For a stretch of last season, Liverpool were the best defensive club in the league and Mignolet finished up with some respectable numbers. Of course, something must have gone wrong at the end last season to allow Stoke to score six times. Expect more of the same this season. Mignolet should start every game barring injury and offer somewhere in the neighborhood of the 14 clean sheets he kept in 2014/2015. Bogdan is arguably an upgrade to Jones as the backup.
Defenders - Martin Skrtel, Nathaniel Clyne, Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren, Alberto Moreno, Kolo Toure Jose Enrique, Joe Gomez, Emre Can
Skrtel and Clyne look to be the safest options from the back line and both offer attacking returns to boot. Skrtel is always among the leaders for headed goals by center backs every season and Clyne can bomb forward and supply the attack. If you are looking for long-term investment, these two comprise the short list.
With the addition of Clyne, it looks as if Rodgers will revert to the conventional four-man defense, after deploying a 3-5-2 formation for much of last season. This leaves the question as to who will partner Skrtel. Lovren had first crack last season but was shambolic for most of his appearances, with Sakho gradually eating into his minutes. Lovren looks to have the edge over Sakho as we head toward Week 1, but until either plays a run of matches and looks good doing it, it would be best to avoid guessing wrong here. Alberto Moreno will likely be the left back of choice this season but keep an eye on Joe Gomez. Should Moreno struggle, Rodgers has an option. Moreno tended to be subbed off quite frequently for a defender last season. Make sure that doesn't hurt you too much in your fantasy format if you are thinking about him.
Emre Can was a hero for Pool in many a match last season, but looks to be on the outside looking in for pitch time now. He has pleaded with Rodgers to be used in his natural midfield role, but with Jordan Henderson and James Milner in tow, it is the worst place for Can to try and ply his trade. He is listed as a defender in this column but may well be classified as a midfielder in your fantasy game. Depending on the format, he could be a useful fantasy option when the opportunity comes for pitch time. Kolo Toure is on the fringes and will likely be seen featuring in the occasional cup match. Jose Enrique is still somehow on the books despite having no path to playing time and making only three appearances early on last season.
Midfielders - Roberto Firmino, Phillipe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Adam Lallana, Lazar Markovic, Joe Allen, Lucas, Jordan Ibe
The Reds are hoping that the loss of Sterling will be made up with the acquisition of Firmino, who was the Breakthrough Player of the Year in the Budesliga last term. He should be extremely influential in attacks, with the ability to provide and score himself. If pursuing him draft leagues, know that there is always a degree of uncertainty that comes with a player transitioning to the PL, and that he is already looking like he will not be ready for Week 1. He should be making headlines soon enough though if all goes according to plan.
Coutinho and Henderson both took positive steps last season and were fantasy relevant more and more as the season wore on. They stand to represent the safest, most productive midfield options to begin the season. Coutinho should continue to rack up assists and could become a fantasy force if he can add a few goals. Henderson might be the best central defensive midfielder in fantasy outside of Yaya Toure.
Adam Lallana took a while to get comfortable at Anfield but may still be fighting weekly to make the team sheet. Markovic is a year older now and the two will likely be sharing time for a spot on the left, with Coutinho and Firmino comprising the other two attacking midfielders. Because of that, the value of Lallana and Markovic is limited in draft leagues, but either could hit a run of form at some point and be an fpl.com option.
James Milner could provide one of the better bargains in fantasy depending on the format. In fpl.com, his value is limited because he is unlikely to be one of Pool's more prolific goal or assist providers, but the dirty work of tackling, intercepting passes, clearances and such are right up his alley, making him a consistent points-getter week in and week out in that kind of format. Joe Allen and Lucas are defensive midfielders with no starting job and not much fantasy relevance when they do play. Jordan Ibe can be a nice early season bargain pick as he has impressed in preseason and has already been pegged by Rodgers to "feature heavily" in the coming year.
Forwards - Daniel Sturridge, Christian Benteke, Danny Ings, Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini, Divock Origi
The big question mark for LFC and has been since the departure of Luis Suarez. First, you can write off Mario Balotelli. The chances of him donning a Liverpool shirt in action ever again are somewhere between slim and frozen hell. Borini has one foot out the door himself and will not be a factor for the Reds. With Daniel Sturridge coming back from injury, the striker role comes down to the two summer signings, Benteke and Ings. Expect Ings to start Week 1, being that he has had time to acclimate himself with his new club whereas Benteke has not. However, looking at the season, Benteke would appear the favorite for most minutes, assuming both stay healthy. It would be difficult to imagine Rodgers using both at the same time, whereas Sturridge can play a wing role if need be when he is ready to play. With that in mind, temper expectations on Ings in draft leagues. The chances of him replicating the numbers he put up with Burnley are slim simply because his pitch time looks to be drastically reduced. Benteke has the skill set to truly shine with the quality of teammates he will have around him compared to his days with Aston Villa, and he should be going high in draft leagues. Be wary though that in the opening weeks, he could be eased in.
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Liverpool have an interesting schedule to begin 2015/2016 - they have some tough tests on the road but have some extremely appealing home matches from a fantasy perspective. If you can navigate around the tough road contests, they look to offer plenty of returns in fixtures against Bournemouth, Norwich, West Ham and Aston Villa at Anfield in the opening seven weeks. It would be best to look at Skrtel and Clyne for defensive coverage, while eyeing Jordan Henderson and Phillipe Coutinho in attack as we approach Week 1. Firmino and Benteke will join the discussion not long thereafter. Look to them as options beginning in Week 3.
