The Club:
The prestige of the club demands success and that is what manager Kenny Dalglish is back to bring his beloved Liverpool. The two fit like a glove, and as soon as he stepped back into the managerial seat following the departure of Roy Hodgson, it was like a dark cloud had been lifted from Anfield. Better times should be coming for the Reds and they have been bold in spending money to try and ensure that it happens, and they don’t get left behind totally in the title race for the Premier League. Liverpool are going to be one of the exciting teams to watch this season, just to see how much improved they are, and to what degree they can challenge. The real post Torres era begins here. Will Liverpool Premier League betting tempt punters on backing them to win outright?
Players/Manager:
Well, Liverpool are being projected as one of the teams who will have a much better season this year. The failed Roy Hodgson experiment at the start of last season has rapidly been forgotten, thanks to legend Kenny Dalglish taking charge again. Without doubt he turned the fortunes of the club around, and took the side from a stuttering non-threat into one which started to look towards hopes of landing a spot in Europe. Hodgson brought in one dimensional players, scraping around Europe to try and assemble a side, which just did not work. Dalglish changed the system, changed personnel and now Liverpool are looking to come out of the blocks firing this season. Striker Andy Carroll will of course attract a lot of attention, to see how he grows into his role as a Liverpool striker, but perhaps it is the speed and invention of Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, who just helped his nation lift the Copa America who will be the biggest star. He immediately strolled into Anfield in January and became a hero, with some sublime touches and control, and having a finish to round it off. He is definitely one of the brightest stars in the Liverpool camp. Liverpool have also pressed on by snapping up Stewart Downing from Aston Villa to add a bit of width and help going forward, along with Jordan Henderson from Sunderland. So with the new additions, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson have made notes of how dangerous the Merseyside Reds could be this season. One piece of bad news though for Liverpool, is that they will start the season without their captain Steven Gerrard, who may be missing until September because of a groin problem. But all in all, with a successful, proven manager in charge, a new optimism surrounding the club again, Liverpool are putting the pieces together of a successful side.
Last Season: 6th
For all of their woes and terrible performances under Roy Hodgson, Liverpool clawed their way up to a top six finish. That was pretty respectable after hovering down near the bottom at one stage. The arrival of Dalglish and the January signings made a huge difference to the side, and they should be able to propel themselves forward with pace. There was not too much wrong with the defence last year, and the goals came, they just came to late to challenge for a Champions League place. Tactically Dalglish showed that he is still a master. We should see a completely different Liverpool this season around, right from the start. We saw promises of a new era towards the end of last season, it is not perfect yet, but much more promising.
2011/12 Liverpool Premier League Betting Projection:
There is definitely a breath of fresh air surrounding Liverpool. They have to get off to a stronger start than last season, and they will be hungry for that. Not sure if the midfield is quite complete yet, nor the heart of the Liverpool defence, but there is more than enough to see a comfortable top ten finish. But of course, the Kop will want a lot more than that, and want to see them back in the top four. Is there a chance of that? Well, it probably all depends on Arsenal really, because you imagine the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea to occupy three of the places, so it will come down to a battle for that fourth spot. The one thing in Liverpool’s favour, is that they don’t have to worry about the extra distractions from the Champions League, so that could help them close the gap in the Premier League with the main title contenders. It should be a great season for Liverpool, as they look to have closed the gap on others in terms of personnel and style. After an awful start last season, they still managed a sixth place finish, so you would not imagine that they would be lower than that. They have good versatility up front in Kuyt, Suarez and Carroll, so you expect plenty of goals to come. They will still need that dynamic force from midfield that is their captain Steven Gerrard, but if they could somehow get their hands on another Alonso to pull the creative strings, they would be even better. Liverpool really have a lot going for them and therefore do expect them to go well. We can picture them being pretty exiting to watch as well, and they should be able to mix it up with top four at the moment. There are no guarantees of course of walking straight back into the Champions League, but they are at least on the right path. A strong start, which will only breed more confidence is the key to their eventual success. Can easily see them picking up the FA Cup along the way as well. While the league title still probably remains out of touch for them, some silverware would be a good confirmation of the Red phoenix rising again.
Finishing Position: Top Six Finish
Premier League Winner Odds:
12/1 at William Hill
