Topic: Expectations For 2015/16 Season (Brenties Crystal-Ball Thread Mk. II)

[Red_Irishman]

Right, so I created a similar thread last year where the poster Brentie made a prediction that Nostradamus would have been proud of.  That prediction can be found here for those of you who missed it.

Anyway, what are your expectations for the coming season? In terms of goals to achieve by the end of the season. What are the minimum requirements, in your opinion, for the club (and Rodgers) to have a successful season? Obviously its early doors and hard to predict but hopefully an on-going discussion can be held in here that's relative to how we progress during the summer months.

For me, its Champions league football at all costs of course. Whether it be through the league or the Europa league it simply has to be achieved as we're in real danger of totally slipping away from the pack if we haven't already. I think he will be told to win a trophy and finish in the champions league but I'd give absolute priority to the latter, even if it means putting the domestic cups on the back burner for a season.

I'm not going to make any great prediction but its going to be hard for Rodgers this season. Even if the slightest smell of the 'same old mistakes' appear the knives will be out, and rightly so. Its imperative the man learns from his mistakes. That is what I'm hoping for in that department.

(This is not a thread to bash Rodgers with or to discuss who we should bring in player-wise)

[Twelfth Man]

Like every season, my suspicions are that #19 is nailed on, plus we'll win EL and that will mean Chelshyte will scrape through into that competition though only via the qualifying stages.

[Zoomers]

Too early to make any predictions. I'd reserve it to a week or 2 before the season starts as it all pins on the transfers each club makes.

[kavah]

Too early but I'll have a go, if Sturbridge is fit in August and we get 25+ games out of him we'll improve on this season and maybe make 4th. If not Yikes!

[soxfan]

*looks at thread title, looks at calendar, sees '4 June', rubs his eyes, sees thread title again*

Once Messi, Zlatan and Neuer arrive we'll walk the Premier League, with only Stoke giving us a serious run after their additions of Silva, Costa and Ronaldo. If we don't, I expect Brendan to get the boot next May and Guardiola to take his place after a disappointing 4th place finish in the Bundesliga.

[thejbs]

This season's top 4 will strengthen and it doesn't look like there will be any managerial upheaval at any of them.  Poch is in his second season with Spurs and they should be stronger and better organised this time around. 

If we don't lose Sterling, it's likely that he'll huff and puff and not give the performances he's capable of - or he could go to a rival.  We still haven't replaced Suarez and now we're hoping to replace Gerrard and maybe Sterling as well in this window. I have little faith that our 'Transfer Committee' will rectify one of these gaps, nevermind 3.

I think there's too many positions in the team that are weak.  Morale is shite and the fans aren't 100% on the managers side.

Sorry to be negative, but I think 5th or 6th is our lot, with maybe one of the domestic cups at best.  Hope I'm wrong.

[Simplexity]

This season I think we'll see the top 4 pull further away from the pack, they are all fairly settled sides at this point and will only get better.

We will most likely end up somewhere between 5th and 6th which is about where we should be at this point in time. Personally I am hoping for a decent domestic cup run and at least get further than the first knockout round in the EL.

[sempi]

I forsee a Schrodinger's cat scenario, we will go unbeaten until Christmas or we will be dead in the water, BR put on gardening leave and Thommo asked to come back until Klopp/ Ancelotti flies in like the calvary!

[ScouserAtHeart]

Out early in the domestic cups, we'll struggle initially in the league but will be around 6th by new years. Semifinals of the EL and eventually finish 5th in the league.

[alvaro]

Way too early but:

First of all I dont really buy the adage of the top 4 getting better and better. If we look at the 5 seasons we missed CL footie, the highest tally from fourth place was 73 points( Arsenal took 4th with 79 in 2013-14 but it doesnt count because if we had put the 60ish points we have been finishing with in the the other seasons 4th would have gone to Everton with 72).  Its simple law of averages, they are 4 teams above us but at least one of them should have a dissapointing season for whatever reason.

Second, the Europa League needs to be taken seriously enough so that we can pass the group stage. Maybe throw the strongest XI in Anfield and make sure we get 9 points and the kids in the away games so that our players dont have to travel all over Europe. That way if we are way behind in the race for top 4 by Febraury at least we have the Europa to tackle. The domestic cups need to be abandoned, we really cant throw our strongest XI twice in a row to beat a side from the championship, if the alternative side gets beat so be it, but our players need to focus on the league first and Europe second.

Third, our main priority should be to be flat track bullies. Focus on beating the bottom 12 home and away. Buy players that can beat the bottom 12 home and away. Coach what needs to be coached to beat the bottom 12 home and away.

I will predict in July 

 

[redrockydennis]

I'm predicting a worse season than this one - altho it will pick up after Xmas - possibly with some panic acquisitions around January. A mysterious stranger in black will be blamed for many shortcomings but this will be a smokescreen to hide the men behind the curtain. Lucky numbers will be 9, 23 and 8.

[Solomon Grundy]

Too early to really make a prediction yet. Depends who we bring in and who leaves. Also depends on who the other teams sign as well.

[itsgunnabebarnes!]

I expect par. 5th.

[Red Sea]

Unless something unexpected happens in the window I expect a scrap for 5th - 7th.

[Michel]

I expect 5th place.And I hope for a cup win.

[L666KOP]

I think we'll surprise everyone.

3rd.

 

[CraigDS]

Too early to really make a prediction yet. Depends who we bring in and who leaves. Also depends on who the other teams sign as well.

Bingo.

The window isn't even open proper yet so it's way too soon.

[Asam]

There is no doubt that we face a massive struggle this season and I can easily see us finishing 7th or 8th

-We are likely to lose Sterling this summer to a competetitor, the last time we lost an important player we completely fucked up with the replacements and I don't see any reason why this window will be any different.

-Emphasis on English players who are good quality (Milner, Ings, Clyne) to me is positive, we do need people who are going to be right mentally for the league, but the glaring issue is that lack of star quality and leadership.

-We have the weakest spine out of any team in the top 6, and Southampton have a better spine than us with the exception of the final third, Rodgers does not seem to want to improve the centre of defence, or add a phsyical presence to our midfield.

- We don't cope well when teams catch us in transition and the lack of pace in defence and midfield is a reason for this

- Of the players signed last year, I expect Lallana to continue being injury prone, Can will be promising in fits and starts but not consistent if he plays in midfield, Markovich seems like a confidence player and we don't have a position for him, Moreno will still make plenty of errors, Lovren is a liability and the rest will be sold.

- I think Ibe / Origi will offer some hope but will probably be used as impact players, would like to see Rossiter, Kent and Williams given some opportunities to be involved, especially in the Europa league

- what the squad needs most of all is a change in mindset, our midifeld is simply awful and we will continue to be bullied and dominated whenever we play a decent side, the manager has to make some tough decisions such as selling Allen in order to bring in a more physical midfielder but I don't see that happening

The owners have made the club financially stable but they don't want to invest in the club to make us winners, the whole plan relied on the FPP and with the potential changes coming donwnstream I think they will spend around £30-£40M nett and we will have another poor season with nothing to show for it.

Overall, our season will depend on the fitness of Sturridge and the form of Coutinho, don't be surprised if Rodgers is gone by Christmas, and if he has a good season then I think we will lose Coutinho to Barca.

[audioedge]

Expectations, thats easy, you can look at what has happened in previous years then make a judgement call about this one. I'll start by only looking back five years since our fall from grace (previous to the 09/10 season we had finished 3rd, 3rd, 4th and 2nd). Since then 7th, 6th, 8th, 7th, 2nd and 6th. FSG bought the club in 2010 so we can safely say there is not going to be much change in terms of spending, strategy, vision etc. So if we take the anomaly out (2nd place) then I would say getting 5th would be an achievement. What I want (a title challenge/assault on top 4) is not what I should expect. 

[riismeister]

A cup trophy.
Two quarter finals.
3 players to score double digits.
4th.
5 n00bs will complain about the ATPB thread, but they really just don't get it.
8 posters will start "arguments" with POP without really understanding what they're talking about and POP will "leave it at that". 7 of those posters will think they "won" the argument by having the final word. 6 of those final words will be lol or omg.
9 - number of goals + assists from James Milner in all competitions in 15-16.
10 years since Istanul. Fuck, time flies.

[didi]

3 + par and Brendan gone mid way through season

[DanA]

I think the striker we get defines the season. I'll wait until we know who we are getting

[fingermouse]

You will see, sooner and later, great changes made, extreme horrors and vengeance. For as the moon is thus led by its angel, the heavens draw near to the reckoning. 

[kb2x]

Based on last season, the following must happen:

New leader needed with Stevie G gone.
New Commanding CB needed
New DM
New 20+ goals a season striker


Without these improvements that we are desparate for, we'll finish bottom half - no sarcasm.

I expect our worst start in 1 year.

[Le_Mot_Juste]

Using the highly scientific methodology of asking a Magic 8 Ball (http://www.ask8ball.net/), the following has been revealed to me:

Will Liverpool finish within the top 4? - My sources say no
Will Liverpool win the League Cup? - Ask again later
Will Liverpool win the FA Cup? - Signs point to yes
Will Liverpool win the Europa League? - Most likely
Will Benteke prove more prolific than Ian Rush? - Signs point to yes

So there you have it.

[Melbred]

I think the striker we get defines the season. I'll wait until we know who we are getting

I agree. Much like last season, our season pretty much hinges on a fit and firing Sturridge. We know he'll probably miss half the games though, so the striker we bring needs to be the right decision.

We bring in Benteke as our main man, and I'd wager we probably finish around about where we have this season.

[Runcornred92]

Anywhere between 5th-8th

[Chakan]

I'll wait and see what transfers are completed before making a prediction.

[Coffeelover]

One main expectation and fear is that Liverpool seem to be only linked to players with "Premier League" experience.

Milner, Ings, Benteke, Bogdan.

Nearly all of the players brought to Liverpool who were not youngsters in the Rodgers era have had the mythical "Premier League proven" tag.

Borini, Allen, Mignolet, Sturridge, Lallana, Lovren, Lambert, Balotelli, Moses, Toure with only Sturridge can be called a genuine success.

I can't help feeling that since Liverpool have the fifth highest revenue, the fifth highest wage bill that they have to be smarter in order to compete with the richer clubs.

Liverpool have to find the best value and quality for their hard earned revenue and can't afford too many mistakes but they are shopping in the most overpriced market possible.

The main reason why players like Sterling and Milner can make such huge wage demands is that they are homegrown.

Would Dejan Lovren really have commanded such a huge transfer fee if he had come straight from Lyon to Liverpool instead of having a decent season at Southampton?

Liverpool FC are shopping in a very small pond when there is a huge world wide market of good players available.

I think it is impossible for Liverpool to overachieve if they continually buy their players from the Premier League simply because they will always be overpriced, Allen at £15m, Lallana at £25M, Lovren at £20m, etc.

Am I wrong? I can't really understand the trend that Liverpool FC have gone for.

[-HH-]

Brentie to self-combust by October.

Everyone to be happier.

[robertobaggio37]

It's really hard to say but I don't think we'll make top 4, we'll get close though. Wouldn't surprise me doing well in Europe, could see us progress finally to the advanced stages. As I said, really hard to predict as we don't know the state of the final squad. God bless Liverpool.

[ArthurDent]

Treating this a game of Runaround, my starting position is 3rd behind Arsenal and Chelsea and last 16 of the Europa League.

I'm assuming we get Benteke and Clyne, and if so I think we are going to be strong by playing in Rodgers preferred 433 zone, with Milner and Henderson defending from the front and Can or Lucas behind them.

I think utd and City might struggle, City losing Milner, maybe Toure and maybe the whole team getting on a bit, utd losing De Gea who was worth loads of points.

Obviously way too early though as don't know who will sign and who will go, so I might change that when the dust settles.

Allez les rouges.

[AndyMuller]

Finish either 5th or 6th and get knocked out of Europe against the first half decent team we come up against.

Knocked out both domestic cups in the quarters.

[Redsnappa]

We will win the League.

Markovic will have a breakout season, scoring 20+ goals.

[Aceldama]

This is going to be a big summer for us in the transfer market, not much worth in making predictions until a clearer picture of what our squad will look like come September emerges.

Any degree of competence (or fitness on Sturridge's part) in the striking department would serve us well; a fit Sturridge and the 13-14 squad finishes top 4. However we're losing Gerrard and potentially Sterling, I don't see any of the teams that finished above us losing two of their better players this window (unless Milner & Lampard counts) and that puts us at a disadvantage before a ball has even been kicked. As does he need for squad rebuilding in other positions (up front, full back, in goal). To be fair I think Tottenham and the two Manchester teams will be doing their own fair share of squad rebuilding this summer but maybe not as much as us.

Signing Milner is a good start. I'd like us to put up a very strong challenge for the top 4, have two strikers scoring 15+ goals and win the Europa League (which should be prioritised above the domestic cups). City are the most likely to drop out of the top 4 I'd think, United losing De Gea would also be nice.

[please, I have my reasons for it but...]

What do I expect for 2015-16, a worse season than 2014-15. By May 2016, 2013-14 might as well seem like two decades ago rather than two seasons ago.

[Redman0151]

I expect it to be even worse than this season.

By mid September people will come around to realising that Benteke, Ings and Bogdan are not what we were missing to finish top 4 last year, and the problems are rooted much deeper in the club's strategy and lack of ambition. People will be frustrated at players like Vietto, Icardi, Aubameyang being sold for much cheaper than we pay for the vastly inferior PL alternatives

Sterling will stay, but the brunt of our failings will be laid at his feet. Coutinho will struggle more and more as he's stuck with another immobile striker in front of him.

I feel we will get stuck between 2 ideas.

A) Playing to Benteke's strengths
B) Playing to Coutinho's/Sterling's strengths

As half of our team is looking to play quick, passing football, whilst the other half want to lump it in the box for Benteke to win. Benteke's tendency for streaky goalscoring will frustrate, as he goes 7-8 games without a goal, then scores 6 in 3 games to pad his stats out.

Milner will become a cult hero like figure pretty quickly, whilst our other signings fail to leave a mark.

The atmopshere at Anfield will be worse than ever, as more and more people are priced out and start to lose their love and connection to the club. It won't be a nice place to be as every misplaced pass, or goal conceded will result in arguments about Rodgers across the kop, concern about the owners, and mystification about Sterling wanting £150k per week.


Final finish, 6th place yet again, just ahead of Swansea, as Southampton struggle to compete in Europe + domestically at the same time.

[chanti]

7th.

[Weby72.]

If our summer transfer acquisitions are Milner, Ings, Clyne Benteke & Bogdan, then it'll be a fight for 5th with the Sperms, with both miles behind the 'big [spit] 4'

But I'd rather wait to see what the [previously utter wank] transfer committee pull out of the hat for us.

[Chakan]

If our summer transfer acquisitions are Milner, Ings, Clyne Benteke & Bogdan, then it'll be a fight for 5th with the Sperms, with both miles behind the 'big [spit] 4'

But I'd rather wait to see what the [previously utter wank] transfer committee pull out of the hat for us.

You need to get laid.