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

[-HH-]

Oh my God this debate is as bad as the one about Firmino 'bulking up'. Have a word with yourselves. Any team that is going to win the title needs either a very strong attack or a very strong defence, but most title winners have both which is why this debate is so dull. 2013/14 a better defence would possibly have given us a title. So would City having a slightly worse attack. One team scoring over 100 is rare, 2 was shocking. So we could still have won it without the solid defence.

Getting the right balance between defence and attack to win a title is one of the hardest things to do. But even in the most attacking and most defensive teams there is still a need to do both to a level or it negates the other side of the game.

The end.

[Jookie]

As we approach the final few days before the season starts (but more than 3 weeks till the transfer window closes) my expectations for next season are pretty simple:

Gain at least 70 points in the league

Score more than 70 goals in the league

Concede less than 45 goals in the league

Qualify out of the group stage in the Europa League

Show a consistent, attractive and effective style of football throughout the season. I'm not expecting 2013/14 style football -  we don't have the tools to do that. However, I would like to see some consistency in the style of football we play next season. Last season we lurched from formation to formation without any consistency in the way we approached games tactically (exception being the 12-14 games we played 3 at the back).

I have no expectation on the domestic cups since they are somewhat down to luck of the draw. Similarly, the Europa League is after the group stage.

If we achieve the above then we'll be in for a decent season. And we'll have a season that is a definite step forward from 2014/15.

[-Willo-]

Compete for top 4 and a good run in any competition

[Nick110581]

Want us to qualify for top 4 and feel we can.

A good start is imperative though as confidence will be fragile. 

[elpistolero7]

It will depend what we go with formation wise i think.

4-2-3-1 really hasn't worked under Rodgers but with the new influx of players and good options now at RB/LB ( i expect Moreno to be better this year) it could work a lot better with Can and Milner protecting the back 4 (or Henderson and Milner). In the past under Rodgers (although you do have to say that it was during a time when confidence was absolute zero) it has made us look toothless up front. Playing that way may minimise one of Rodgers' keys strengths as a coach (attack) and possibly isolate Benteke.

If we go the 4-3-3 route i just think it will be more of the same with Skrtel and Sakho being made to look worse than they are because teams just bypass our midfield and run at them with pace. On the flip side though it would allow Rodgers to play his preferred formation and give us loads of options going forward.

However, going by the stats above and if we concede another 45-50 goals i'm not sure i see us getting the required 80-85 to get us to 4th place unless Firminho has a complete Suarez like breakout year.

More an issue of team cohesion+roles of the players rather than formation I'd say. Stick Mascherano at DM and we'd still be porous at the back under BR cause the defense looks utterly clueless when high balls are played in + its a recipe for disaster when your defensive mainstay (Skrtel) retreates and his defensive partners (Sakho/Lovren) are both better suited to a higher lines and tend to push out a whole lot more.

Moreover its not like we have bad players in midfield or defense.

With Johnson's utterly shocking form over the last 2 years+Gerrard's legs gone last season, I think we suffered quite a bit defensively. Milner's workrate is second to none in this division, and Clyne is a far more capable defender than the Johnson of the the last 2 years.

At this point, with the squad at his disposal, 2 fullbacks brought in for substantial money under his watch, an experienced Skrtel, 2 20 million quid center halves, we really should be conceding less than 40 goals in the league. Lets not forget, it was Rodgers who signed Mignolet too. With 100 million spent on defenders and a goalkeeper (we've spent more on our backline in the last 2-3 years than every team in the country mind you), you'd expect one hell of a defense.

I have absolutely no doubt given Henderson, Milner in midfield, and the likes of Coutinho, Lallana and Firmino who are excellent at retaining the ball in tight spaces+the players in defense that a manager like Rafa/Mourinho would have us as one of the top 4 defenses in the league. Kenny had us as the third best defense in the league with an arguably weaker selection to chose from.

A poor defense again would show that Rodgers just doesn't have the ability to coach a good 4 man backline, and won't bode well for the future. You rarely do well in Europe with poor defenses. We were hardly the best team in Europe under Rafa, yet we ranked number 1 in coefficient ratings. I don't understand how its suddenly such an okay thing to say "we'll concede 40+ goals regardless so might as well concentrate on attack"...this is a squad full of internationals and players we've paid massive money for in many cases.

[Jinxsy]

2013/14 a better defence would possibly have given us a title. So would City having a slightly worse attack. One team scoring over 100 is rare, 2 was shocking. So we could still have won it without the solid defence.

Getting the right balance between defence and attack to win a title is one of the hardest things to do. But even in the most attacking and most defensive teams there is still a need to do both to a level or it negates the other side of the game.

+100 to that; neat synopsis!

FWIW I think Clyne and Milner will make a significant difference to our goals against column if they stay fit.
I also believe we'll play with much greater intensity this year and improve our goals scored numbers.

My prediction is that we'll have a much better balance than many suspect, mainly achieved through a better intensity and stronger defensive options at LB / RB. Although Benteke doesn't appear to most to be what Rodgers would want from a striker I think that's fuelled by the title challenging season and the form of Suarez. Luis was too important for us not to play to his strengths - that seems to me to have then set us up for an approach that was slightly different to Brendan's natural one. So I think this season we're much more capable of playing with a potent front 3 (from 6) supported by a more physical and energetic 3  in the middle and then an individually stronger back 4. If Sakho & Sturridge could get injury free for the majority of the season then I'd say Top 4 was an absolute shoo-in. As it is I think we're definitely 'in the conversation' and once we're established in there for any length of time, why the hell wouldn't we believe we can do better?
I believe we'll score more than 80 and ship less than 45.
I'm an optimist so I think there's a very decent chance of a tilt at the title.

[ShayGuevara]

We're never going to win stuff under Rodgers unless he sorts stuff out defensively. Its his 4th year now, its high time we concede an average of less than one goal a game. Fucking Southampton can do it, why can't we. He's had a 100 million to spend on the defense ffs.

Southampton don't score as many as us though. He's an attacking manager, we can get the goals conceded down from 50 no doubt but I won't be expecting us to match Chelsea or even Southamton this season in that regard.

I do however feel we'll out score Southampton easily and maybe even Chelsea.

Our pressure needs to improve and more cover needs to be given for when it's broken. The hope is with Milner and Firmino our pressure from attack will improve and with Clyne and someone like Can or Allen deep we'll be able to cover that space between defence and attack quicker and not be leaving our CB's exposed. We seem to have brought in O'Driscoll to help our organisation also which is encouraging.

The only thing I'd still worry about is our CB's inability when it comes to 1v1's, only Player I rate at them is Sakho and would of liked to see a partner signed for him but it was never realistically happening and maybe Rogders doesn't see it as the problem I do.

[Kopenhagen]

Basically my expectations as well: break 70 points; score more than 70 goals; concede less than 45 goals; play decent, coherent football (anything like last season, simply from an aesthetic point of view, won't do).

However, even considering the luck of the draw, I'll be disappointed if we don't make the final 8 of the Europa League (or at least give a decent showing - ie., better than a final 32 exit).

[Adeemo]

Compete for the top 4, finish no lower than 5th and reach the semi's of the Europa League at the very least. Oh and play exciting uninhibited football once more and no more sitting back when we travel to play the best teams, it doesn't work with our defence, go and take the game to them, try and and score a few goals.

[LFC UNTIL THE MANAGER IS NO LONGER DESERVING OF MY SYMPATHY]

My predictions:

1) Arsenal - Think they are the best team in the league at beating the weaker sides.  Three years ago they sold Van Persie to Man U which helped Man U win the league.  Think Chelsea might have done the same thing selling Cech.  Usually I feel Wenger is too naive against the top sides.  But he seems to have realised that he needs someone like Coquelin for those games to give the defence some extra protection.  They have so many attacking players, they can cope with losing players as well.


2) Chelsea - Best defence in the league.  But I think Costa will miss games and when he doesn't play, they aren't the same team.  Also if they lose either Hazard or Fabagras for a long time, they'll be in trouble.  Add that back to back title are rare, I think Arsenal will pip them too it this season.

3) Liverpool - Think we are still naive and vulnerable defensively.  But the great think about Rodgers is despite that, we will always have a chance of doing well in the league due to his positive approach.  We're bought really well and we have lots of goals in our team.  If Sturridge gets fit and stays fit, we might even surprise and finish higher.  But I feel 3rd is realistic and achievable.

4) Man City - Aguero is key.  But he misses too many games.  Think Toure is more of a liability than an asset in CM now days, especially in the big games, with his lack of hunger to press and track back.  Not convinced they have a solid partner for Kompany either, which affect his form.  They'll win  plenty of games by big margins, as they probably have the best attack in the league.  But I think they'll drop plenty of points as well... like they did last season.

5) Man U - They need to keep De Gea to have a chance of top four.  He won them a lot of points last season.  Even if he does stay, I think it is a big ask for him to have another season like he did last season.  The Man U defence looks weak to me.  They have strengthened in CM, but with similar players, who will give the side control.  Man U didn't struggle for control in games last season, they had more possession than any other team per game.  What they lacked was creativity and although I think Depay will help with this, I think it is still lacking.  Rooney is going to have to stay fit and have a great season if they come top four IMO.  He's capable of it, but I think Man U will struggle to break down a lot of teams.  I do however think they'll look very good in the big games, against the better sides.  However in this league you get more points, being flat track bullies like Arsenal.

6) Spurs - Similar squad to last season.  Very reliant on Kane for goals.  Can't see them doing any better than last season with that current squad.

7) West Brom -  Pulis will make them solid.  Plus they have some goals with Lambert and Berahino.  Think they'll do well, although might struggle at the start with tough fixtures.

Everton - Think they'll do a lot better this season.  No Europa league, they have a goals in Lukaku.

9) Southampton - Europa I think will hurt them too much and can't see them doing as well as last season, despite buying well this summer.  Can't see them having the squad to cope with an extra competition.

[Timbo's Goals]

Oh my God this debate is as bad as every other debate on RAWK and every other LFC forum.

The end.

Agreed.
















Sorry HH - forgive me for slight doctoring of your post - couldn't resist the temptation
 

[Solomon Grundy]

My predictions:

1) Arsenal - Think they are the best team in the league at beating the weaker sides.  Three years ago they sold Van Persie to Man U which helped Man U win the league.  Think Chelsea might have done the same thing selling Cech.  Usually I feel Wenger is too naive against the top sides.  But he seems to have realised that he needs someone like Coquelin for those games to give the defence some extra protection.  They have so many attacking players, they can cope with losing players as well.


2) Chelsea - Best defence in the league.  But I think Costa will miss games and when he doesn't play, they aren't the same team.  Also if they lose either Hazard or Fabagras for a long time, they'll be in trouble.  Add that back to back title are rare, I think Arsenal will pip them too it this season.

3) Liverpool - Think we are still naive and vulnerable defensively.  But the great think about Rodgers is despite that, we will always have a chance of doing well in the league due to his positive approach.  We're bought really well and we have lots of goals in our team.  If Sturridge gets fit and stays fit, we might even surprise and finish higher.  But I feel 3rd is realistic and achievable.

4) Man City - Aguero is key.  But he misses too many games.  Think Toure is more of a liability than an asset in CM now days, especially in the big games, with his lack of hunger to press and track back.  Not convinced they have a solid partner for Kompany either, which affect his form.  They'll win  plenty of games by big margins, as they probably have the best attack in the league.  But I think they'll drop plenty of points as well... like they did last season.

5) Man U - They need to keep De Gea to have a chance of top four.  He won them a lot of points last season.  Even if he does stay, I think it is a big ask for him to have another season like he did last season.  The Man U defence looks weak to me.  They have strengthened in CM, but with similar players, who will give the side control.  Man U didn't struggle for control in games last season, they had more possession than any other team per game.  What they lacked was creativity and although I think Depay will help with this, I think it is still lacking.  Rooney is going to have to stay fit and have a great season if they come top four IMO.  He's capable of it, but I think Man U will struggle to break down a lot of teams.  I do however think they'll look very good in the big games, against the better sides.  However in this league you get more points, being flat track bullies like Arsenal.

6) Spurs - Similar squad to last season.  Very reliant on Kane for goals.  Can't see them doing any better than last season with that current squad.

7) West Brom -  Pulis will make them solid.  Plus they have some goals with Lambert and Berahino.  Think they'll do well, although might struggle at the start with tough fixtures.

Everton - Think they'll do a lot better this season.  No Europa league, they have a goals in Lukaku.

9) Southampton - Europa I think will hurt them too much and can't see them doing as well as last season, despite buying well this summer.  Can't see them having the squad to cope with an extra competition.

No Palace? I think they'll surprise a few despite Pardew being their manager. This seasons Southampton imo. I'd certainly place them higher than WBA and Everton.

[surfer. Fuck you generator.]

Expectation? Challenge for top 4.

Prediction: Challenge for top 4, but ultimately finish 5th. It's not that easy to call though, it seems that we've signed better than last season, and depending on someone like Benteke or Firmino having break-out stellar seasons, we could finish higher. A bit positive, but far from feeling confident we'll fight for where we should ultimately be - no.1. Obviously structurally we're nowhere near the top 2, so it's not something to knock the club with.

[LFC UNTIL THE MANAGER IS NO LONGER DESERVING OF MY SYMPATHY]

No Palace? I think they'll surprise a few despite Pardew being their manager. This seasons Southampton imo. I'd certainly place them higher than WBA and Everton.

They'd be 10th for me.

[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.

I'm sticking with that. 3rd.

[TheSoundLady]

Oh my God this debate is as bad as the one about Firmino 'bulking up'. Have a word with yourselves. Any team that is going to win the title needs either a very strong attack or a very strong defence, but most title winners have both which is why this debate is so dull. 2013/14 a better defence would possibly have given us a title. So would City having a slightly worse attack. One team scoring over 100 is rare, 2 was shocking. So we could still have won it without the solid defence.

Getting the right balance between defence and attack to win a title is one of the hardest things to do. But even in the most attacking and most defensive teams there is still a need to do both to a level or it negates the other side of the game.

The end.

The debate is fine.

[Zoomers]

1. Chelsea
2. Arsenal
3. Man City
4. United
5. Liverpool

I will look back on this and laugh when we win the league.

[vagabond]

No.19

Also, Sturridge to lead the topscorers chart by at least 10 more than second placed Benteke.

[-HH-]

The debate is fine.

Oh well consider me corrected then.

[DyingAtheist]

Oh well consider me corrected then.

That's you told.

[flinner]

We could be Brilliant or we could be utter shite again like last season, with this squad there's so much uncertainty, so many new faces we may hope that we gel quickly with the start we've been handed, lose on Sunday and you can bet all the negativity from last season will start to raise it's ugly head again.

[Solomon Grundy]

Brendan needs the fortune Ronald Koeman had with his signings last season.

[markedasred]

Koeman is the manager who impressed me the most last season. More skill than luck for me there.

[Solomon Grundy]

Koeman is the manager who impressed me the most last season. More skill than luck for me there.

Of course you need to have an eye for a player. That is a skill. But every signing has a element of risk about it. Every signing is a gamble. Some moreso then others of course. That is what I was getting at. Brendan needs his signings to pay off like Koeman's did last summer.

[Le_Mot_Juste]

Has Brenty still not posted?

Surely it's cheating if you post after matches have been played.

C'mon you crystal ball reading, sage/messiah, fortune telling bastard

[sms1986]

Last season I predicted we would get top four and a domestic trophy.

This season, I think we'll get either fourth or fifth, win a domestic trophy and at the very least get to the knock out stages of the Europa League.

[Stussy]

thank you God for the new season

[ShayGuevara]

Koeman is the manager who impressed me the most last season. More skill than luck for me there.

Agreed, has an excellent system. Just lack real top quality up front.

[Black Bull Nova]

Chelsea will  drop a level as Terry starts making mistakes and Costa misses games, 3rd, Mourinho has wobbler
Arsenal buy a striker and develop consistency, 1st
City, solid and do enough to match Arsenal till the end 2nd
United, Miss De Gea so leak enough to drop to 5th with CL
Liverpool, survive their start and sneak 4th after a good 2nd half of the season with more goals and players now gelling, 4th
Stoke, solid with a bit of flair, 6th
Southampton, established at the top now, 7th
Spurs, struggle to stay in touch 8th
Newcastle, solid at home, 9th
Palace, destroy teams at home, 10th
West Ham, too erratic, 11th
Everton, Lukaku keeps them safe, 12th
WBA, typical Pulis 13th
Swansea, still solid, good work ethos, not enough goals 14th
Villa, solid now, 15th
Sunderland, flirting again, 16th
Bournemouth, revelation, 17th
Norwich, not enough fresh blood, 18th
Leicester, Lacking Pearson motivation, players can't take adjustment to Ranieri's style 19th
Watford, too much 20th

[SerbianScouser]

I`m extremely enamored with both Shearer and Jenas seemingly having no idea what we were trying to do this summer in terms of strategy and how we are gonna fit in all the players we have and are very suspicious it`s gonna work and it just gives me even more confidence and optimism for the new season as I`d be very worried if they saw clearly what we are trying to do and were optimistic about us making it work.

[Black Bull Nova]

I have the same optimism I had last year but this year I am more optimistic about my optimism than I was last year.

[B0151?]

At the mo, it's been an OK window for our prospects this season.

Chelsea haven't particularly strengthened
Man City have done well to sign Sterling, but defence and midfield needs attention it might not get.
Arsenal haven't particularly strengthened (maybe a misguided opinion but don't think Cech is going to make a massive difference either way)
Man Utd have strengthened, but fairly thin up front and at CB at the mo. De Gea departure would mean a weakening at GK.

I of course acknowledge that in the case of Arsenal and Chelsea, keeping the same strong group of players together might improve them more than any signing, and that it's likely there will be further transfers.

I'm happy that we've done our business and strengthened ahead of a tough start though. Get off to a flyer and who knows.

[harleydanger]

6th.

One of them seasons we hit the post after 27 passes.

[Le_Mot_Juste]

FINAL EDITION:

1. Chelsea
2. Arsenal
3. City
4. Liverpool
5. Man Utd
6. Spurs
7. West Brom
8. Crystal Palace
9. Saints
10. Watford
11. Everton
12. Sunderland
13. West Ham
14. Stoke
15. Villa
16. Swansea
17. Newcastle
18. Leicester
19. Norwich
20. Bournemouth

[John C]

During January we'll be in or around 4th but we'll all be demanding we sign a CM. By April a CD.

[Notayesman]

Very briefly I think we will improve on last season but possibly not enough to secure 4th. I'd like to see us take the europa very seriously for the simple reason that I think it's actually an easier route to the CL and we could do with winning a trophy.  So while 4th would be great I wouldn't make it make or break for Brendan provided he secured another trophy or two.

I think we'll ultimately fall short in the league due to the fact that whilst we've strengthened up front ultimately we haven't done enough to address the defence. Clyne is the only really change there and it seems as though Lucas is again going to play second fiddle to others which I believe to be a mistake. So if we're going to achieve 4th or higher then not only will we need more goals, which we've tried to address, but we also need to improve the defence significantly and we appear to have done less work here. If our defence does improve then Brendan and his new coaching team will deserve the plaudits that should come their way.

I think Henderson and Milner as a pair could be great but in the vast majority of games I'd prefer to see someone behind them, I still have real doubts there.

[Solomon Grundy]

FINAL EDITION:

1. Chelsea
2. Arsenal
3. City
4. Liverpool
5. Man Utd
6. Spurs
7. West Brom
8. Crystal Palace
9. Saints
10. Watford
11. Everton
12. Sunderland
13. West Ham
14. Stoke
15. Villa
16. Swansea
17. Newcastle
18. Leicester
19. Norwich
20. Bournemouth

Not a chance Watford are finishing 10th.

[steveeastend]

I would say that the outcome of the season pretty much depends on whether Rodgers has learned from the mistakes of last year, especially when it comes to man managment, squad management/rotation and to some extend tactical flexibility.

I have my doubts but hope he proves me wrong.

[JackWard33]

Im before kick off...

1. CFC
2. MCFC
3. AFC
4. MUFC
5. LFC
6. Stoke
7. Spurs
8. Saints

Tempted to put City top - they're being underrated (assuming they're also getting De Bruyne) and Chelsea aren't that deep but City's defence is just a little too suspect

We haven't improved significantly, we've improved marginally and the team we're most likely to over take (United) has probably improved by at least as much as we have.
For us there's nothing to suggest our defence isn't still going to be a problem (are problems are more systemic than personnel). We will have improved going forwards but there's a lot of question marks - can Firmino replace Sterling's production, how well will Benteke fit.
If Sturridge can play most games after coming back and be back to his best that's a game changer.

Also concerned that we won't prioritise competitions again and that we're too stretched in terms of quality
Asking our manager to 'win a trophy and finish top 4' with the 5th biggest budget is asking for an over achievement and that's not often a winning strategy

The league is improving with the increasing money, especially the middle clubs
We'll probably end up on 65-67 points ish and it probably won't be enough for top 4

[Red_Irishman]

In before kick off..

Predict 5th. Out of the Europa league in the quarter finals if not earlier. One decent cup run with no trophy.