Team Focus: Premier League Preview Part 5 - Liverpool and Man City
The Luis Suárez saga has taken up much of Liverpool's summer and it continues to drag on as the season approaches, in the process detracting attention from the shrewd business already done by the club. Brendan Rodgers looks like he will be without last season's top scorer for more than the 6 games he would have missed anyway after taking a bite out of Branislav Ivanovic last term, and while that will be a significant loss to the side, the way they performed without the Uruguayan at the end of the last campaign should provide some hope that there is life after Suárez.
In those final four games that he missed through suspension, Liverpool picked up more points (10) than in any other 4-game period all season, as they scored 10 goals and conceded only 2 in wins over Fulham, QPR and Newcastle as well as a draw with Everton. It wasn't enough to pilfer 6th place from their rivals, but was certainly sufficient to convince watchers that they were capable of overhauling them this season.
January signings Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho have provided a spark of excitement at Anfield since their arrivals. The former scored 10 goals in 14 Premier League appearances - only Benteke, van Persie, Bale and Lukaku have scored more in 2013 and each did so in more games than Sturridge. Coutinho, meanwhile, created a clear cut goalscoring chance every 1.44 games, more often than any other player in the whole top flight, picking up 5 assists in the process. The Brazilian can play on either flank as well as behind a striker if Liverpool were to play 4-2-3-1 and that creativity and versatility is something that they had been lacking before he signed from Inter.
Despite his years Steven Gerrard will retain the captaincy and will likely be as involved this season as he was last, again occupying a deeper midfield role than he might have been used to in his prime. Joe Allen has been utilised frequently in pre-season, indicating that he might see more game time than he did last term, so he, Gerrard and Lucas could make up the midfield in the 4-3-3 Rodgers used most often last season (17 times).
Simon Mignolet should be an upgrade on error-prone Pepe Reina, while Rodgers will continue to integrate youngsters into the first team squad. It will be interesting to see how 20-year old Luis Alberto adapts to life in England, and while Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom will further their development, Jordan Ibe has impressed in pre-season enough to warrant a chance in the first team. With or without Suárez, Liverpool have enough talent in their squad to push for a Champions League place but again, that will probably be beyond them.
Last Season: 7th
New signings (at time of writing): Simon Mignolet (Sunderland), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Luis Alberto (Sevilla), Kolo Touré (Manchester City)
Possible Starting XI (4-3-3): Mignolet; Johnson, Touré, Agger, Enrique; Gerrard, Lucas, Allen; Aspas, Sturridge, Coutinho
Predicted Finish (average of authors): 6th
A trophy-less 2012/13 season spelt the end for Roberto Mancini as Manchester City manager and also heralded another summer of lavish spending and big name arrivals. With Manuel Pellegrini now at the helm and more than £95m worth of talent brought in during the off-season (so far), expectations at Eastlands are high for the upcoming campaign.
Barring a total disaster, Pellegrini is likely to be given more than a single season to prove his credentials at City, and one of the main ways he can do so will be with improved performances in Europe. City accrued just 3 points as they finished bottom of their Champions League group last season, following up a failed campaign in Europe's elite competition and the Europa League the year before. With world class players coming in, including a World and European champion, more joy in Europe is a wholly realistic goal this season.
However, continental competition will play second fiddle to the Premier League in terms of priorities for the Manchester City fans and owners alike. Losing out last term without ever really threatening to retain the domestic title will have hurt City almost as much as Sergio Agüero's last-gasp winner the season before did to United, and they will be desperate to claw back the trophy this time around, hence the signings.
Fernandinho has been brought in to partner Yaya Touré in midfield and he should provide yet more bite to that area of the team, perhaps where it was lacking with Gareth Barry last term. The Brazilian made 58 tackles and interceptions combined for Shakhtar in the Champions League last season; a total only 8 players could better despite the fact the Ukranian side went out in the last 16 (every player ahead of him went at least one round further).
Up front, Stevan Jovetic and Álvaro Negredo have been brought in to provide the goals, having netted 13 and 25 times, respectively, in league games last term. Competition will be strong, though, with Agüero and Edin Dzeko still about as well. Only United players (88) laid on more clear cut chances in the Premier League last season than City (84), and with the added creativity of Jesús Navas, goals should come easily for the Etihad strikeforce.
Of course, the transfer window is far from over, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see City splash yet more cash in the coming weeks. Rumours of a bid for Anzhi's Willian are certainly believable, whilst further strength at the back would not be unwelcome.
Whether or not more transfers are forthcoming, City undeniably have the quality to challenge this season. The depth of their squad is quite astounding; being able to call on players of the ability of Dzeko, Negredo, Samir Nasri, James Milner, Aleksandar Kolarov and more from the bench is a luxury that few others teams on the planet can match, and City could thus win back the Premier League title this season.
Last Season: 2nd
New signings (at time of writing): Jesús Navas, Álvaro Negredo (both Sevilla), Fernandinho (Shakhtar), Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina)
Possible Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic, Clichy; Touré, Fernandinho; Navas, Jovetic, Silva; Agüero
Predicted Finish (average of authors): 1st
