Most of the Liverpudlians reckon that the headline “Luis Suarez has left for Barcelona” will be disastrous for the club, and I do not blame them as the Uruguayan was in inspired form last season and dare I say it, Liverpool might not have challenged for the title had he not been there.

Brendan Rodgers’ task is not an easy one; he has to replace a world class player and must ensure that he does not the ruin the cohesiveness of the team that performed so well last season. He’ll have to replace 31 goals and 12 assists that Suarez contributed last year as well as the work ethic and those moments of brilliance that Suarez produced so often, notably the nutmegs!

Another headache that Rodgers has to deal with is the fact that they’ll play more often this season. Liverpool played 42 games last year – 38 in the league and remaining in the cups, this year they’ll play 46 games at minimum which might go up if they perform well in the cups. For that they’ll definitely need a squad bigger than that of last season’s.

So far, Liverpool have had a good window even though they failed to attract Alexis Sanchez. They have signed Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Lazar Markovic and few other youth squad players. Talks are ongoing for Sevilla left back Alberto Moreno and QPR striker Loic Remy. There is also a feeling around Anfield that a big name signing might happen in the weeks to follow. If everything falls through there will be 7 new players at Anfield this year.

 

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Now let’s get back to the Suarez situation. If Liverpool sign Loic Remy, then the players that you could put in the category to fill Suarez’s void will be – Remy, Lallana and Markovic. Remy is more about pace and finishing, so it’s up to Lallana and Markovic make it happen for him. Markovic is a player with good pace, skill and work rates. Lallana is another player who can light up a game with his lovely feet. Southampton played a good passing and pressing game last year, so he shouldn’t find it hard to fit into the Liverpool setup. When you combine the records of the above 3 in last season, you’ll get 30 goals and 12 assists, an end product similar as Suarez on paper. Off course, this is only on paper, how they click on the pitch is a still a question. Brazilian attacker Philippe Coutinho will be another key player this season.

 

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Liverpool scored 101 goals last year and conceded around 50. They played without a recognized holding midfielder, as Steven Gerrard played there and wasn’t the best in providing the covering role that a holding player does. In an attacking sense, Gerrard was brilliant with his passing and starting those counter attacks which they relied upon more often last year.

Another factor that did not help the defence was injures to Sakho and Agger. The duo could never really play consistently with Skrtel who was ever present last year. Sakho was playing in the league for the 1st time and there were moments of inexperience. Rodgers has signed Emre Can to play the role of providing protection to the back four and it does add more balance to the midfield. This will now mean that either Gerrard or Henderson will have to sit out in certain games in which Can will play.

Liverpool play some testing games in the pre-season and they will be key in providing the cohesion. Right now their biggest area of concern is that of the full back positions. The goals will definitely come, but not as many as last season, and they will concede goals, but not as many as last season. With the number of players signed and the quantity of games to played, top 4 will be a more realistic aim for them in the upcoming season.

 

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How Liverpool might line up without Suarez

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