Turn the clock back 12 months and Liverpool were a club still reeling from the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona. Yes, they had somewhere between £65-75 million, depending on who you believe, in the bank, but a spark that had carried them so close to Premier League title glory in 2013/14 had gone.
The elaborate spending spree embarked upon by Brendan Rodgers has been discussed and dissected to death in the months since, with the general consensus being that the Reds got a number of big calls wrong and were made to paid the price.
Dragging ourselves back to the present day and there is an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu around Anfield. The feeling is that the club are right back where they started a year down the road.
Such comparisons are easy, and therefore inevitable.
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— Bentekechristian (@bentekechris20) July 22, 2015
More money has been spent, on top of the £116 million-plus shelled out last summer, with a number of similar areas addressed, while big-name exits have shifted the focus and provided unwelcome distractions.
For Suarez in 2014, read Raheem Sterling in 2015, with want-away stars dominating the headlines at a time in which stability and cohesion are much sought-after qualities – as pre-season plans are carefully pieced together.
Steven Gerrard has, of course, also headed for pastures new, with the heartbeat of the Liverpool side for close to 20 years ripped out and lured to the land of the free by the big bucks on offer by Uncle Sam.
Despite all of this, though, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the Reds are shaping up considerably better than they were at this point last year, with impressive – and early – business carried out. This suggests that important lessons have been taken from the kneejerk reactions of the recent past.
As things stand, with the new Premier League season almost upon us at the time of writing, Liverpool are 9/4 with 32red and other bookmakers to finish in the top four. A finish in the Champions League places is something they did not achieve last season.
There is a general opinion that the Reds are the most likely of the chasing pack to break down the walls put up by Chelsea, Arsenal, City and United last term.
These numbers are not plucked out of thin air, instead, there is every reason to believe that a push for a seat at European football’s top table is very much on the cards. It will be worth keeping an eye on things with StanJames, 32red, 888 and others..
Last summer saw supporters, management staff, owners etc. attempt to get excited about the arrivals of Rickie Lambert, Javier Manquillo and Mario Balotelli, but there was a sense that cracks had been papered over and that the house would come falling down at some stage.
That is not the case this time around.
To stick with the comparison point, at the business end of the field, 2014 saw Liverpool snap up Lambert, Balotelli and Divock Origi – with the latter returned to Lille on loan – while this summer has seen Danny Ings and Christian Benteke added to the ranks.
Ings is a more mobile, hungrier version of Lambert, while Benteke is a proven goal-getter in the Premier League and markedly different to Balotelli in both the physical attributes he brings to the table and his willingness to work hard for the good of the collective cause. Those qualities are acknowledged by those attempting to predict the race for the Golden Boot, with the burly Belgian 16/1 with 32Red to snatch that silverware – the same price as Wayne Rooney and behind only Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa.
Moving down the field and Liverpool have spent just £4 million more on Roberto Firmino than they did on Adam Lallana – with the Brazilian offering a greater goal threat and, arguably, better technical ability than his new England international team-mate.
James Milner could be an inspired piece of business on a free transfer and ticks many more boxes than the likes of Lazar Markovic and even Emre Can did last summer, while the need for a top-quality right-back – with Glen Johnson departed and Manquillo another 2014 gamble who never paid off – has been impressively addressed with the signing of Nathaniel Clyne. This is a man approaching his peak at 24 years of age and one acquired from Southampton for considerably less than the £20 million it took to lure his former Saints colleague, Dejan Lovren, away from St Mary’s.
Moving away from individual analysis, 2014 saw Liverpool land just one fresh face with more than two years of Premier League experience – Balotelli. This year, Liverpool have brought in four – Milner, goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, Clyne and Benteke – while also netting the potential of Ings and Joe Gomez.
They have also spent less, got another year’s worth of experience under the belts of Origi, Can and Alberto Moreno and recouped more than £50 million from the sales of Sterling – who is not going to be missed as much as Suarez – and Sebastian Coates.
All in all, while things may feel eerily similar in some ways, there is plenty to be positive about and real cause for optimism if a testing opening to the campaign can be safely negotiated and a shot at a top-four finish set up for the second half of the season.
