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Rodgers has gone all in at Anfield with a twin gamble

With six days to go to the start of the new season of the English Premier League, we begin our week-long countdown by looking at the five clubs that are expected to challenge for the title this season. We start with a hard look at Brendan Rodgers’ new-look Liverpool side. Has he spent wisely? Will it be enough to ensure success for the Reds? Our EPL analyst Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) gives his assessment …

With six days to go to the start of the new season of the English Premier League, we begin our week-long countdown by looking at the five clubs that are expected to challenge for the title this season. We start with a hard look at Brendan Rodgers’ new-look Liverpool side. Has he spent wisely? Will it be enough to ensure success for the Reds? Our EPL analyst Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) gives his assessment …

“I’ll fix it,” promised an ashen-faced Brendan Rodgers, as he emerged from the wreckage of Liverpool’s 6-1 capitulation at Stoke on the final day of last season.

Coming as it did, at the end of a torrid campaign that had seen Liverpool wave goodbye to Luis Suarez, Champions League football, title contention, progress, and, unthinkably, also Steven Gerrard, I feared the 42-year-old’s pledge would fall on deaf ears. It could easily have been the precursor to his farewell, too.

Instead, the Reds boss clung on to be commissioned for the repair job. And so far, it’s a task he’s set about fulfilling with gusto.

They’ll miss him, but squeezing every last pound out of Manchester City for the rebellious Raheem Sterling was a deal well done, and seven new faces have also perked up the place at a cost of around £80 million (S$171.5 million). Rodgers’ cheeks have a spot of colour once again.

Has he spent wisely? At first glance, you’d say so.

Free transfers don’t come any safer than James Milner, who will add energy, nous and versatility to the Liverpool midfield. Right-back Nathaniel Clyne strengthens them, too, upgrading a problem position at Anfield.

Forward Danny Ings is a sensible addition, as long he gets to play. The former Burnley hit man’s runs are intuitive, and he knows how to finish — two qualities we didn’t see a lot of from Mario Balotelli last term.

Elsewhere, teenage defender Joe Gomez, 18, is tipped for a bright future, and goalkeeper Adam Bogdan will provide decent back-up.

Then there are the big ones, a twin gamble that will be decisive in determining Rodgers’ future — Roberto Firmino (£29 million) and Christian Benteke (£32.5 million).

I’m a fan of Belgian striker Benteke. His record was excellent in a poor Aston Villa side, and Liverpool’s opponents will feel an element of trepidation when they see his name on the team sheet. Some critics say the brutish Benteke won’t suit the Reds’ style, but that does him an injustice given his superb touch, decent movement, and ability to score all types of goals. Early, accurate crosses are his staple diet, but not his only avenue to success. My only concern is how he will handle the weight of expectation. Being tasked to score goals for a club that expects to win trophies brings a very different type of pressure.

Firmino is a gifted Brazilian. He can dribble, shoot and create with impudence, and his end product is impressive too. He scored 23 league goals and made 21 assists in his last two Bundesliga seasons with Hoffenheim, so if he takes to English football, the Reds supporters will adore him.

The scenario is laid out quite clearly: Should both new boys click early on and inspire positive results, Rodgers’ repairs will look first-rate. If they flop, Fenway Sports Group will fire him. It is that clear-cut.

Forced to sack his chosen coaching staff this summer and ordered by the Americans to prove his worth all over again (alongside new assistants), the Liverpool boss can’t talk himself out of another expensive failure. He’s gone “all in” on Firmino and Benteke.

While recruiting good players is never a bad idea, Rodgers’ grand plan does feel higgledy-piggledy. What’s the thinking behind the shape of his new-look squad? Here, it starts to look murky and there are questions to be answered.

Where will Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool’s best player last season, fit into the XI? Can he and Firmino (a floating playmaker in a similar mould) complement one another, or will they just get in each other’s way?

What happens when Daniel Sturridge returns from injury in October? If the Reds start playing with two up front, that may see one of the Brazilians dropped to the bench. If not, a big-name striker will have to sit things out instead. Won’t they?

Is Rodgers planning to use three at the back, or four? Last season, he deployed his men in six different formations, so that’s anyone’s guess.

And why has a defence that has leaked 102 Premier League goals in the last two seasons remained largely untouched? Expecting Simon Mignolet, Alberto Moreno, Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren and Kolo Toure to magically fare better this term is asking a lot of his coaching skills. The Reds seem desperately light on quality at the back. It is an area that feels neglected, when I would have made it a priority.

Change is in the air at Anfield — and I’m not talking about the 8,500 extra seats that are being added to the Main Stand either. Suarez, Sterling and Gerrard have all gone — along with the backroom team — and with Daniel Sturridge so injury-prone, they can’t rely on him any more either. The heartbeat of that barnstorming group who should have been 2013/14 champions has been dismantled.

On the subject of being taken apart, Liverpool return to the Britannia Stadium, the scene of their end-of-season crime, for an opening-day clash with Stoke this weekend. All eyes will be on them, to see if Rodgers has indeed “fixed” the mess.

I’m not convinced the balance of his squad is right, or that the most important areas have been adequately addressed, but I wish the Northern Irishman well. If he starts to skid off course and lose control, Liverpool’s owners won’t let him crash the car again. They will grab the wheel and change direction themselves. The pressure is on.

Prediction: 5th

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Emre Can

We caught glimpses of Can’s potential last term, but he was wasted in central defence. If Rodgers hands him keys to the engine room instead, I’m convinced the 21-year-old German will thrive.

He reads the game well, has a quality range of passing, and excellent mobility. Sitting in a deep-lying midfield role, I can see him dictating plenty of Premier League contests. Until now he’s been perceived as a utility man, but Can deserves better than that. This is a year where he can make his mark.

Jordon Ibe

With so much uncertainty over which formations the manager will plump for, there’s no obvious place for 19-year-old Ibe to fit into Liverpool’s strongest XI, but the teenager will soon prove he’s too important to leave out.

He excelled last season despite being in an unfamiliar wingback role, bulldozing past opponents with a blend of raw pace, power and skill. Physical specimens like him often neglect developing their footballing basics, but I don’t see that with Ibe. This kid can pass, cross, and score with aplomb. He combines excellent skill, with dynamism that frightens opponents.

Christian Benteke

Liverpool’s hopes of reclaiming their place inside the top four depend largely on how well Benteke fits in on Merseyside. If he hits the ground running with a stash of goals, it will have a galvanizing effect on the side. If he’s flat, I fear the team will be too.

The Reds must not fall into the trap of launching long balls and high crosses towards him all the time. While Benteke brings the team a fresh dimension, they can’t afford to be predictable. Fast, inventive football is the right recipe for success, and he has the talent to shine in that style.

Adrian Clarke, TODAY’s EPL analyst, is a former Arsenal midfielder who has played at every level of English football. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for many publications around the world.

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