Season Preview: Liverpool

Overall Outlook - I have to admit that I haven't really figured out what I think of Liverpool's chances yet this season.  They certainly have the talent on hand to break back into the Top 4 if everything goes their way but they also have most of the same cast of characters as they did last season when they fell to seventh.  The manager is new but the guy he's replacing has had more success than any manager in recent Anfield history.  There is some new talent but most of it all plays the same position - attacking midfield.  Hard to see how it is all going to come together.  Just a note, I'm assuming for the sake of this article that Masch will find himself at Inter before the start of the season and that one or more of the suggested replacements (Poulsen, et al) will arrive.


Projected Starters - Reina, GJohnson, Skertl, Agger, Aurelio, Lucas, JCole, Jovanovic, Kuyt, Gerrard, Torres (but until Nando is healthy - N'Gog).

In the Rotation - Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Aquilani, Maxi, Babel, Pacheco

Kicks - With some new players in the mix we'll have to see how it works out but you can expect that Gerrard will continue to get the majority of the kicks with Joe Cole and maybe Jovanovic taking some as well.

Newcomers

• Joe Cole, M - As I'm sure you'll recall, I wrote a less-than-flattering review of this deal for Liverpool and I stand by that as it regards their chances at the Premier League title.  As it regards fantasy football, his price is low and if he starts regularly he could be excellent value.  His upside is probably David Dunn (when healthy) with a few less yellow cards;
• Milan Jovanovic, F - The Serbian winger/striker is listed as a forward by Yahoo which is a pretty huge disappointment to fantasy managers (or at least it should be).  He was prolific in Belgium and should be a solid fantasy player assuming he adapts to life in a better league.  The downside is that there are other new strikers who will actually play as out-and-out strikers so Jovanovic's value is diminished at least somewhat as a result.

Rising Youth

• David N'Gog, F - He certainly has the speed to be a strong option in the Liverpool attack but you watch him and he just doesn't seem to have a clue a lot of the time.  That said, he's young and sometimes it just takes a while for the light to go on.  He has been hot in pre-season action and seems likely to be given a starting role at the outset of the campaign with Torres still on the shelf due to injury;
• Dani Pacheco, F - The Spanish Youth International has been in the headlines a lot this summer due to his performances for his country.  There were rumors of a move back to Spain when Rafa left but perhaps he could be an answer for inexpensive depth in the Liverpool attack that was lacking last season;

Fantasy Breakdown

• Best - He faded a bit last season but it's still Gerrard by a fairly healthy margin with only Torres really capable of matching him if he's healthy and that really hasn't happened often enough for him to be considered a challenger for the title of best fantasy player at Liverpool;
• Best Value (non-newcomer) - David N'Gog is definitely the guy here as long as he's starting.  The Anfield faithful hope that his reign in this category is brief and Nando returns to health;
• Best Projected Value - Joe Cole, Aquilani, and Jovanovic will duke it out in this category as they vie for playing time in the Liverpool midfield - I'm guessing it will be Cole early but that over the course of the season Jovanovic will probably beat him out for overall points because Liverpool have fewer wide options to replace him while they have a variety of potential formations that could exclude Cole as part of a rotation;
• Worth Considering With Good Match-ups -  Reina, Agger, Skertl, Johnson, JCole, Jovanovic, Gerrard, Torres
• Worth Knowing If He's Starting - Kyrgiakos, N'Gog, Kuyt, Aquilani, Maxi, Pacheco