Strengths:
Pace - Liverpool have bags of pace going forward with Sterling and Sturridge especially, making them a nightmare for slower defenders and makes a lot of teams reluctant to attack them. This allows Liverpool to blitz teams very early on and score a lot of goals quickly.
Depth and Versatility - Liverpool have a lot of very decent players all over the park who all have different skills and abilities that allow Liverpool to change their tactics to beat all types of opponents. Markovic and Sterling are fast dribblers who can stretch games, whereas Lallana is more technical and creative, for example.
Tactics - Brendan Rodgers has proved himself to be more than a capable tactician and has turned Liverpool into an aggressive and energetic side with a clear gameplan, which makes their great squad play amazingly.
Weaknesses:
Leaky Defence - Dejan Lovren is a wonderful player, but whilst Liverpool still have Gerrard and Henderson in defensive midfield Liverpool are going to struggle to keep attackers out. Liverpool's problem last year was conceding goals and I feel that this is going to continue.
Lack of Luis Suarez - Any team would miss a player of Suarez' quality and Liverpool will miss the 30 goals a season that Suarez brought to the team. Not only that, but he was an integral part of the aggressive pressing system that Liverpool play and Lambert won't be able to do quite the same.
Signings:
Lazar Markovic - Markovic is bound to become a star in the next few years so Liverpool have done well to secure his services for the next few years. Markovic is fast, creative and direct, which makes him ideal for Liverpool's system and we shall see how he progresses.
Adam Lallana - Lallana is the closest thing that England have to a Spanish footballer. Lallana is an elegant footballer with superb balance and skill that makes him so dangerous. Having said that, £25m is a ridiculous amount for a player who you can find hundreds of in Spain. Lallana will be good for Liverpool, but I don't think £25m good.
Rickie Lambert - Growing up as a Liverpool fan, this must be a dream come true for Lambert. Although Lambert is the wrong side of 30, he is a very gifted player and is experienced, which Liverpool need in their young side. Lambert could be a very astute signing as he gives Liverpool something different and won't expect to start every game.
Emre Can - Can is a young midfielder who is a wonderfully talented player, capable of attacking and defending equally as well. Whether or not he will start I'm not sure, but he seems to be a great long term replacement to Steven Gerrard.
Dejan Lovren - Top class defender but Liverpool need to make sure he isn't isolated like Sakho often found himself last season. Lovren is a terrific defender and will make a great signing if Liverpool can sort out the midfield issue.
Javier Manquillo - Not sure quite how good he is, but he hasn't played much senior football so this could be a gamble from Rodgers, but having another right back is really useful.
Who They Should Sign:
A Left Back - Left back seems to be the weakest position, with Flanagan playing there at the moment, so signing a young full back like Alberto Moreno, who they have been linked with, would be a great signing.
Final Thoughts:
Liverpool have an exciting young squad and some wonderful footballers, but this season appears to be one of transition. With so many young players, they will need some experience before becoming reliable members of a top squad, but Liverpool may still make it into the top 4, if they can click quickly.
Games against the bigger teams are always key, but Liverpool need to make sure they are consistent enough to beat teams in the lower parts of the league. With a young team this might be an issue, but I think they can easily beat any team on their day.
Unfortunately for Liverpool, other teams around them have all strengthened a lot, so they may just miss out on the top 4, especially as they are in a transitional season. However, if they can carry on their form from last season, then who knows what can happen?
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