LIVERPOOL FC 2009/10 SEASON PREVIEW

WILL WE WIN THE LEAGUE?
LFCTIPSTER: From a betting point of view, we are the only serious proposition.

The bookies have already got carried away with the Charity Shield win and cut Chelsea to as short as 2-1 in some places, with Paddy Power even making them favourites ahead of the Mancs who are a best price of 5-2 with Ladbrokes.

Now there is an unwritten rule in gambling that if Ladbrokes offer the biggest price about something, it doesn't usually win.

If they are willing to offer the best price about Manyoo on the high street it's because they want punters to back Taggart's boys with them. That's good news for us.

Aside from the odds, United have lost their aura - as Andrew Strauss might say.

Apart from Wayne Rooney, there's no player that strikes genuine fear into opposition defenders like Ronaldo did. So even when he was having a poor game, the opposition were that scared of him that they would give other players too much time and space.

That's not going to happen this season.I am amazed Taggart hasn't bought a star midfielder as Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Anderson (along with geriatrics Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs) aren't going to scare anyone.

And fair play to Valencia, he works hard and tackles back but he isn't going to single-handedly win you the title.

But will we win the league - cliche of choice is that it's ours to lose. The loss of Alonso is a blow as I would have been hugely confident with him in the side. But Aquilani has a touch of class about him and will be a decent replacement if staying fit.

We have the world's best striker in Torres who, despite injuries, nearly got us home last season. If he stays fit and Gerrard is kept to his attacking role, no team can stop them.

Elsewhere, Dirk Kuyt came on a bundle last year as did Benayoun who started to look decent towards the end of the season. Those two need to score more and Babel needs to make more of an impact but they are capable of doing so.

We'll still be solid at the back and I rate our chances of the title at roughly the same as United and Chelsea - and we are double the price of those two. At Betfred's 4-1 we are a cracking bet.

ROBBO: We seem to have been written off left, right and centre - by fans, the experts, the newspapers - but there's no doubt we can do it.

Yes, Alonso has gone but his contribution is being overstated - he was good, but he was rarely a matchwinner. With Chelsea adapting to a new manager, and the Mancs to life after Ronnie Embarker, the chance is there - now we've got to take it.

With Torres and Stevie kicking off the season fit and ready, the signs are good. We were playing the best football in the league at the end of last season - if we can pick up where we left off we'll take some stopping.

I think that spell last season was a watershed for Benitez. He realised what his side is capable of when the shackles are off and he's making the right noises about going for it more at home when teams 'park the bus'.

Glen Johnson should help in those circumstances and don't rule out improved contributions from David N'Gog and, wait for it, Lucas. Yes, really!


IF NOT US THEN WHO?
LFCTIPSTER: Chelsea - even though they have brought Ancelotti in to win the Champions League first and foremost. They have a well-balanced and big squad with only right-back a weakness.
I expect to see United spend big in January for a poacher but they shouldn't be good enough.

ROBBO: Chelsea. I've got my doubts about Ancelotti in the Prem but the team almost manages itself and I can't see Carlo alienating half the squad like Scolari.

As for the Mancs, I think they're in for a shock. They winged it at the end of last season and teams have finally seen the light and realised you can win at OT...thanks, of course, to us thumping them 4-1 there!


WHO'LL BE OUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR?
LFCTIPSTER: If we win the title it will have to be Torres as it will be his goals that get us there. Having said that, Reds' fans like to look beyond the obvious and I wouldn't rule out Dirk Kuyt.

ROBBO: Stevie G. With his court case behind him, I think Huyton's finest will hit top form and if he stays up front I fancy him to smash the 20-goal mark. Outside bet, I'll go with Johnson, he's been consistently good in the Prem and you've got to fancy him to get even better with a higher class of player around him.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GLORY?
LFCTIPSTER: Without resorting to one of Rafa's bits of paper in a press conference, the squad isn't big enough to win the title and the Champions League.

As we showed last season, we can beat any team in Europe and, granted a decent draw, we should be right up there. But if we get to the last eight, it could have a huge impact on our chances of winning the title as the dreaded squad rotation could rear its ugly head again.

ROBBO: When it comes to us and Big Ears, you never say never. But whereas Rafa's kept his powder dry for Europe in past years, I think this time the emphasis will be the league - and we could slip up playing the fringe men in Europe. Saying that Krisztian Nemeth, Jay Spearing and N'Gog look ready to shine and if the draws are kind, who knows?


TOP SCORER?
LFCTIPSTER: If it's not Torres then we're in big trouble.
ROBBO: Torres, all day.

WHO'S DUE A BIG YEAR?
LFCTIPSTER: The supporting cast is due a big year. I am talking about everyone except Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Gerrard and Torres.

That spine of the team can be relied on every week and now they need backing up by the rest of the side.

In particular, it's time for Benayoun to step forward. There is a real chance for him to make an impact this season with Albert Riera falling into the trap of not being crap but not being good enough.

If Yossi can score more goals and take some of the pressure off the front two, we will be a more rounded team.

We could also do with either Aurelio or Insua settling down at left-back - the latter would be a bonus as he's stronger defensively. That might give Rafa a chance to put Aurelio in a middle of midfield a bit more - he looked good there to me.

ROBBO: Lucas. I honestly believe he's got it in his locker to be a decent player, and with Alonso gone, now's his chance. He's shown he's got what it takes - think Inter Milan away.

He just needs to find that level consistently. Rafa could help him, too. He's not the man to be taking the ball off the defence as Xabi did. He needs to be involved further up the park, so a tweak in tactics could benefit him.

NOW BIG SAMI HAS GONE, WHO'S WORTH A PUNT FOR FIRST GOALSCORER?
LFCTIPSTER: Without coming over all footy bore, Sami was never really worth a punt for first goalscorer.

In fact, trying to find the first scorer is a fruitless task and one that I wouldn't recommend.

Instead, you can do anytime scorer with most bookies. Obviously the prices are much shorter but, over a season, you have a much higher chance of winning.

If you insist on going for the first scorer, you can only really stick to Torres and Gerrard as they score most of our goals.

ROBBO: The Sami bet was the one you expected to lose - so when it came in it was all the sweeter. When in the side, Agger's worth a punt because he likes to stride forward and unleash the odd thunderbolt.

The Dane goes up for corners, too. If he's not in the mix, go for Glen Johnson. He might be a right back, but when it comes to goals he's no Rob Jones!

SO WHAT ABOUT SPURS ON THE FIRST DAY?
LFCTIPSTER: This is possibly the worst game we could get first up.

They are not big rivals so there's no "grandslam Sunday" feeling to it but they are easily capable of upsetting us, like last season.

On the plus side, their new defender Sebastian Bassong is hardly Ronald Koeman and his partner Ledley King has had just one game in pre-season. So their defence won't be at its strongest.

That should be like a red rag to Gerrard and Torres to get stuck in.
Then there's our pre-season form - I'm delighted we've been so bad, getting the bad run out of the way early etc.

I'll have a closer look when we've got the internationals out of the way but, despite my usual pessimism, we should be OK for three points.

ROBBO: Last season's trip to the Lane was a joke, we battered them and got beat. I fancy our chances of revenge.

Harry's been flashing the cash so the home fans will expect them to go for the win. That will play into our hands and I expect us to pick them off on the counter attack. I'm going for 2-0 to the Reds.