Can Liverpool Upset the Big Four Apple Cart Next Season?

With four games to go, it looks highly unlikely that Manchester City will be relinquishing their hold on the coveted fourth spot in the Premier League table, which means that Liverpool will finish outside the top four for the first time since 2005.

In that case, however, the challengers were Everton, a team which at that time did well to achieve the fourth spot, without having an outstanding squad or a large financial backup, and so Liverpool were able to regain the Big Four status the very next season.

Manchester City, however, are a different proposition altogether.

Except in defense, City have a superb squad to choose from, which, from the looks of it, is still in transition, with several players being identified as transfer targets. However, the much bigger problem for Liverpool is in competing against a team which has almost unlimited financial resources to call upon.

Liverpool are wallowing in major debt, and even though they have potential investors making offers almost every week, the owners are in perpetual disagreement, with several points of contention being put forward.

One of the major ones being put forward is that the owners do not wish to relinquish their majority share-holding on the club, and hence would not encourage any such investment which dilutes their authority over the club.

The other point of argument is the valuation of the club by investors. All the major investors seem to be putting forward a valuation of around 400 million pounds, including debt, while the owners want something closer to 600 million pounds to outright sell the club.

So, unless an investor comes up with an offer to take over Liverpool by buying out the current owners at a valuation which is closer to their estimate, clear the debt, and then make money available for new, major signings as well as for the completion of the new stadium, Liverpool aren't going anywhere.

While all of this is currently dragging Liverpool down, Manchester City are busy taking steps which will make them THE powerhouse in the Premier League and even across Europe, competing directly with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal for the English title and fighting it out on the continent against Real Madrid and Barcelona for the European Crown.

Plans for expanding the City of Manchester Stadium are underway, with a proposed seating capacity of 80,000. That is almost twice the size of Anfield, and will be the biggest stadium in the Premier League by a fair distance. The income from the stadium is going to be massive.

Over and above that, where City will really hurt Liverpool is that the income from Europe for Liverpool will now directly go to City, which means the situation's a Catch-22 for the Merseyside club. Either ways, City's financial strength will increase to Liverpool's detriment, and in the football world of today, money is what counts the most.

So, with their current squad and financial ability, Liverpool can't match City anytime soon. But, can they overpower one of United, Chelsea, or Arsenal to regain the fourth spot, especially considering that it will be a four horse race for the top spot next season, which means one or two of these clubs could lag behind sufficiently for Liverpool to overhaul them over the season?

From most accounts, United look the most vulnerable due to their financial problems as well. Their debt is almost double that of Liverpool's, but it is partly offset by their multiple and substantial revenue streams. This season has shown that the United squad is not as powerful as in recent years, so they can potentially be overtaken next season.

But United do seem to have enough money in reserve to go for a couple of major signings to strengthen the squad.

Chelsea are almost debt-free, but they have an aging squad on their hands. But persistent rumors suggest that the owner, Abrahamovic, will provide substantial funds for the overhaul of the squad. So, Chelsea seem to be a bridge too far as well.

Arsenal are always spoken of as the team which can lose its top-four billing, yet this season, they are close contenders for the title. Plus, they are debt free, and seem to be the target of a takeover by one of their majority shareholders, Stan Kroenke, which will leave them with a major financial backup. Their squad is already being strengthened, with a new striker, Chamakh, already signed, and several other transfers in the pipeline.

All these points suggest that rather than looking at the weaknesses of their major competitors, Liverpool will have to significantly improve their squad, as well as improve their financial standing, to have a chance at the top four spots, much less the title.

This means several major signings, identifying new revenue streams, and the completion of the new stadium as soon as possible, all taken together, seem to be the only solution Liverpool have on their hands to get back their status as one of the premier clubs in England and Europe.