Breakdown, Preview and Predictions for Liverpool's 2012-13 Season

Liverpool had an incredibly disappointing 2011-12 English Premier League season, but a new manager will attempt to right the ship in this upcoming campaign.

The Reds finished in eighth place this past season, equaling their lowest spot on the table since the 1993-94 season. That earned Kenny Dalglish an one-way ticket out of Merseyside, and Brendan Rodgers has arrived to take his place.

Rodgers had Swansea City playing beautiful football last season, but questions still persist as to whether his possession-based style will produce results at Anfield. I will try to provide answers as I break down Liverpool in my next EPL preview.

Here is all the necessary information surrounding Liverpool's season.

Transfers In, Transfers out

Transfer In	Transfers Out
Joe Allen	Dirk Kuyt
Fabio Borini	Craig Bellamy
	Alberto Aquilani
	Maxi Rodriguez
	Fabio Aurelio
	David Amoo
	Stephen Darby

Key Additions

Fabio Borini

Brendan Rodgers has made just two signings this season, but he has chosen his targets wisely. Borini and Allen are both young players who have worked with Rodgers in the past and will fit seamlessly into the new-look Liverpool squad.

Borini is a 21-year-old who spent time playing for Rodgers at both Chelsea and Swansea. He spent this past season at Roma, where he scored nine goals in 24 appearances. Rodgers pried him out of Serie A for £11 million, and he will be an excellent addition for the Reds.

Joe Allen

Rodgers' second signing of the summer brought the 22-year-old defensive midfielder to Anfield for a a reported fee of £15 million, according to Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph. By signing Allen, Rodgers has added the player who best embodied his tactics at Swansea.

Allen is a disciplined and effective ball-winner who recorded 3.1 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per match last season, according to Whoscored.com. He also made excellent decisions with the ball and completed 91.2 percent of his passes. He will be an ideal fit in the center of the pitch for Rodgers.

Key Departures

Dirk Kuyt

Kuyt appeared in 34 Premier League matches for the Reds, coming off the bench 12 times. He has a top-notch work rate but was not all that effective last season.

He managed just two goals and one assist last season. Ultimately, Kuyt needed a change of scenery and he got his wish. He would have provided depth for the squad, but his departure will not have much of an effect on the team. 

Craig Bellamy

For all his antics, Bellamy continued to produce this past season. Despite being used primarily as a substitute, Bellamy finished second on the team in both goals (six) and assists (three).

The move back to his native Wales will be positive for him, but Liverpool certainly could have used him this season as a reserve.

Biggest Matches and Full Schedule

The full Liverpool schedule can be found via the team's website. Here are the must-see matches.

At Everton, Saturday, October 20

The Merseyside derby is always a match to mark on the calendar. The Reds outscored their rivals 5-0 in the team's two Premier League meetings last season.

Brendan Rodgers will want to start his career at Liverpool with more dominant victories over Everton. This contest gives him the opportunity to endear himself to the Reds' supporters.

Expect a convincing victory and a spirited rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" in this match.

At Manchester United, Saturday, January 12

When a club has won England's top division 18 times, expectations are high each and every year. Kenny Dalglish woefully underperformed, and Brendan Rodgers will be looked to as the team's savior.

This puts plenty of pressure on him, and a midseason matchup with Manchester United will provide an opportunity for Rodgers to prove how he is handling his daunting task.

If the Northern Irishman can start the year well and pull off a positive result here, it will show that he has the potential to carry the Reds back to glory.

At Newcastle, Saturday, April 27

Liverpool has finished outside of the top four in three consecutive campaigns, while Manchester United has eclipsed their total for league championships in this time.They will desperately be trying to reassert themselves as one of England's top clubs this season.

Meanwhile, Newcastle just missed out on its first top-four finish since Alan Shearer was wearing the No. 9 jersey. They, too, will be fighting relentlessly for a Champions League spot.

A finish among the Premiership's top clubs may be up for grabs at this point in the season. If it is, both of these teams will be focused and determined to get three points in this match. 

Key Players

Luis Suarez

Suarez is the most talented player on the Liverpool squad, and the Reds will need him to be among the most productive players in the Premier League this season if they hope to improve their finish from a year ago.

He had 11 goals and three assists last season, but he also served an eight-match ban for making racist comments to Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

The enigmatic Uruguayan must keep himself on the field and in form this season, or his team will suffer the consequences.

Steven Gerrard

If Gerrard can stay healthy, Brendan Rodgers can help turn this side into a dangerous team. 

Rodgers' tactics require a a center midfielder who can be dangerous as a scorer and a distributor. When Gerrard is in form, he certainly fits the bill.

The 32-year-old played excellent football for England at Euro 2012, showing that he can certainly still play at a high level. If he can be at his best for the majority of the season, Liverpool will be a dangerous side. 

Daniel Agger

The Danish center back is coming off an excellent season and he will continue his fine form into next year.

Agger is a strong and disciplined defender who also excels when distributing to the midfield. This makes him an ideal player for Rodgers' system.

He will have an opportunity to flourish this season and truly make a name for himself as one of the best players at his position. 

Strengths

Holding Central Midfielders

When playing possession-based football, it is important to have deep-lying midfielders who can win the ball and then quickly find a teammate. Fortunately for Brendan Rodgers, he has three of these players.

Lucas Leiva is an excellent ball-winner and an efficient passer. The 25-year-old is a fearsome defensive presence in the center of the pitch, and he allows the other midfielders to make their mark offensively.

Charlie Adam is not as strong defensively, but he has incredible vision and remarkable accuracy on his passes. The Scot's penchant for making decisive passes up the field will give Brendan Rodgers something he did not have at Swansea City.

Lastly, newcomer Joe Allen will continue to fly around the center of the pitch and make tackles. He may be redundant with Lucas Leiva playing, but having too many players at such an important position is certainly better than not having enough.

Possession

While Liverpool's possession statistics under Kenny Dalglish were average, any team coached by Rodgers will knock the ball around at a high level.

Swansea City controlled the ball for 57.6 percent of their matches last season, which ranked third in the Premier League, according to Whoscored.com. Rodgers will install a similar system, and Liverpool's talented players will be able to execute it at a high level.

Players like the aforementioned midfielders, Luis Suarez, Fabio Borini, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and even much maligned players like Steward Downing and Jordan Henderson are all capable of making quick, smart passes. The back line will also be comfortable with this style of play.

Rodgers will certainly ensure that the team has the ball for the majority of the match, but he must find a way to get the Reds to score more goals than Swansea managed last season. 

Weaknesses

Finishing

Finishing scoring chances was Liverpool's Achilles heel last season. It was a problem that plagued nearly every player, and it must be fixed this season.

The team averaged 17.6 shots per game, which ranked fourth in the Premier League, as noted by Whoscored.com. However, they managed to score just 47 times, which ranked 11th in the EPL. 

To put that total in perspective, Blackburn managed 48 goals and Bolton put away 46. Liverpool's defense was obviously miles ahead of both of those relegated teams, but the offense still needs to vastly improve in front of goal.

Fabio Borini's talents—and ability to keep Andy Carroll on the bench—provide some hope for the team's ability to get better.

Expectations

Unfortunately for Liverpool, the team's storied history will bring unfair expectations to this year's squad.

The team has finished seventh, sixth and eighth in the last three seasons, respectively. With a new coach and two new and exciting players, supporters will be looking for much better results, but it may not be possible.

Teams such as Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle have fielded competitive sides in recent years, and the idea of the "Big Four" is gone. Liverpool has not kept up with these other teams, and breaking back into the top-four spots will be extremely difficult.

Brendan Rodgers will have his own goals for this season, but supporters, media and ownership may have wildly different ideas of what he should accomplish. It seems as if he is doomed to be a disappointment this year. 

Prediction for 2012-13

Wins: 17

Draws: 11

Losses: 10

Points: 62

Place: 6th

Brendan Rodgers will get this side to improve. They will win more matches this year and jump a few spots on the table.

But in the end, they will not be able to threaten for a Champions League spot. The team needs a few more top-class players.

Still, the possession-oriented tactics that Rodgers will implement this season will set the foundation for the future. The team has young talent and is set for long-term success.

The climb back to the top will be slow, and this season will not yield much success by the club's lofty standards, but there will be plenty of positives to take away from this campaign.