6 Reasons Why Liverpool Can Qualify for the Champions League

Last season, Liverpool were a team in transition—improving the team by implementing new tactics on the pitch and changing a raft of playing and coaching staff.

One year in, the Reds have many new faces in place and showed a significant improvement in their points tally over the second half of the last campaign, giving rise to new confidence that the team can move up the Premier League table and challenge for the top four.

Champions League places are the immediate aim for the club, which yearns to get back amongst Europe's elite. There are good reasons to imagine it could happen this coming season.

Big Phil Coutinho

The little Brazilian with the huge skills, Philippe Coutinho is quickly making himself one of the most important players on the Liverpool team.

It remains to be seen whether he plays most often from the left or in a more central role in Liverpool's attack, but wherever he features, the Reds are almost assured of chances being created on goal if they can keep the ball reaching his feet early.

Coutinho's technique and vision are impressive, but so far, arguably even more exciting has been his level of consistency. If he can maintain having such a good effect on the Reds' play over a 38-game season, the team is going to have a fighting chance of winning any given game.

Goalscoring Options in the Final Third

Until last season, Liverpool hadn't exactly been a free-scoring team for a few seasons, save for a short spell under Kenny Dalglish when the likes of Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt were scoring for fun.

Last season, they vastly improved that side of their game, largely in thanks to Luis Suarez up until January, and then the additional help provided by Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge. The England striker has yet to play this summer after injury, but the Reds have already seen several different players hit the back of the net, and some of them are in exceptional form in front of goal.

Coutinho has scored three times; the same goes for Raheem Sterling. Steven Gerrard has two, and new signing Iago Aspas has hit four goals already in a Red shirt.

With so many players capable of contributing in front of goal, as well as Sturridge to come back and occasional scorers such as Joe Allen or the centre-backs to consider, Liverpool will head into matches knowing they can not only beat teams, but beat them convincingly—if they take this form into the league campaign.

Better Squad Depth in Middle and Final Thirds

Brendan Rodgers' summer spending isn't over, but he has added significant depth to the final third of the pitch this season, in stark contrast to early last term when the Reds faced a run of around three months with Luis Suarez as the only striker.

Spanish duo Luis Alberto and Aspas both bring technical ability, but both also bring good versatility and will help out the Reds to cover a range of positions.

Add into the mix the progression of youngster Jordon Ibe, the return to form and fitness of Joe Allen and Raheem Sterling, and suddenly Liverpool look far better equipped to deal with another new, long season.

Do they need more? For sure. But as a starting point, the club is in a far better position than it was a year ago.

A Goalkeeper with a Point to Prove

Pepe Reina is out after eight long years as Liverpool's No. 1, and in comes Simon Mignolet to defend the Reds goal.

A talented Belgian keeper, manager Rodgers has placed an awful lot of faith—and money—into giving Mignolet the chance to be Liverpool's goalkeeper for the next half a dozen years, or possibly more.

On a personal level, he'll want to show that he's up to the task. But on a professional level, he also has two obstacles to overcome: the fans who still believe that Reina was good enough to stay as the regular stopper at Anfield, and also to win back his place as the No. 1 for his international team ahead of the World Cup.

Mignolet has made a good start in not conceding a goal yet during preseason, but he'll be far more severely and regularly tested once the season gets started.

Brendan Rodgers Has the Hunger

Liverpool's manager has already been criticised by the world and his dog it sometimes seems, even after only a single year in charge.

Now into his second campaign, Rodgers has no less than nine members of the first team at the club who have been signed on his watch, as well as a string of impressive youngsters who he alone has guided from the under-21s to the fringes of the senior side.

It's very much a case of the manager having done a lot of work to shape the squad according to his own needs, so now he needs to show he knows what has to be done with such talent available.

He'll want to bring in more players—and offload one or two no doubt—but Rodgers has basically got a fine foundation in place to do his best work. And if there's one thing Reds fans should be certain about, it's that the Northern Irishman has plenty of willingness and capability to work hard.

Brendan has the hunger.

£55 Million or More to Spend on Reinforcements

We're at the point now where a majority of Liverpool fans either want or expect Luis Suarez to leave the club this summer.

His most recent interview left little to the imagination in terms of him wanting to leave the club—despite not having handed in a transfer request—and it now seems only a matter of time before the forward departs Anfield.

Albeit on the terms of the club.

And so, when he does leave, Suarez will leave behind some great memories, some moments of madness and a bitter taste in the mouth, which should be somewhat washed away by the thought of Liverpool having in excess of £50 million to spend on replacements.

What they do with that money and who they can attract might go some way towards deciding how far the club can reach this coming season. As things stand, there's got to be plenty of optimism and hope that the top four is not out of reach.

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