Liverpool FC: Reds Are This Year's Dark Horses in EPL

The king is dead, long live the king. Rafa may have moved on but Liverpool have brought in one of the best managers in the game in Roy Hodgson. The ex-Fulham boss has worked wonders wherever he has gone and now Liverpool's fans' hope that he will do the same for them.

RBS + Torres and Gerrard Leaving = Worst Case Scenario

As last season ended everyone associated with the Reds feared a summer of upheaval and disaster. It did not start well when KPMG came back with their latest financial report for Kop Holdings, Tom Hicks and George Gillett's holding company, and around every corner there seemed to lurk another disaster.

Jose Mourinho moved to Real Madrid and instantly named Steven Gerrard as a player he would like to bring to the Bernabeau. Thankfully that pursuit seems to have ended as Los Blancos, for once, go down the route of youth and have signed the 20-year-old German international Sami Khedira from VFB Stuttgart as their midfield powerhouse.

Then came Fernando Torres' dalliances with Manchester City, Chelsea, and Barcelona. In the end the striker put the club first when he really could have forced a transfer through. It shows the class act that the Spanish striker is and how he carries himself with great dignity.

In between all that Rafael Benitez moved on to Internazionale and the current European Champions. At the time it looked like a major loss for the team and it is no small exaggeration to say that the club looked rudderless in those manager-less days.

Roy Hodgson's Early Liverpool Influence

But that all ended when Roy Hodgson took over.

In a mere matter of months the London born manager has completely changed things around at the club with the calm assurance of a man who knows exactly how to fight the kind of fires blighting Anfield.

A few calm words with Steven Gerrard combined with the signing of Joe Cole were enough to convince the Liverpool captain that the rest of his career would be in a red shirt. At 30 the chances of Gerrard moving abroad look extremely slim and the odds of him seeing out the rest of his contract are very good indeed. He is a player with the very lifeblood of the club in his veins and his retention sends a signal out to the rest of the league, but more importantly the Liverpool squad, that the Reds mean business next term.

Hodgson then flew out to Spain to meet the recovering World Cup winner on holiday. He explained the clubs situation and how Torres was a major part of his plans and how the striker could influence many things, not just on the football pitch.

It was these sage words that prompted Torres to release a statement last week where he committed himself to the club for at least one more season. Days later and there were at least two viable bids on the table for the club, both dependant on Torres staying...

When you sit back and look and the tasks that Hodgson has carried out with ease it makes you wonder what the club would have been like if Rafa had actually stayed?

By the end of his tenure with the club, Benitez had taken his eye off the football field completely. He had immersed himself in the politicking at the club and that was never a good thing when his priorities lay elsewhere.

One could easily say that Benitez would not have put an arm around his captain's shoulders, nor would he have flown to Spain to talk to his star striker. And could Rafa have resisted the urge to become involved in the sale of the club? Given his histrionics over the last two years it is safe to say that Benitez would have become central to the sale, to the detriment of his team, meaning no Torres or no Gerrard, and maybe no Joe Cole either.

So far, Hodgson has done everything you could ask of him and more. And he has still only spent £2 million in the transfer market, but yet you get a sense of great hope emanating from Anfield, it is almost as if Gerrard has been revitalised and that Torres is a new signing. Now all they have to do is get him fit...

Top Four a Reality

Make no doubt about it, Liverpool will not win the league. But they do possess the players to break into the top four.

If they can keep Torres and Gerrard free of injury then they stand every chance of doing well.

David N'Gog is progressing well but it would be unfair to ask the young Frenchman to shoulder the burden should Torres get injured, so the addition of another striker at Anfield is paramount to their ambitions.

Goalkeeping wise, Pepe Reina is as good as anyone else in the league, maybe even the best 'keeper in the league and it says much about the player when Arsenal are reportedly willing to pay £25 million for his services.

Quite frankly, he is priceless for Liverpool and any hope they have of breaking back into the top four rests in his hands as much as Fernando Torres' goals. You could even say he is the most important player in the team and at this present time the Reds just could not replace him.

In defence they have a set of players that are easily top six in quality. Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel both make too many mistakes to be of title winning quality and still need the presence of the aging Jamie Carragher to calm them. His legs won't last forever though and the two centre halves are going to have to step up sooner rather than later.

Glen Johnson, for a his frailties, is arguably the best right full in the league but Hodgson has much work to do on the England man's defensive qualities. Going forward he is a dream, covering and positional wise he lacks the right tool set.

Hodgson has already tried to sell Emilio Insua so it would be fair to say that the ex-Fulham boss sees left back as a major problem area. Currently there are rumours circulating that Hodgson will either go for a loan deal for Wayne Bridge at Manchester City or Maynor Figoroa of Wigan fame, the Honduran would cost around £5 million and would put a major dent in the managers current transfer kitty. If those deals don't come off then a move for Paul Konchesky is distinctly possible. He is not what one would call a Liverpool player but he is better than the young Argentine.

Midfield Problems

Midfield is something of a problem area at the moment. Javier Mascherano has shown that he is a character utterly lacking in class and links himself daily with a transfer to Inter Milan and Rafael Benitez when he isn't refusing to accept his current manager's phone-calls.

His sale looks likely, but at slightly less that the £25 million being quoted. For a start the player does not want to stay so the club would be mad to keep the unhappy midfielder. Knowing this and Liverpool's financial problems it is not beyond the realms of probability that Inter Milanoffer less or a player exchange for Mascherano.

Early reports would indicate that Hodgson has signalled his intent to move on without Mascherano by trying to sign Denmark's Christian Poulson. A dynamic midfielder he covers the pitch and gets involved in attack and defence may be just what Liverpool are looking for and the Argentinian wanting to move may have played into Hodgson's hands perfectly. However, the Dane is severely one paced and it would remain to be seen if he could manage the Premier League.

It leaves Hodgson with Lucas as his only other recognised central midfielder so another addition in this area is imperative.

Going forward is where Liverpool will frighten any team, and they may just about become everybody's favourite second team if their manager can harness the attacking flair available to him.

From here it seems certain that Joe Cole and Steven Gerrard will form two of the three supporting roles behind Fernando Torres.

Who makes the third position is up for debate but Hodgson definitely has some fantastic players to choose from.

The workaholic Dirk Kuyt springs straight to mind. One of the most honest players in the league he could easily command a berth on the right side of the trio. But then you also have to consider Alberto Aquilani, Milan Jovanovic, and the player who could be this Premiership's surprise package, Daniel Pacheco.

Fresh from finishing top scorer at the recent UEFA U19 European Championships the Spanish forward is itching to make it into Hodgson's plans. He felt ignored under Benitez and sees this new regime as a chance for his to break into the main team, and even the Spanish squad.

It is worth pointing out that in the six years that Benitez was in charge he never made a teenager a regular first team player.

Like Arsenal, Liverpool need to make at least three more signings. A left back, a centre mid, and another centre forward.

If Poulsen comes in as expected then one of those first team voids will be filled and the team would move more towards a Roy Hodgson type midfield. Peter Crouch is persistently linked with a move back to Anfield but it would be a near impossible task to get Spurs to sell him as they will need the extra options he gives in Europe and a home.

Liverpool's first XI are a set of players capable of challenging for the Champions League positions, and has the experience to do so.

However their tilt at the top four would depend upon Spurs getting distracted in Europe and on Arsenal or Manchester City stumbling.

Given the Citizens over-activity in the transfer market and Arsene Wenger's reluctance to spend there is a very real chance of that happening. The Gunners' need at least two more first team players before August in the goalkeeping and centre half positions while another centre midfielder would be needed if they are to challenge for the title. Looking at the sheer amount of extra centre midfielders they have on their books it would seem that Wenger won't look to fill this particular need in his team and will await one of his players to grow into the position.

What that all adds up to is that Liverpool has a very good chance of finishing in the top four.

Most Important Player: Fernando Torres

When the Spaniard plays, Liverpool usually win, when he doesn't they don't.

Keeping him fit is essential. That will be a tough task though as Torres' realistically has not had a rest since the summer of 2007. The following season was the best of his career, and his first in a Liverpool shirt, when he scored 33 goals in 46 games.

He is vital.

Player to Watch: Dani Pacheco

The youngster's development had stunted under the previous regime and early indication coming out of Anfield is that the Spanish prodigy will be afforded every opportunity to progress his game. Technically he is very good with a keen eye of creativity and goals but the physical side of his game needs development, as does his experience. The only way both will improve is through matches.

Prediction 2010/11: 4th to 6th

Liverpool is a better team than both Aston Villa and Everton and should easily finish ahead of both. Their problems lie in North London with Spurs and Arsenal. Both teams have better squad depth than Hodgson has at his disposal so it will take more than a few injuries for his team to capitalise, but Liverpool are more than capable of achieving this task.

In many ways their opening fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester City will define their season, win and a top four finish is a great bet, lose and the task takes on an Everest type appearance. The aces in Hodgson's hand are Torres, Gerrard, and Reina and keeping all three at the club depends upon playing in the Champions League.

Looking at his past management record, where he has improved every team he has worked with (barring a poor second season with Blackburn); this looks a very good bet indeed.

This article was previously featured on Tiger Beer Football , where Willie Gannon is the featured Blogger, over 18s only.