By Callum Molyneaux
This season is the most exciting season for Liverpool and the fans in many years. This season there is a real sense of expectation to do well and sustain our position in the top four in the Premier League, as well as progressing well in the Champions League. The group we are in is a group which we can get out of, as well as a difficult but exciting couple of matches against the champions of Europe in Real Madrid. The trips to the likes of Basel and Real Madrid will be testing games, but also games which us as fans will be all excited for and the way Rodgers has got the team playing in the bigger games last season, a real chance of getting points on the road.
While being back in the biggest competition in Europe, we also have to make sure that we are being realistic. This is a new territory for many of the players, and especially the manager. This is a new experience for Rodgers but I’m sure he will thrive from it, especially testing himself against the best teams in Europe. Players such as Henderson, Sterling, Lallana etc have never experienced Champions League football, while only Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel are the only players in the squad who have experienced Champions League football for Liverpool. The Champions League campaign will help guide this young squad even more and improve them, so it can only help the likes of Sterling and Sturridge. This season we will have to rely on players who have experienced the highest level of European football, such as Balotelli and Lovren.
This is the most exciting time for the fans for over 5 years, the last time we were in the Champions League, and we wouldn’t have expected it would take 5 years to get back where we belong, seeing those European nights back at Anfield and hearing the Kop roar. This season will have to be realistic due to the level of competition, but I feel a successful campaign would be to get to the quarter finals, as well as another top 4 finish. However, when you reach the quarter finals, we’ve got a chance, and nobody expected us to win it in Istanbul 10 years ago…