Premier League 2013/14: Predicting Best Players Of Each Club

Liverpool - Philippe Coutinho

A turbulent 2012/13 season for Liverpool has been coupled with an even more turbulent Summer, with the Luis Suarez transfer saga dragging deeper than the indent that is still left on Branislav Ivanovic's arm. Whether Suarez stays or manages to force his way into Real Madrid or Arsenal, he will definitely not competing in the Premier League until October at the very earliest due to his most recent long-term ban. Subsequently, Brendan Rogers will be without his star striker for the opening months of the season, where notoriously his team were particularly poor last season. Rogers will be hoping that the club's decision to stick with him after a less than impressive first year in charge is not found misguided, as he attempts to drag Liverpool back in European contention. This year has arguably been the most disappointing for the club since the mid-nineties, as a poor 7th place behind their Merseyside rivals Everton and without a trophy to fall back on meant that the second most successful club in English football had a season to forget. The goals of Suarez and the return to form of Steven Gerrard were two of the few highlights of their campaign. Nevertheless, it must be said that the signings that the club made in January look to be potentially the re-emergence of the club as a league force. It will obviously be difficult for Daniel Sturridge to get the same amount of goals as Suarez, and recent signing Simon Mignolet has some big gloves to fill as the new first-choice goalkeeper. But there is a mood of cautious optimism amongst fans in the pursuit of European football, and potentially even the Champions League. The most exciting new signing with the potential to galvanise the squad is undoubtedly Philippe Coutinho, the petite Brazilian midfielder that took to the Premier League like a WAG to a tanning bed. Coutinho looks as though he could be blown away by a stiff breeze, but was able to show strength and persistence in his performances in the second half of last season, with his wide array of passing creating guilt-edge chances for his team-mates. This touch of Brazilian magic is just the spark that the Reds have needed over the past few seasons, and looks like a potential long-term replacement for Gerrard. His brain seems to recognise space for passes that most players wouldn't even have time to look for, and that is what makes him not only Liverpool's most exciting prospect, but potentially one of the stars of the season overall. Coutinho will undoubtedly carve open opponents defences throughout the year, but for Liverpool to truly have success they need to take more of the opportunities that their midfield allows them. Then, Coutinho can be put to his most fertile use, rather than seeing his passes wasted in the final third. Where will they finish? - 5th