Last year Kenny Dalglish was supposed to resurrect a stuttering Liverpool and bring them back into the elite of the English Premier League.
However, success in the league proved to be elusive for the Reds legend, with Liverpool finishing a lowly eighth, leading to Dalglish's sacking. A new era has again dawned with the appointment of Brendan Rodgers. An astute young and hungry manager given charge of one England's most successful and storied clubs.
Rodgers scored plenty of admirers with his stint at Swansea City last season, leading the small Welsh club to a highly respectable mid-table finish, and also in the process playing some nice one-touch eye-catching football.
However, playing good football and achieving moderate success with a club of Swansea's stature, and giving them all due respect, is a walk in the park compared to the pressures faced by managers at clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City.
Liverpool's American owners have said they do not expect immediate success from Rodgers, however they do want Champions League qualification next season; that means at least a top-four finish, an extremely difficult task in itself.
Rodgers has already brought in two players, both of them he is extremely familiar with having worked with them in the past. Fabio Borini is a talented Italian striker, who was a part of the youth ranks at Chelsea under Rodgers, while Joe Allen thrived under the manager at Swansea last season.
The signings look shrewd, particularly the Borini capture; however, neither of them have really played for a huge club before and it remains to be seen if the two youngsters can establish themselves in the Liverpool side over the course of the entire season.
A lot of experience has been lost in the squad with the likes of Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and Maxi Rodriguez leaving the club. Rodgers also has the task of getting the best out of last year's high-profile enormously expensive signings - Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing. All three disappointed last season, with their failures playing a huge part in Dalglish being let go.
Carroll's future is still up in the air, with Newcastle United and West Ham United looking to bring in the striker, who hit form at the tail-end of last season. It is understood the England international wants to stay at Anfield and fight for his place, but doubts remain over the bustling forward's capabilities of playing in Rodger's preferred style.
Downing has looked decent during pre-season and Liverpool's first two competitive matches in the Europa League. The signing of Allen, however, might further curtail Henderson's progress, with the midfielder preferring to play in the middle rather than out wide, where he was forced to play much of last season.
Luis Suarez has committed his future, with Martin Skrtel expected to follow suit, while Joe Cole has a point to prove at Anfield. Daniel Agger's future is still undecided, but Rodgers will do well to keep him at Anfield amidst interest from Manchester City and Barcelona.
One thing is for sure -- Liverpool fans can definitely expect some entertaining football next season; whether it will be good enough to break into the top four remains to be seen.
