Guardian writers' predicted place: ninth (NB: this isn't essentially Tom Garry's prediction however the common of our writers' ideas)
Final season's place: seventh
Prospects
Liverpool are getting into a brand new period after selecting Gareth Taylor as their head coach in August, hoping he'll deliver success in the long run and assist construct an id for the way they wish to play. The previous Manchester Metropolis head coach's appointment got here 162 days after Liverpool's former supervisor Matt Beard left, after an intensive recruitment course of than the Guardian understands took for much longer than common due to a clause with Taylor's earlier contract, after Taylor had been recognized earlier in the summertime because the No 1 goal. It was the primary main teaching appointment overseen by the managing director, Andy O'Boyle, who arrived in April, changing Russ Fraser.
After an sudden fourth-placed end in 2024, Liverpool ended final time period seventh and they're hoping to enhance on that and begin constructing in direction of difficult for trophies once more after making their followers wait for achievement for much too lengthy; they haven't achieved a top-three end since successful back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014. Liverpool are one in every of solely 4 golf equipment to have gained the WSL however over the previous decade there have been huge query marks concerning the wider membership's ambition for the ladies's staff, who've been working with a much smaller funds than the highest sides.
This summer season they offered Olivia Smith for a then world-record charge of £1m, breaking a historic barrier, but it surely stays to be seen how they intend to spend that cash, making predictions tough about their marketing campaign till the switch window closes on Thursday. They're but to interchange Smith with a press release signing.
The supervisor
Taylor, the previous Wales, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United participant, spent 5 years at Metropolis the place he got here mighty near a league title, lacking out on purpose distinction within the 2023-24 marketing campaign. In one other second-placed end in 2020-21, his aspect misplaced one league sport. He gained an FA Cup and a League Cup, and Liverpool are understood to have admired his possession-based type. Can he replicate that efficiently with a squad not blessed with the identical world-class expertise?
Off-field image
Liverpool have introduced a trio of league fixtures that will probably be staged at Anfield, together with their season-opening native derby in opposition to Everton on 7 September, and the remainder of their residence matches will probably be performed at their common residence in St Helens, which gives a great stage of amenities for his or her followers in contrast with many others within the WSL. The gamers have a top-class coaching atmosphere at Melwood however the followers will wantFenway Sports activities Group to take a position extra within the squad after years of comparatively frugal spending has left them miles behind golf equipment corresponding to Arsenal and Chelsea.
Star signing
Might the reply change earlier than the window shuts? To this point, Liverpool's finest transfer has been to make the mortgage of the Scotland midfielder Sam Kerr a everlasting switch from Bayern Munich, they usually have additionally signed the Rangers academy graduate Kirsty Maclean and picked up two astute free signings within the Wales defender Lily Woodham – who's more likely to fill the hole on the left created by the exit of Hinds – and the German goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe. However none of these have made a sizeable dent into the £1m acquired for the sale of Smith.
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Stepping up
Mia Enderby, incessantly spectacular for England's youth groups all through the age teams, is one in every of Liverpool's brightest younger prospects and, on the age of 20, this may very well be the season when she goes from being a participant with potential to being a star of the current. In July the previous Sheffield United ahead signed a brand new contract and Liverpool may actually profit from extra objectives: they had been the third-lowest scorers within the WSL final season they usually haven't had a participant attain a double-figure objectives tally within the prime division since Courtney Sweetman-Kirk hit 10 in 2018-19.
It was a great summer season for …
Gemma Evans and Ceri Holland had been a part of the Wales squad that contested their first main girls's worldwide event, however there are not any senior England gamers within the Liverpool squad. It was a shock that the ahead Sophie Roman Haug was not noted of the Norway squad for the Euros and he or she may have some extent to show this season. The overwhelming majority of the Liverpool squad had been in a position to have a summer season break for relaxation, restoration after which a full pre-season, which may gain advantage them.
Major initiative to draw extra followers
An enormous shift over the previous six months has been an try to alter the enjoying type and make the staff's ways probably appeal to extra followers via the turnstiles; the most important component of that hinged on the recruitment of a brand new head coach, so lots rests on the success of Taylor and his teaching workers. The membership have chosen their residence league fixture in opposition to Everton, Manchester Metropolis and Arsenal to be staged at Anfield.
