After a barren five years in the trophy cabinet at Liverpool FC there is definitely reason for optimism in the upcoming season that this unwanted statistic will be erased.  I for one think that if the squad is used effectively Liverpool can mount some sort of title challenge.  Results against the other five big teams last year were not bad considering we finished 6th (Man United LW, Chelsea WW, Man City LW, Arsenal DD, Tottenham LL) and the necessary improvement instead will come from results against sides further down the table, who we were abysmal against last season.

More realistically however, with the current squad depth and without the burden of European football on Thursday nights Liverpool should make decent runs in both the FA and League Cups.

In recent years it has been frustrating watching Liverpool play in the cup competitions, with uncompetitive second-rate sides who have not really looked up to the task.  The depth in midfield this year though means that we more than likely will have a very strong midfield department in the cup games which I believe could make a massive difference (I remember a few years ago De Plessis was our main central midfielder in an FA or League Cup game).  With this we may also see Kuyt or or even Carroll featuring up front in these games and this gives a pretty potent offense.  Combine this with experience in defence, with Kenny having the third and fourth choice of Agger, Carragher, Skrtel and Kyriagkos, as well as exciting youngsters Kelly and Flanaghan and that is a pretty capable team.  Doni as a reserve keeper has bags of experience, but who's to say Reina won't want to play the cup games because of our European absence? I can see Doni possibly getting one or two games, but there is no real reason to leave Reina out. 

This leads nicely into my next point, a fact largely ignored I feel, that is no Europea League football which would have meant only two days off between games.  I don't believe it is a coincidence that Liverpool's upturn in fortunes in the league last season coincided not only with Kenny returning as manager, but also with being knocked out of the Europa League.  Player management and recovery is crucial, and are aspects that will be increasingly important for football in the future.  This is evident in other sports where teams express concerns over short breaks between games as well as recovery after travel from long flights.  With the fixture logjam which also includes international matches the welfare of the players is ignored by the governing bodies at times.  But managers have to work within this and try to manage their players as best as possible, something Alex Ferguson in particular has done effectively over the last few seasons.  Not even competing in the Europa League is a bit embarrassing for the club, but it is one less burden for Kenny and his management team to face and one that will hopefully mean fresher players and more competition for places due to the fewer games the club plays this year.

I for one will be putting some notes on the table for Liverpool winning a trophy of some description this season in the hope of some well thought-out money if there is such a thing in sports betting.  The usual suspects will be sniffing around of course, but with their focus more on the Champions League I pray that Liverpool could possibly clinch a sneaky double without anyone taking too much notice!