Carragher suggests all eyes are on Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool

The Reds have strengthened the squad – spending big money on exciting attackers and doing neat business in other areas.

Rodgers remained manager despite the club sliding from 2nd to 6th and out of the lucrative Champions League places. There is no room for more disappointment this season and Rodgers doesn’t need me to tell him that. When you consider that cricket is their No. 1 sport, the interest generated by the league was just wonderful.

I wouldn’t say I was surprised that he kept his job. There is a feeling that the Merseyside outfit have made some very sensible signings during this window, but that may change if the expensive buys don’t make an immediate impact.

It was the kind of result that does undermine any manager. “When you’re a manager and leading a team you want to be at for a long time there’s going to be change”. After all, he was not wholly responsible for the players who arrived post-Suárez and the players themselves must take their share of blame for how the team performed.

Ibe, 19, had already go the added expectation of filling the void left by Raheem Sterling this season after signing a new long-term contract in May.

“I’m fairly confident defending and on one-on-ones, and I still think there is more in me for getting forward”.

Yes, there is now something of a more sophisticated, classy and elegant – all of those words you might associate with non-English European football – feel to Stoke these days, far removed from the time when Peter Crouch’s noggin was the focal point of the side. However, if one player does not perform, there are plenty of options to replace them, which is a positive. I could have stayed at Liverpool, and played maybe 15 times a season, but that isn’t enough for me. They are a good team.

Whatever happens – it is good to see that Liverpool have four quality strikers that can play this season, and they each offer something different – which should help them improve upon their goalscoring woes from a year ago. However, Liverpool will enjoy the opportunity to exact revenge against the club that ruined the Liverpool send-off of Steven Gerrard.

“First of all, it’s important to know that it’s not because Mark Hughes played at Barcelona”.

The aim: Top four and a trophy. With so much attention comes a huge amount of pressure, and that is especially true for the goalkeeper.

“And wanting to perform well for my friends and family who are always supporting me”. I think the novelty factor of his eccentricities will probably wear off quite soon.

Who were you sad to see leave – and why? They would have been the last fixtures that Brendan would have wanted at the start of the season. Jordan has been appointed captain but he’ll be a great ally for him.

There could be a few interesting months ahead.

The likes of Mame Biram Diouf, Bojan, Marko Arnautovic, Erik Pieters and Marc Muniesa have all been recruited by Hughes over the last two years and Stoke are now seen as more of an attractive destination for continental players.