Where Liverpool got it right
The second half of the season was much better than the first as they finished in sixth. With Luis Suarez a Golden Boot contender until his season was curtailed by suspension, they were far more prolific than last year under manager Kenny Dalglish.
Especially after the January arrivals of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho, they had more potential scorers and creators. There are signs that manager Brendan Rodgers's passing ethos is being understood and implemented.
Where Liverpool got it wrong
They started the season slowly, failing to get a striker at the end of the transfer window, and their two main summer signings, Joe Allen and Fabio Borini, are yet to justify their sizeable fees.
Their record against the rest of the top eight - one win in 14 league games - is unsatisfactory and there were a handful of genuinely awful performances, often halting good runs. Defensively, they regressed with Pepe Reina and Martin Skrtel having poor seasons and Daniel Agger an indifferent year.
Star man - Luis Suarez
Yes, there was controversy. More often, however, there was quality. Suarez scored 30 goals and was consistently terrific.
Flop - Martin Skrtel
Player of the season last year, deservedly dropped from the team this time around. It has been a swift fall from grace.
Prospective signings
With Jamie Carragher retiring and Sebastian Coates a potential departure, the first target is for one centre-back, if not more. Rodgers's former Swansea defender Ashley Williams is a target and Greece's Kyriakos Papadopoulos has been linked. Should Reina go, a new first-choice goalkeeper is required.
Rodgers has talked about signing a No 10 - Hatem Ben Arfa and Christian Eriksen are potential candidates - as both quality and quantity is wanted.
Prospects for 2013/14
Improvement is probable. The aim is for Liverpool to propel themselves into the top four. At the moment, it appears unlikely. Having fallen as far as they did, they have a long way to go to return to the top.
