Liverpool FC: 5 Realistic Goals for the Reds Under Brendan Rodgers Next Season

With Liverpool all set to kick off their new season within the next three weeks under the guidance of new manager Brendan Rodgers, it is worth analysing exactly what will be expected of the new boss and the club as a whole.

Last season, Kenny Dalglish guided Liverpool to the Carling Cup trophy—their first silverware in six years. He also led the team to the FA Cup final, where they lost 2-1 against Chelsea.

The Premier League however was a different story, as Liverpool finished eighth, some distance outside the top four spots and even behind neighbours Everton.

Brendan Rodgers will be expected above all else to improve upon that particularly grim statistic.

Here are five realistic targets for Liverpool to aim toward during the 2012-13 season.

Liverpool traditionally hold themselves as a club who show respect to (most) other teams and officials, conduct themselves in a good manner on and off the field and prefer to make headlines for the right reasons.

So here's an easy goal for Liverpool to aim for next season: Cut down entirely on the controversial incidents compared to last season.

The whole Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra affair, the t-shirts worn at Wigan Athletic away, the fan in the crowd who abused an Oldham Athletic player during the FA Cup tie and the handshake fiasco—all of that needs to be packed away in a box marked "last season" and not repeated.

Liverpool need to concentrate on their own rebuilding and rebranding, and focus solely on having a successful season on the pitch.

Last summer Liverpool badly needed new faces in to overhaul the mess left behind of summer 2010, when Roy Hodgson brought in the likes of Christian Poulsen and Paul Konchesky, while Milan Jovanovic and Joe Cole were desperately disappointing free transfer arrivals.

Unfortunately, whilst the squad did arguably get somewhat better, it came at a high premium as the Reds went for Premier League-based players for the most part.

Stewart Downing was the biggest example of just what overspending can get you, but there were arguably others.

Liverpool now again need to inject fresh quality into the squad—more than last summer—but do it at a better value: cost ratio.

Gylfi Sigurdsson's move to Spurs ahead of Liverpool might have disappointed some, but if it points to a new precedent of not overspending or offering more than a player's worth to the club, it will be a welcome change of direction.

Rodgers will have to buy some players this summer, no doubt about it.

But once the reserves and under-18 teams are back in full training as well (with all players returning from international duty), it can be almost guaranteed that the boss will be keen to take a look at what talent is there.

Over the course of the next season, with the Europa League qualifiers and two domestic cup competitions on the table, Liverpool have the opportunity to give a handful of their most talented youngsters some decent game time in the first team.

Raheem Sterling made inroads toward becoming part of the squad at the end of last season, while Suso, Conor Coady and Andre Wisdom all have a real chance of doing the same over the coming 10 months.

Improvements in other areas is all well and good, but Liverpool got themselves back in the habit of winning things last season and that is one habit which the Reds would do well not to break.

The Carling Cup was a big win for Liverpool as it represented their first trophy win since the 2006 FA Cup, though they were unable to win that particular competition as well, losing out in the final.

The early rounds draws may dictate what team Brendan Rodgers fields, but Liverpool would do well to concentrate a strong side in the FA Cup in particular with a view to winning it this time round.

However the rest of the campaign goes, a winning end and a trophy lifted would put a great seal on Rodgers' first season at the club.

Amongst the hard work, new styles, expensive (or otherwise) signings and trophy-chasing that goes on next season, one goal will sit above all others for Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers to aim toward.

The Champions League.

Liverpool desperately need to get back into Europe's elite competition after several years outside it.

70 points must be a target for the Reds to attain in the Premier League this season if they are to have a chance of making the Premier League's top four spots.

It's going to take luck, hard work and no shortage of ability to get there—but a realistic goal it remains if the Reds do intelligent business in the transfer window, steer clear of too many major injuries and see their best players buy fully and quickly into the new regime.

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