page_title: 2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: 2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season / Background
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 2014/Qualifikation (UEFA), Gruppe C, 10. September 2013, Österreich gegen Irland im Wiener Ernst-Happel-Stadion. Im Bild: Robbie Keane, Irischer Stürmer. English: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), Group C: Republic of Ireland national football team at 10. September 2013 before the match against the Austria national football team (0:1) in the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna. Here:Robbie Keane, irish striker The making of this work was supported by Wikimedia Austria. For other files made with the support of Wikimedia Austria, please see the category Supported by Wikimedia Österreich.
context_page_description: The 2008–09 season was the 117th season of competitive football played by Liverpool. It began on 1 July 2008 and concluded on 20 June 2009, with competitive matches played between August and May. Having finished the previous Premier League season in fourth place behind Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, Liverpool improved to end the 2008–09 campaign in second place, four points behind Manchester United, with a record of 25 wins, 11 draws and two defeats. Liverpool made little progress in the domestic cup competitions and were eliminated in the fourth round of both the FA Cup and League Cup by Everton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. They were defeated in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea.
  Liverpool acquired eight players in the transfer market, including Philipp Degen, Andrea Dossena and Diego Cavalieri who arrived in early July. They were supplemented by striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham and midfielder Albert Riera in August. A total of eight players departed including John Arne Riise, Steve Finnan, Harry Kewell, goalkeeper Scott Carson and striker Peter Crouch who were all transferred in the summer transfer window.
context_section_description: Liverpool did not win any trophies in the 2007–08 season. Despite new signing Fernando Torres scoring 33 goals in all competitions, including 24 in the Premier League, the team finished in fourth place, 11 points behind eventual winners Manchester United. They fared little better in the cup competitions, exiting the FA Cup in the fifth round by losing 2–1 to Championship club Barnsley at Anfield. A 2–0 defeat against Chelsea resulted in Liverpool's exit from the League Cup in the quarter-finals. Liverpool fared better in European competition, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. For the fourth consecutive year in the competition, they faced Chelsea, but lost the tie 4–3 on aggregate.
  Liverpool made a number of additions to their squad during the pre-season. Defenders Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena were the first to arrive from Borussia Dortmund and Udinese respectively. Goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri was signed from Brazilian club Palmeiras as backup to Pepe Reina, while French striker David N'Gog joined from Paris Saint-Germain. The biggest signing of the summer transfer window was the purchase of striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £19.3 million. Midfielder Albert Riera joined from Spanish club Espanyol at the end of the summer transfer window.
  At the end of the 2007–08 season, Liverpool sold a number of players. Defender John Arne Riise was sold to Serie A club Roma after seven years at the club. Forward Anthony Le Tallec was sold to French club Le Mans, while midfielder Harry Kewell joined Turkish club Galatasaray on a free transfer. Later in July, striker Peter Crouch joined his former club, Portsmouth, for £11 million and goalkeeper Scott Carson was sold to West Bromwich Albion. Defender Steve Finnan and midfielder Danny Guthrie left in August to join Espanyol and Newcastle United respectively. During the January transfer window, striker Robbie Keane returned to Tottenham after only six months at Liverpool. Sebastián Leto joined Olympiacos on a two-year loan after his application for a work permit was rejected, while striker Andriy Voronin was loaned to Hertha BSC.
  Manchester United were the pre-season favourites to retain their league title with Chelsea considered their main challengers. Liverpool were expected to struggle initially while their new signings adapted to the squad. The Guardian's Paul Doyle opined, "If they are to sustain a challenge for the title beyond Christmas, Liverpool will have to develop the offensive diversity and unpredictability to turn last season's costly draws against smaller teams into victories."
caption: Striker Robbie Keane joined Liverpool in July 2008, but returned to Tottenham Hotspur in January 2009.
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