Liverpool – hit or miss next season?

What to expect from The Reds in the upcoming season with a bit of tweaking and tuning in their squad

Football fans around the world are gearing up for the next season of the English Premier League.

The 2021-2022 campaign ended in a spectacularly dramatic fashion on the final day where a comeback from Manchester City after being two goals down against Aston Villa earned them the title by just one point.

Meanwhile, Liverpool agonisingly missed out on the trophy once again despite making a grand comeback.

The Premier League rarely fails to surprise. The entertainment value is increasing with every year courtesy of the allocation of more financial resources for the league, contributing to a better quality of managers and players.

Liverpool have risen from the shadows in the last few years, thanks to the outstanding leadership of Jurgen Klopp and his team.

They have won every possible club title since he joined the side in 2015. However, things have changed a bit now and it will be interesting how the team fares in the next season.

New attack

The front three of the English giants have finally parted ways with Sadio Mane joining Bayern Munich for a reported fee of £45 million.

The Senegal international has been integral to Liverpool’s success in the last five years and there is no doubt that his contribution to the team will be sorely missed.

With the arrival of Luis Diaz last January and the blockbuster signing of the Uruguayan international, Darwin Nunez – the Reds seem well equipped to deal with the loss of Mane.

Nunez has been likened to a combination of his Uruguayan teammates, Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani, which is a frightening description for defenders in the Premier League.

His power, strength, finishing ability, intelligent movement will add quality to Liverpool’s strike force and also add unpredictability to their tactics.

Roberto Firmino or Darwin Nunez will usually play as the central striker, two completely different players that will require different strategies from the opposition in order to nullify their threat.

Firmino is a player who enjoys dropping deep into pockets of space to receive the ball or draw defenders out of position. Meanwhile, Nunez is a player that is hungry to run in behind the opposition, while also able to receive the ball with pressure directly behind him.

His physical presence will make him a threat in the box as well, complementing the brilliant quality of the Liverpool full-backs from wide areas. This unpredictability is likely to ask more questions of defenders and will also give an added headache to managers when they are preparing their team.

Expectations from Aberdeen

The club have also added reinforcements at right back, with the signing of the young Calvin Ramsay from the Scottish club Aberdeen.

Ramsay, only 21 years of age, can play with both feet and is attack-minded. The transition from the Scottish league to the Premier League will not be easy for the young right-back and he will take time to find his feet.

The attributes that he possesses seem perfect for the style of play for Liverpool and given their recruitment track record, there is a feeling of optimism around the club regarding his potential as well

Midfield problems

The midfield trio of Fabinho, Thiago and Jordan Henderson has been the magic formula in the majority of the games last season.

When the Spain international is fully fit, he has the capability to run football matches all on his own. However, there is a question mark over the quality and capabilities of the other midfielders in the squad in terms of replacing one of the players on a consistent basis.

In last season’s Champions League final against Real Madrid, there were doubts over Fabinho and Thiago’s physical readiness to play the game.

This had millions of fans sweating because the backup option for these two players did not guarantee the same level of quality that these players possess.

There have been numerous reports that Liverpool are looking for a world-class midfielder to add to their squad but after missing out on Aurélien Tchouaméni who ended up joining Los Blancos, it seems that for once, Klopp and his team does not have a backup option to strengthen in the middle of the park.

It seems like the Reds are willing to wait till the next transfer window before approaching their prime midfield targets, instead of making any panic-induced decision, just like they did while chasing Virgil Van Dijk.

In a recent interview, Klopp emphatically claimed that Liverpool do not need reinforcements in midfield due to the depth and quality that they already have in the squad with the likes of James Milner, Naby Keïta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Fábio Carvalho.

Elliot is a delightful prospect with bags of creativity and potential to improve. There is no doubt over his potential and talent but there are question marks over his consistency, as there are with any young player.

Carvalho, signed from Fulham this summer, is also a very young player. Usually, midfielders at the club take time to settle into the environment and adapt to the roles required to play in the midfield.

It is likely that the 19-year-old will need that time as well, given his age, he is certainly a player that has been bought in for the future rather than the present.

Chamberlain has not kicked a ball for Liverpool in a competitive match since his abysmal performance against Norwich City on February 19, a clear indication that he has perhaps lost the trust of the manager.

In moments when midfield reinforcements were needed, the manager called upon Keita, Milner or Jones to step up and contribute instead of Chamberlain.

The veteran Milner has recently signed a one-year contract extension at Liverpool until the summer of 2023.

At 36 years of age, he has brought incredible leadership and experience to the side. He can fill in at full-back and in the midfield when required, but it would be difficult to argue that he would be a downgrade to any of the three starting midfielders.

Jones, a talented graduate from the Liverpool Academy, has shown that he has the technical ability to play at the highest level.

Having said that, for all his delightful close control, trickery, ability to take players on, he needs to add effectiveness to his game.

A defence-splitting pass, a shot at goal, a pass to break lines – these attributes are what will help him fight for that starting position in the team above Henderson or Thiago.

Keita is a player that divides opinion. He has struggled to find his form and rhythm at the club since he joined in 2016. An unfortunate injury record has meant that he takes two steps forward and one step back.

There are moments where he will come up with magic and show the ability that he obviously has. There are moments when he seems completely lost and overwhelmed with the demands of the game.

Liverpool fans can only hope that he finds consistency and remains injury free, as he is the player that is most likely to serve as an upgrade or replacement to either Henderson or Thiago if they are unavailable to play.

With Mohamed Salah finally renewing his contract, making him the highest Liverpool player in their history, the Reds fans will be expecting another close battle to claim the Premier League title with Man City.