It’s almost that time again...the Premier League campaign kicks off in just 9 days time. Liverpool have had a relatively busy summer bringing in fresh faces for both now & the future, whilst offloading some big names within the squad. One thing we know for sure, is that Liverpool are planning to be right up there once again. So lets get into some of my predictions!
Liverpool narrowly missed out on a truly remarkable season by missing out on the Premier League title by a single point, whilst losing 1-0 to Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid in the Champions League final. History has taught us that when Liverpool miss out one season, they reply with something huge. After losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League Final, They bounced back straight away & were crowned European Champions the next summer. Liverpool also finished 2nd place in the Premier League that season despite achieving 97 points, yet came back the next year & won the Premier League title. Will history
repeat itself?
A lot of Liverpool fans don’t see it happening this time around. There has been a sense of panic across the twitter-sphere this summer which is not unusual for the fanbase. During my time on Twitter (Which is quite a long time) I have never seen a summer when the entire fan base is unified. Liverpool could have gone out this summer and signed Kylian Mbappe, yet some fans would still be wanting something more. The overriding theme for this summer, is with the midfield. People are losing their mind due to Liverpool not yet investing into a central midfielder. I completely understand their point in needing another quality addition, but I don’t see it being the be all and end all for this seasons fortunes.
We know that based on numerous reports, that Liverpool were chasing the signature of Aurelien Tchouameni. However, with Real Madrid failing to land the signing of Kylian Mbappe, this gave them more money to invest elsewhere, and that’s exactly what they did. Jude Bellingham is the player on everyone’s lips right now, but a departure from Borussia Dortmund is highly unlikely this summer due to the exit of Erling Haaland. Borussia Dortmund could fall apart if they allowed their two biggest assets to leave the club in the same summer window. In my opinion, I think Liverpool will play the long game with a big midfielder coming into the club. I truly feel that there is serious interest with Jude
Bellingham, and Liverpool must feel very confident about landing him in 2023. Can Liverpool win the league without a midfielder coming into the club?
Yes. Of course. Liverpool fell just a point short last summer with the exact same midfield options. They won’t become bad players over night. There hasn’t been a significant departure within that area either. Naby Keita was available for the most he has ever been since arriving from Leipzig, so that is a promising sign in itself. Thiago Alcantara of course is another player that fans are worried about when it comes to injuries, but Jurgen Klopp believes that his side have enough depth within the midfield position for another season. Youngsters Curtis Jones & Harvey Elliott will need to step up this coming season & I believe they will.
For me, Curtis Jones is hugely under rated by Liverpool fans, and I feel that this season he is going to silence his critics. Harvey Elliott was side-lined for the majority of last season due to the freak ankle injury he picked up against Leeds United, but before that, he was arguably
Liverpool’s best midfielder. Another full pre season behind him, and I think he will be ready to step up to the plate once again. Liverpool’s new signings will have a vital role to play. Darwin Nunez signed for Liverpool in a potential club record deal from Benfica. Liverpool fans got a first hand experience on how dangerous the Uruguayan can be whilst going head to head against the best centre back in world football, Virgil Van Dijk. Van dijk even placed Darwin Nunez amongst the top 5 toughest forwards he has defended against which is a huge statement in itself. The forward scored 34 goals in all competitions last season, with 6 of them being in the Champions League. Scoring twice against Barcelona & Liverpool, whilst also managing to bag against Bayern Munich & Ajax. This is very impressive for a 23 year old forward. With Sadio Mane leaving for Bayern Munich, it is crucial that Darwin Nunez settles in quickly & hits the ground running for Liverpool.
Fabio Carvalho is another exciting signing by the reds. Liverpool attempted to sign the Portugal U21 international last January, but eventually ran out of time. Jurgen Klopp & his staff rate Carvalho that highly that they were prepared to continue talks & get the deal done as soon as they could. Personally, I am very excited about this signing. Fabio scored 11 goals whilst assisting 8 times across all competitions last season. This was enough to earn himself a place in the EFL
Championship Team of The season at the age of 19. It remains to be seen where Klopp will utilise Carvalho. We know that he’s a very versatile player & can operate as a left winger, whilst also as the number 10. If he is to play as the number 10, then this suggests that we
could see a formation change for this upcoming season shifting to a 4-2-3-1. Wherever Klopp decides to play him, I am very confident that Carvalho will thrive with the world class ability surrounding him.
Liverpool’s biggest transfer story this summer is arguably the departure of Sadio Mane. Mane was seen as Klopp’s first ‘big’ signing at Liverpool & stayed with the reds for 6 years. Within that time, Mane was a huge factor in Liverpool winning almost every single trophy possible. However, we saw the arrival of Luis Diaz last January & what a start he had to his Liverpool career. Luis Diaz instantly became a fan favourite whilst putting in a number of impressive performances. I was lucky enough to be at his Premier League debut vs Leicester City, and he was comfortably the best player on the pitch. I knew straight after that game that Liverpool have just signed a star. With Luis Diaz having 4 months to gel at Liverpool, with a full pre season coming up, I truly believe he will take it up to another level this coming season.
So when you look at all of Liverpool’s transfer business, combined with the squad that they already have, it is impossible to imagine Liverpool not being right up there for the Premier League title once again this coming season. With Manchester City selling the likes of Raheem Sterling & Gabriel Jesus, losing that Premier League pedigree in their attack could be a blessing for Liverpool. Erling Haaland & Julian Alvarez are undoubtedly great signings, but it remains to be seen whether they can have an instant impact in a brand new league for them.
In my opinion, I believe Liverpool will win the Premier League title. I feel that falling short last season will give them a stronger desire to go out and win it. There surely has to be a time where Manchester City drop off a little bit, so who’s to say that it can’t be this season coming? With the Liverpool team another season more experienced, I genuinely feel that
the 2022/23 Premier League champions will be Liverpool FC.
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