The 2023/24 Premier League season is set to kick off next weekend and here at The Hard Tackle, we assess the prospects of Liverpool next season.
Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League table last season, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly and return to the Champions League once again.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are certainly capable of competing for major trophies. But they had an underwhelming 2022/23 campaign, and they were unable to compete for major trophies or finish in the top four.
Liverpool are used to challenging for trophies under Jurgen Klopp, and it will be interesting to see if they can push the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title this season while doing well in the UEFA Europa League.
The Prelude
Liverpool have been involved in multiple Premier League title races and UEFA Champions League finals under their German manager, and they have won every single trophy at club level in recent years.
A club of their stature is expected to fight towards the top of the table, and Liverpool will be hoping to get over their disappointment from last season and make things right in the coming months. There is no doubt that Liverpool have a talented squad at their disposal and they have a world-class manager in charge.
The Reds have picked up massive wins over clubs like Manchester United last season and the quality is there for all to see. However, they will have to get over their inconsistency issues if they want to get back into the Champions League and win a major trophy next year.
Liverpool finished last season with the Community Shield and very few would have expected them to have such an underwhelming campaign, especially after challenging for a quadruple the previous season.
Liverpool have undergone some major cosmetic surgery in the midfield in recent weeks and it will be interesting to see if the rebuild starts to take shape early on in the season.
Klopp is clearly putting together the next set of players to dominate English football with Liverpool once again and the fans will be expecting some fireworks from the Reds in the upcoming campaign.
Squad Update
Liverpool are undoubtedly one of the most talented teams in the Premier League and they are certainly capable of pushing for the league title. They have been involved in multiple title races in recent seasons and they will look to fire on all cylinders once again.
There have been some major changes in the midfield and it will be interesting to see if Liverpool can get things right in their engine room. The midfield was Liverpool’s undoing last season with key players suffering from injuries and the loss of form.
Players like Jordan Henderson and Fabinho struggled to hit top form last season, and the Reds struggled in the middle of the park. Both players have now been allowed to leave the club, and they have moved to Saudi Arabia in pursuit of a new adventure.
Prior to that, James Milner, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and Naby Keita saw their contracts expire. The trio moved on as free agents, and Liverpool had to dip into the transfer market for reinforcements.
They have signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer. The Reds continue to be linked with a number of other midfielders and it will be interesting to see if they can bring in a solid defensive midfielder before the summer transfer window closes.
Mac Allister had an exceptional campaign with Brighton and Argentina last year. He helped his country win the World Cup and he was outstanding for Brighton as well. The South American will add creativity, goals and control to the side. The Reds have missed a playmaker like him in recent seasons and his technical ability and the vision to open up the play could prove to be vital for Liverpool next season.
Mac Allister has already shown his quality in the pre-season games and he should prove to be an exciting addition to the Liverpool side for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai is regarded as one of the best young midfielders in the world and the 22-year-old will look to add some explosiveness to the Liverpool midfield.
The Hungarian is a box-to-box midfielder who will help out with his pressing responsibilities and creativity and goal-scoring.
Szoboszlai will ship in with goals and assists next season. His creativity, flair and ball-striking capabilities could make him a key player for Klopp next year. Both players are undoubtedly upgrades on the previous Liverpool midfielders.
The Reds must look to bring in a quality alternative to Fabinho now. Liverpool looked quite vulnerable defensively last season and they need a defensive midfielder who can protect the backline and break up the opposition attacks.
Romeo Lavia from Southampton is reportedly a target and it remains to be seen how the situation develops.
In the defence, Liverpool have a number of options at their disposal but players like Joel Matip and Joe Gomez were largely underwhelming last season. The Reds could certainly use an upgrade in that area and it remains to be seen whether they decide to bring in a central defender before the window closes.
The priority for Liverpool seems like the midfield right now and any move for a defender will only happen once they get their preferred midfield targets across the line.
In the attack, Cody Gakpo has brought back a spark since joining the club in January and Liverpool should have enough options to navigate through the upcoming season. The return of Luis Diaz who missed most of the last campaign through injury will also be a major boost.
Diogo Jota looked quite sharp towards the end of last season and he has done well in the pre-season so far. The Portuguese international had a major injury issue last season as well and his availability could make a big difference.
In addition to that, Darwin Nunez is clearly going to improve after a mixed debut season and the Uruguayan will look to establish himself as one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the league.
Key Fixtures
The festive period promises to be a tricky time for Liverpool with the Reds hosting Manchester United and Arsenal at Anfield in back-to-back games. Those games are followed by tricky fixtures against Burnley on Boxing Day and Newcastle on December 30.
If the Reds can stay in touch with the league leaders by the end of December, there is no reason why they cannot mount a genuine title challenge next season. Apart from December, February promises to be a crucial period for Liverpool as well with the Reds starting the month against Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Reds will finish their season against the Wolves at Anfield on the 19th of May.
The fixture list seems evenly balanced for Liverpool so far and it will be interesting to see if they can make an impressive start to the campaign next week.
Liverpool will start the season on the 13th of August against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and a win in the opening game could give them a major confidence boost.
Key Players
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian has been one of the best players in the world since joining Liverpool and his consistency makes him Liverpool’s greatest asset.
Despite his team’s struggles and the dip in form of his teammates, Salah continues to perform at a high level every season.
The Egyptian international is Liverpool’s main source of creativity and goals. He is undoubtedly a key man to watch out for.
The 31-year-old forward scored 30 goals across all competitions in what was an underwhelming campaign for Liverpool and he will look to perform better next season.
With help from players like Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, Salah should have plenty of opportunities to add to his tally of goals.
Virgil van Dijk
The Dutchman is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in the world but he had a mixed campaign last year. Van Dijk has been overused after a major injury blow and he seemed out of breath quite often last season.
He will be hoping to get back to his best once again. The Dutchman has been appointed as the club’s next captain following the departure of Jordan Henderson and he will have extra responsibility on his shoulders.
Liverpool will have to tighten up at the back if they want to do well next season and win trophies.
Van Dijk is exceptional at marshalling the defence and leading the side from the back. It will be interesting to see how he takes to his new role and whether he can return to his pre-injury world-class levels once again.
Season Expectations
Liverpool have a number of quality players at their disposal and they have a manager who is capable of challenging for major trophies. Klopp knows how to get the best out of his squad and some of his new signings who failed to hit top form last season will have had plenty of time to adapt now.
Liverpool are expected to come snarling out next season and a return to the top four is certainly on the cards.
The likes of Manchester City certainly have more quality at their disposal and the Reds might not be able to win the league title but they are certainly good enough to win the Europa League.
A top-three finish for Liverpool with a European trophy seems quite likely in the upcoming season.