Is this the year that Liverpool returns to the promise land?
That seems to be a question asked every year at this point. Every year Liverpool enter their campaign with the tag dark horse, a team that might make the top four and contend for the Premier League title if everything goes right. Aside from the 2013-2014 campaign though it seems as if The Reds fall short.
This season does seem different and it is for one major reason: Jurgen Klopp. For years Anfield seemed as if there was a bit of negativity around them. Successive managers coming in and failing to deliver another title will do that. But under Klopp there seems to be unbridled optimism in Liverpool. Perhaps it was their electric run to the Europa League finals but this season just feels different.
Klopp and Liverpool management have done an admirable job changing the atmosphere at Anfield and removing dead weight contracts. The question is now can they take the next step and break into the top four. The hope is that this team has enough depth to take on the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and the two Manchesters. But the fear among supporters is that there is still more work to do and that it is going to take more time than a year to change this team.
Next: Hope #1: That Philippe Coutinho can have quality back-to-back seasons.