Liverpool have undergone a radical change under Jurgen Klopp the past few years. The Reds have tasted Premier League success after three decades and won the Champions League title in 2019. However, they have also often been pipped at the post in both tournaments.
This past season, the Reds finished second to Manchester City in the EPL and lost to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final despite dominating much of the match. They did defeat City to win the FA Community Shield last weekend to kick off the new season on a high note.
Now, let’s take a look at three factors that might determine the fate of Liverpool next season.
Using offensive resources judiciously
Liverpool are spoilt for choices upfront with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino. Darwin Nuñez and Diogo Jota to choose from. The acquisition of Nuñez and the extension of Jota definitely brought smiles to the faces of Kop faithful. Add to that an exciting young prospect like Fabio Carvalho and we have one of the best attacks in the world.
However, there is some fine-tuning Klopp needs to do with his attack. The absence of Sadio Mane, who kept swapping positions with his fellow forwards repeatedly, might hurt Liverpool to an extent. The lack of width down the left flank was evident against Manchester City in the first half of the Community Shield tie. Diaz tended to move inside and Firmino was unable to swap positions with him.
Moreover, as good as his link-up play might have been, Firmino has not been very prolific in terms of scoring goals. As a result, Liverpool would have to look forward to the likes of Nuñez – who was brilliant with his probing runs against City – Salah and Jota to get their goals.
Creativity in Liverpool midfield
The midfield is one of the grey areas for Liverpool. They have been playing with a three-man midfield under Klopp and Thiago Alcantara – a deep-lying playmaker – is truly the only one with the ability to orchestrate moves on a regular basis. Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner are primarily defensive players. As a result, Liverpool often lack a proper offensive ball-carrier in the midfield.
Curtis Jones is capable of good distribution in the middle third, but has not been consistent enough for the Reds. Naby Keita can play box-to-box, but is more renowned for his solid work-rate and speed. In such a scenario, 19-year-old Harvey Elliott might get an opportunity to rise to the occasion and the upcoming season might turn out to be a breakthrough one for him.
The redoubtable attacking quality of the defenders
Liverpool are reliant on the overlapping ability of their regular fullbacks, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, to a large extent. Both are known for expeditious runs and accurate crosses and can be a nightmare for the opposition defense.
However, the reserve players in the same positions have not been able to exude the same confidence and the likes of Joe Gomez and Kostantinos Tsimikas can still be called fringe players. Moreover, the central defense is a bit too reliant on Virgil Van Dijk and the likes of Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate would have to play perfect foil for him.
The good form of back-up goalie Adrian is a positive sign for the Reds, as the veteran Spanish keeper can lend solidity to the defense in the absence of Alisson Becker, who is currently injured.