Season Preview: Are Liverpool ready to compete on multiple fronts?

Previous season 

At one point it seemed as though Liverpool would be Chelsea’s main competition for the Premier League title, but their form fell away over Christmas. While they plucked themselves up to eventually secure a top-4 finish, and with it a return to the Champions League, a 3rd round qualifier meeting with Hoffenheim pending, Jurgen Klopp must demand improved consistency from the Reds over the next nine months. A return to European action increases Liverpool’s work load and it will be interesting to see how the Merseyside outfit fair while battling on more than one front over the course of the campaign.  

Their season starts with a tough trip to Watford, who are now under the watchful eye of Marco Silva. Liverpool may have won at Vicarage Road last term, with an Emre Can wonder goal enough to separate the two sides, but the Hornets will be a tougher proposition this time around. 

Transfer summary 

Liverpool have been linked with a host of big name players in recent weeks, most notably Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk, but in the days leading up to the new season, only Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson and Dominic Solanke have made the move to the red half of Merseyside. Salah is an impressive capture, with the Egyptian superb in pre-season, while Robertson’s arrival means Klopp has a specialist left-back he can trust after going cold on Alberto Moreno. Solanke, meanwhile, comes into the season having earned the Golden Ball award at the U20 World Cup as England secured international glory. Lucas Leiva’s departure is perhaps the big name exit for the club, though rumours continue to circulate that Philippe Coutinho will move to Barcelona before the close of the window. Liverpool, as one might expect, as desperate to retain his services. 

One to watch - Roberto Firmino 

11 goals was a fine return for Roberto Firmino last term and he will look to once more build upon that figure having bagged 10 times in his debut season at Anfield. The Brazilian is absolutely vital in the way the Reds play, with his willingness to operate as a false 9 granting the space for the wide men to wreak havoc in the final third. Firmino again has an influential role to play for the Reds in the coming campaign and having looked sharp in the buildup to the new season, he’s set for his best year in England to date. 

Predicted finish - 4th 

Plenty rides on Liverpool’s business between now and the end of the window, particularly in the wake of Adam Lallana’s injury that rules the England international out for the next couple of months. If they can add to the defence and midfield, and keep Coutinho, a top-4 finish is a possibility, though it’s vital the backline is strengthened.