Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side made great strides last year, securing Champions League football and adding a certain style to their general play. However, they have a much greater challenge this season.
Their competitors have all added excellent players to their squad and their fixture list is about to get incredibly congested with the addition of European football. They won’t mind though, as Klopp and his side have never been the type to refuse a challenge.
How they will fair this season depends on a number of things, including whether or not they will be able to hold onto their talismanic midfielder, Phillipe Coutinho. They will also be hoping that they can to a squad that has plenty of deficiencies throughout it.
Liverpool’s form
The Reds have looked impressive in pre-season thus far, with Coutinho looking the business in midfield. Mo Salah also looks as though he may be worth the hefty load that Liverpool have paid for him. Unfortunately, there are still issues at the back, as was demonstrated in the goal they gave away to Leicester in their game in Hong Kong.
It’s the usual issue for Liverpool; excellent going forward but suspect at that back. That sort of play really limited their ambitions last season. Instead of talking about winning the league, Champions League qualification ended up being the best they could hope for. They will be hoping to go one better this season and at least compete for the trophy. It will be a tough ask with the extra games and they will definitely need to deepen their squad if they are to compete on all fronts.
That being said, Jurgen Klopp is a little bit of a genius, so we would not be surprised if he found a few bargain buys that will keep the Kop happy.
News
Most of the headlines involving Liverpool football club in recent weeks have involved Coutinho and his potential move to Barcelona. Of course, if he does leave it would be a dent in the club’s hopes, but not a massive one. There is no doubt that he is an amazing talent, but he plays in the one position where The Reds really do have squad depth. If he leaves, it will be a loss, but not a critical hit.
Fans of Liverpool will also be hoping that they improve in critical areas before the transfer deadline. At the moment, they look a little short at the back and there are also questions over there two goalkeepers. Neither seems like the sort of keeper a side challenging for the league should have. These issues should be rectified in the coming weeks or it will be a long season for the Anfield faithful.
Betting tips
Jurgen Klopp side have gotten better every year since he has taken over. They progressed from Europa League to Champions League and they may now be ready for a sustained title-challenge. A lot of their players are hitting their prime age, so we really don’t see why they can’t give it a good lash!
They are priced at 12/1 with Ladbrokes to win the Premier League and we think that could be an absolutely terrific bet. Klopp did it with Dortmund and there is no reason that he can’t lead another underdog side to success!