Liverpool went into the last year’s Champions League final against Real Madrid knowing they couldn’t win either the quadruple or the famous treble. Whilst Jurgen Klopp’s side were close to Manchester City, they just weren’t close enough as the Premier League title headed back to the Etihad Stadium on the final day of the season.
Furthermore, the Reds were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid in the Champions League final in France, meaning Klopp’s side ended up with two domestic cups last season.
The disappointment to not either bag the Premier League or reach the Promised Land in the Champions League has certainly served as further motivation for Liverpool going by their fantastic 3-1 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield at the King Power Stadium, at least. It was sweet revenge from Klopp’s boys and no better way to kick off the new campaign.
It’s been a busy summer transfer window for Liverpool so far in comparison to previous years with a number of players arriving at Anfield and some leaving. They had potentially replaced Sadio Mane back in January with the acquisition of Luis Diaz from FC Porto, and the Colombian international’s instant impact in the Premier League allowed the Reds to cash in on Mane, who has joined Bayern Munich.
But the big-money move of the transfer window has to be the transfer of Darwin Nunez from Benfica for a club-record fee of £85m, eclipsing the £75m paid to Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in 2018.
We know how the Van Dijk deal has turned out for the Reds, and Nunez—after a mixed pre-season—has quelled some initial doubts with a goal in the Community Shield win over Man City. Exciting young talents in the form of Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay have also been added to the squad.
Despite Liverpool’s spending, Man City have been a level above their domestic rivals in recent seasons. The Sky Blues have bolstered Pep Guardiola’s squad with Norway striker Erling Haaland and England international Kalvin Phillips, while they remain in the hunt for Brighton’s Marc Cucurella.
Not only Man City, but Liverpool will also have to contend with the other 18 Premier League teams. However, it is virtually impossible to make a case for anyone but Man City and Liverpool to be the champions next May. Based purely on their transfer dealings, Tottenham and Arsenal could be close to pushing the last season’s 1 and 2.
One of Liverpool’s biggest challenges is ensuring a healthy squad throughout the campaign that will also include the World Cup starting in November. No one knows how the players that’ll go for the World Cup in Qatar will return back to the club. This applies to all the clubs, though.
As far as the initial predictions go, City and Liverpool will be the outstanding favourites. In reply to City’s Haaland, the Reds have got Nunez and ended the uncertainty surrounding Mohamed Salah’s future by tying him down to a new contract earlier this summer. The Community Shield win was not just a win, one that showed Klopp’s Red Army have got enough to go one better than last season in the Premier League.
