Liverpool had a poor run of form last season, especially in the first half of the season which saw them finish fifth on the Premier League table.
This was an unfamiliar territory for Liverpool in the Jurgen Klopp era as they had not missed out on UEFA Champions League football ever since the German tactician joined the club in 2015.
The loss of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich and the underperforming of their midfield partly contributed to Liverpool’s poor season, but some players have been brought in and the Reds are ready to fire again.
Preseason
Liverpool had a good preseason. They played five matches, won three, and lost just one. They scored 18 goals as they beat Karlsruher 4-2, Leicester 4-0, and Darmstadt 3-1. They then drew with Greuther Furth 4-4 before losing 3-4 to Bayern Munich.
Their strikers Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Mohammed Salah have been firing on all fronts, but their defence has let in 11 goals, so they have to fix that going into the new season.
The key fixtures
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Liverpool start their 2023/24 Premier League campaign this Sunday, August 13, with a trip to Stamford Bridge to play a Chelsea team that will look different from how it looked last season after selling most of their players.
Klopp’s side will want to start this season on a high as they look to return to where they belong; the Champions League. Last season, the two legs of this fixture ended in 2-2 and 0-0 draws.
The return leg for this fixture will be played early next year on January 31 and by then, we will have a clear picture of how Liverpool season is going.
Tottenham vs Liverpool
Liverpool will play another big six member, Tottenham Hotspur on September 30 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the second leg towards the end of the season on May 4, 2024.
Last season, Liverpool beat Tottenham home and away but by close scorelines of 2-1 and 4-3. Tottenham will want to do better than they did last season so Liverpool should come prepared.
Manchester City vs Liverpool
Liverpool, the only club that has won a Premier League title other than Manchester City in the past six years, will face the treble winners on Saturday, November 25 at the Etihad Stadium, and return at Anfield on March 9, 2024.
Last season, Liverpool beat Manchester City to win the Community Shield and beat them again in the Premier League. However, the Citizens were a different side in the second half of the league. They thrashed the Reds 4-1 in April this year.
This is a fixture that has been highly anticipated in the past six seasons and this season is no different.
Liverpool vs Manchester United
One of the biggest rivalries in English football will return on December 6 at Anfield, and then on April 6, 2024, at Old Trafford. Manchester United will be the first member of the big six to visit Anfield this season.
When these two clubs met last season, Liverpool humiliated Manchester United when they put seven past them in a match Manchester United fans don’t want to talk about anymore.
Clearly, Manchester United will want to avenge that humiliation this season but they will need to work hard to do so at Anfield, a stadium whose atmosphere has scared off opponents and empowered Liverpool to win regularly.
Liverpool vs Arsenal
Liverpool will enter the festive season while hosting last season’s runners-up Arsenal on Saturday, Dec 23.
Last season, Liverpool contributed to Arsenal’s decline with a 2-2 hard-fought draw but Liverpool expect to do better this season.
This encounter will not be just a walk-over, as it has produced the most goals in Premier League history since both clubs play end-to-end attacking football.
Bonus fixtures
Newcastle, who are now a top four club, Brighton and Hove Albion, who qualified for Europe after playing beautiful football last season, as well as Aston Villa, are expected to challenge the traditional big six.
Transfer business
Just like Chelsea, Liverpool have been the hunting ground for Saudi Arabian Pro League clubs with players like Fabinho and club captain Jordan Henderson going to get some oil cash in the desert.
These join the quartet of James Milner, Naby Keita, Robert Firmino, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who left the club at the end of last season after their contracts expired.
Reinforcements have been recruited in World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton, €42m), Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig, €70) and are in talks with Southampton to sign Romeo Lavia.
Liverpool still need to strengthen their midfield if they want to challenge for trophies in the coming season, even though their attack looked sharp in preseason.
Expectation
Liverpool are a big club that go into every season expected to challenge for all the trophies, and they have proved they can do that.
However, this requires squad depth with a very high quality that will go toe-to-toe with other teams especially the big six. We have seen in the previous years that the title can be decided on the last day of the season.
If they add a solid midfielder and the players maximumly apply Klopp’s tactics, Liverpool can finish in the top four and play Champions League football again.
