Many Liverpool supporters had tempered their expectations ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with some anticipating a year of transition from one managerial era to another.
However, a return of three wins out of three in the Premier League, along with some slick passing football, has rekindled optimism about the team’s prospects for the season, with a chase for silverware on several fronts the ambition again.
A glance at the latest odds and outright markets shows Liverpool listed as third favourites in the title reckoning behind Manchester City and Arsenal, while the Reds sit even further down the list of the bookies’ likeliest contenders for the Champions League.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool remain odds-on favourites to land a position in the top four with the bookmakers featured on this exhaustive list of sports betting sites. However, some hurdles will need to be overcome if the Merseysiders are to achieve that minimum target.
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Can Slot successfully succeed Klopp?
So far at least, Liverpool’s transition from Jurgen Klopp to Arne Slot has been seamless, and the Reds looked expertly drilled in their wins over Ipswich, Brentford and Manchester United prior to the international break.
LFC even completed a hugely impressive 92% of their attempted passes in their triumph over the Bees, which was their highest figure in that regard in a single Premier League contest since records began.
However, Slot is certain to face bigger tests as the season progresses, and it will be interesting to see how a run of poor results may impact his relationship with the club’s fans.
Klopp was always likely to be an impossible act to follow, and the hitherto glowing perception of the new boss may be tested if things start to go awry.
A slow summer in the market
Liverpool finished nine points behind Premier League winners Manchester City in Klopp’s last campaign on Merseyside and endured quarter-final disappointment in the FA Cup and Europa League.
Most observers agreed that the Reds needed to show ambition and aggression during the summer transfer window to make up ground on Pep Guardiola’s side, but LFC have been frustratingly quiet in that regard.
The acquisition of Federico Chiesa looks like a smart piece of business at a snip, but the failure to recruit reinforcements in defence and midfield might leave Liverpool’s squad stretched when the schedule becomes busier.
Decision makers Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards have been criticised for the club’s lack of transfer action, especially with Slot in need of extra backing ahead of his maiden campaign at Anfield. The Reds’ inactivity might come back to haunt them later in the season.
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Liverpool light in midfield
Liverpool’s sluggish transfer market operations and their failure to land primary target Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad has left them at risk of being short in defensive midfield, and a single injury to a player in that position could scupper their hopes of shooting for the stars this season.
The early evidence suggests that Slot favours a three-man midfield, with Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai working in tandem to patrol the middle of the pitch. However, beyond that trio, Liverpool have little in reserve, with Wataru Endo the only specialist in the number 6 role.
There were high hopes of more involvement for talented youngster Stefan Bajčetić, but he’s now gone out on loan to Red Bull Salzburg, decreasing Slot’s midfield depth even further.
Insufficient cover in defence
The transfer rumour mill has been busy churning out stories linking Liverpool with a move for a new centre-back and the Reds were believed to have a serious interest in the services of Leny Yoro before the Frenchman sealed a move to Manchester United.
In Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, LFC have top-tier quality in their first-choice central defensive partnership, while Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez are more than capable of stepping in when required.
However, the summer exit of the reliable Joel Matip made the decision to cash in on Sepp van den Berg all the riskier, leaving the squad more than a little threadbare in a pivotal position.
Loose links with Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite never came close to fruition, and Liverpool could be just one injury away from looking rather short on centre-back numbers.
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