It’s all change at Anfield this season, with Liverpool starting life without Jurgen Klopp on the touchline.
The German opted to leave the Reds at the end of the 2023/24 campaign after much success, and Arne Slot has been tasked with pushing the club forward into a new era. The ex-Feyenoord boss will be hoping for a strong start, with demands and expectations on him to ensure that the team continues to win silverware.
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The Reds will be hoping to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City for the title this coming season, and this article will assess the team’s chances of success in the Premier League.
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Possible Incomings?
Throughout the summer at every club across the land, there is a massive need and pressure from supporters to make new signings and strengthen the squad. Therefore, the fact that the Reds are yet to make a signing at the time of writing might have some fans worried, particularly with a new coach at the helm.
Liverpool still possess one of the best squads in the Premier League, although it’s fair to say that there are areas of the team which need strengthening.
With just days to go until their opening top-flight match of the season, the Merseysiders have been linked with Martín Zubimendi of Real Sociedad, who helped Spain to win Euro 2024 in Germany. The 25-year-old would certainly bolster the midfield after Thiago Alcantara departed and announced his retirement.
Out wide, former Everton player and boyhood Red Anthony Gordon has also been mooted with a move to Anfield. The winger left Merseyside to join Newcastle in January 2023 for a reported £40m, but could come to the Red half of the city sooner rather than later.
In goal, the Reds have been linked with Valencia stopper Giorgi Mamardashvilli after he impressed for Georgia at Euro 2024. However, with number one Alisson Becker still the main man between the sticks, reports suggest that the signing would be one with the future in mind and he would be loaned back to his current club.
With just over two weeks of the transfer window remaining and the season kicking off this weekend, there is no doubt that more names will be linked with Liverpool in the coming days.
Squad Strength
While Liverpool fans will no doubt be anticipating and hoping for additions to the squad as the Reds gear up to play on four fronts this season, the Merseysiders will head into the new season with one of the best teams in England.
In goal, Alisson remains one of the top players in the Premier League and will ensure that LFC have a reliable pair of hands. In defence, they boast Virgil van Dijk alongside one of Jarell Quansah, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are arguably the best full-back pairing of any team in the Premier League.
Alexis MacAllister, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai make up the midfield opitons, with Mo Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez comprising the forwards, so Slot already has plenty of top talent with which to work.
However, as the Reds enter a season of transition with Alisson, Salah and Van Dijk all in their 30s, squad depth will need to be bolstered over the next 18 months so that a new Liverpool side can take shape years on from the class of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson which delivered a first league title in three decades in 2020.
The Fixture List
The order in which you face Premier League rivals can have a genuine impact on how the season unfolds, so Liverpool will be grateful that they have a relatively kind start to the campaign, on paper at least. Heading to newly-promoted Ipswich on the opening day of the season, they then host Brentford at Anfield. The Bees have been tipped for a season of struggle, particularly if Ivan Toney departs the club.
The first game in September is a trip to rivals Manchester United, and after that the Reds are at home to Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, another two teams who could viably spend much of 2024/25 in the bottom half of the table. If LFC can add points to the board early doors, confidence will grow and the side should put a good run together.
During the Christmas period, Liverpool travel to Tottenham before Leicester head to Merseyside on Boxing Day, and then comes another trip to the capital to play West Ham
For the run-in – when they’ll be hoping to be involved in a title push – the Reds have four games in May, taking on Arsenal and Crystal Palace at home and facing Chelsea and Brighton away. Qualifying for the Champions League will be a bare minimum among the fanbase, so it will be vital that the team pick up points, particularly during the final month of the campaign.
Summing Up
The 2024/25 season is a huge one for Liverpool as they enter life without Klopp for the first time in nearly a decade. New coach Slot will be keen to get off to a good start to allay any fears and build trust and momentum among the team and the Reds’ supporters.
While the team needs bolstering as the club goes through a transitional phase, the squad should boast enough quality with the likes of Salah and Van Dijk to ensure that LFC achieve their minimum aims this term.
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