Every season kicks-off with a bunch of hopes and expectations but the wait for a Premier League title has been agonising in Merseyside since they last won the league in 1990 under Kenny Dalglish. Brendan Rodgers and that Liverpool side were so close to making the Reds’ dream come true by winning their first Premier League title but there’s no need to remind you what happened next as everybody knows what still lingers in memories about that season: Ouch Captain… My Captain… It might have been a dickens of a job to finish the season on top the table throughout years for the Reds but there are a lot of things that can make Liverpool fans feel optimistic about Liverpool’s chances of becoming title contenders this season. In this analysis, we will talk about why Liverpool fans can be optimistic about Jurgen Klopp’s side.
An Excellent Start
Liverpool started the season with four wins in a row, scoring eight goals and conceding only one. This is the best start to a Premier League campaign for the Liverpool side as the Reds couldn’t have done it before even when they were so close to winning the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers. Kicking-off the season in such a strong way is quite significant in that it helps to boost the belief, the commitment and the concentration among players. It’s also important in terms of the momentum Liverpool will need to have after the international break. It’s been a massive achievement for Jurgen Klopp’s side up to now.
The Transformation of Liverpool in the Transfer Market
Liverpool have never been skint. However, it’s an obvious fact that they’ve had a massive financial transformation in a positive way and this has added to their recent success in building up a proper squad. Long before Liverpool spent a club-record-fee of £75m on Virgil van Dijk, In 2011, Newcastle’s then-promising striker Andy Carroll had moved to Liverpool for a fee of £35m and this had been Liverpool’s most expensive signing until then. The change was on the cards afterwards and Liverpool started to become one of those big spenders in the transfer market in time. They also managed to sell their star players for some big fees and this made it easier for them to spend big. Phillip Coutinho’s move to Barcelona was a record transfer income for Liverpool – £142m – and this means that they are not just big spenders but also good at selling their players. The fact that Alisson’s move cost Liverpool around £65m is also important in that they could pay what is considered to be a price of a striker to a goalkeeper. The transformation of Liverpool in financial terms has become key to their success in their transfer businesses.
The Quality of the Squad
I think it would be fair to comment that this season’s Liverpool squad is one of the most exciting squads ever. To make it clear, they’ve got a tremendous front-three in Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. We were able to witness that these three managed to have cracking performances last season, scoring 57 goals between them. They are fast, creative and lethal in the final third who can create danger against any side in the world. They added Naby Keita, who can be the best number 8 after Steven Gerrard, to the midfield and his dynamism, ability in carrying the ball forward and creating chances are like a piece that should surely complete the puzzle in Liverpool’s game. They’ve got a new pair of central defenders in Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk and their defensive performance has been simply excellent since the Dutchman’s arrival. He is the first man to be a decent team leader after such names as Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. There is no need to mention how important it is to have a leader on and off the pitch who can do his best to get his team out of trouble when things are not going to plan. He arrived at Anfield only in January but he seems to have been there for ages. As a defender, his enthusiasm, concentration, commitment and capabilities in defending are what Liverpool had missed before he arrived at Anfield. The fullbacks are also capable of living up to expectations again this season. Andrew Robertson has already managed to have two assists till now and Alexander Arnold’s game will only get better if he can perform like this. Alisson Becker, in goal, is another piece of the Liverpool puzzle and although he might have conceded one of the most awkward goals in Liverpool history, after that howler, he will meet the expectations quite comfortably as he has managed to show his quality in goal.
Conclusion
Nobody knows if anything like Leicester City’s fairy-tale might happen ever again in the Premier League but the competitiveness level at the top of the English football is what makes it outstanding. No wonder this season will be tough for any side but the performance of the Big Six will shape the path to the Premier League glory once again. When we take a look at Liverpool’s opponents though, we come to see that only Chelsea has managed to get off to a brilliant start so far with 12 points. Arsenal are on a new journey with Unai Emery whereas Manchester United are struggling under highly-criticised Jose Mourinho. Tottenham had a quiet summer with no signings to strengthen their squads and they might also have some difficulties during the season when they will be moving to their new stadium. The Premier League title holders, Manchester City, can be title contenders along with Sarri’s Chelsea but Liverpool can take full advantage of the other opponents’ bleak situations in a season like this.
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