Liverpool | Season 2016/17 preview.

Liverpool can’t wait for the new campaign!

The expectations are always high when it’s up to Liverpool and their participation in The Premier League. The Reds have won the title on 18 occasions, but haven’t done it since 1990. So the Liverpool’s fans have been waiting for another title for 26 years now! With Jurgen Klopp as a manager everything is possible, but the league will be very competitive, for sure!

Maybe, the first mission of Klopp for the new season will be to secure a place in the Top 4. Then, if everything is okay, he may also compete for the trophy.

The Transfers:

The most expensive Liverpool’s signings this summer are Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane. The Merseysiders paid £32 m. for Southampton’s player Mane and another £25 m. for the Dutch international winger Wijnaldum.

The departure of Martin Skrtel will affect team’s performance in defence in the first few rounds of The Premier League, but the Slovakia international defender is expected to be replaced well by Joel Matip, who arrived at Anfield from Schalke 04. Another defender left the club. That’s Kolo Toure, who joined Celtic for free.

Liverpool sold another one first team player. AFC Bournemouth signed Jordon Ibe for the amount of £15 m. However, this transfer won’t cause a negative effect on Liverpool’s performance in attack, because The Reds have enough quality wingers in the squad.

Key Players:

Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Alberto Moreno will be the key Liverpool’s players in defence for the upcoming season. For sure, Jurgen Klopp is going to use a lot his new signings Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane. But, the main “engine” in Reds’ midfield is going to be Philippe Coutinho, who finished the last season in great shape.

Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge will be the main forwards for The Merseysiders. Divock Origi will maybe be the second option in attack, while Benteke and Danny Ings will mostly be used as substitute players.

It’s not certain if Simon Mignolet will be the first choice in goal. The Reds signed the 23-year-old goalkeeper Loris Karius of Mainz 05, who showed some classy performances in the Bundesliga last season. Moreover, Alexander Manninger moved at Anfield for free.

Probable Starting XI:

• 4-2-3-1: Loris Karius; Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Alberto Moreno; Jordan Henderson, Emre Can (James Milner); Georginio Wijnaldum, Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane; Roberto Firmino (Daniel Sturridge).

The History:

As we already spoke about the last Reds’ title, we can say that Liverpool have finished in a Top 4 position on only 5 occasions in the last decade. The Reds were even close to the title, but left the runners-up twice.

Despite the unpersuasive performance in The Premier League (8th position in the standings) during the last season, Liverpool reached the final of The Europa League, but eventually lost it 1-3 to Sevilla. However, Klopp was appointed as a manager in the middle of the season, so he is expected to build on in the next campaign.

The Expectations:

A season without Champions League football for Liverpool is a big omission for The Merseysiders. So, the fans want to see their team back in the most prestigious European club tournament.

Liverpool will concentrate on their participation in The Premier League and can even make a challenge for the title. The Merseysiders can also pay attention to the domestic cups and will strive to win a trophy in the next campaign.

Until now, I haven’t had a lot of meetings because we have missed a lot of players so it doesn’t make too much sense to always say the same things. I have a few things to say, for sure, but for all players. We have spoken a lot about tactics and I have been really pleased with how we have done it until now. Everybody could see the wonderful signs of our young boys.Jurgen Klopp