With high-profile signings and exits this transfer window, will Jurgen Klopp be able to go all way this year in the hunt for another possible quadruple.
What happened last year?
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool had to settle for second in the Premier League last season despite coming close to securing an iconic quadrable. After heartbreak in the Premier League and Champions League Final, Liverpool ended the season with a domestic cup double.
Liverpool started the Premier League season off slowly last year and were 14 points behind eventual champions Manchester City in January of 2022. Somehow they clawed back the deficit to just one point and on the final day had it all to play for. They won their game against Wolves, but it wasn’t meant to be with Manchester City managing a remarkable comeback to beat Aston Villa on the final day to pip Liverpool to the title.
Liverpool travelled to Paris looking for redemption, with their eyes set on the Champions League trophy against Real Madrid. Klopp and his men were looking to avenge their 2018 Champions League defeat to the same opponents but just as in 2018 they fell short at the final hurdle, with Real Madrid the 1-0 victors in a tight affair.
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Key Signings?
Darwin Nunez
Uruguayan Darwin Nunez comes into this Liverpool team to fill the void vacated by Sadio Mane and with an initial transfer fee of £64 million, there is certainly pressure on the striker’s shoulders.
Nunez starred in the Primeira Liga for Benfica scoring 26 goals in just 28 games while claiming four assists. The 23-year-old also had an exceptional Champions League campaign scoring 10 goals including two against his new team. These goals forced his new manager Jurgen Klopp to admit he ‘fell in love’ with Nunez after the Champions League tie.
Darwin Nunez is certainly a different type of profile compared to what Klopp has traditionally used at Liverpool. The Uruguayan stands at 6ft 1 and is more seen as a traditional centre-forward compared to other players that Klopp has deployed, who can play across the whole attacking line. However, Klopp has had previous success with more traditional number 9’s at Dortmund with the likes of Aubameyang and Lewandowski.
If you fancy Nunez to become the new main man in Liverpool’s front line you can back him to be the top goalscorer at a best price of 14/1.
Fabio Carvalho
Another signing that could prove to be shrewd is 19-year-old Fabio Carvalho from Fulham. Liverpool seem to have an eye of spotting young talent from Fulham, with the recent purchase of Harvey Elliot coming to mind. The 19-year-old could certainly play his part this year if Liverpool run deep again in all four competitions available to them.
Carvalho caught the eye during the 2019/20 season in which Fulham got relegated playing four games and even grabbing a Premier League goal, but the young midfielder really blossomed during his time in the Championship last year, scoring 10 goals and claiming eight assists in 36 games. With his ability to cover the whole midfield he may be called up into action a lot this year and he certainly has the ability to score goals and make things happen, something you could say the Liverpool midfield was lacking last year after the departure of Gini Wijnaldum to PSG.
And who’s out?
Sadio Mane
One of the most high-profile transfers departures of the summer was Sadio Mane leaving for Bayern Munich. Mane was a huge part of Klopp’s Liverpool revolution having scored 120 goals in all competitions for the Reds and was a big part of their season last year, scoring 23 goals across all competitions. His pace and directness were an important part to the way Liverpool play and he also had a knack of scoring important goals. Mane will be a big loss for Liverpool because unlike Darwin Nunez the Senegalese forward had proven Premier League form having been purchased from Southampton.
Who is their star man?
Virgil van Dijk
Vigil Van Dijk is an important cog in the Liverpool machine, and he allows Klopp’s Red to play the high line with his pace and recovery running. Van Dijk completed 90% of his passes last year and with a ball dominate team like Liverpool this is a must. Van Dijk also got into the WhoScored Premier League team of the season with a rating of season rating of 7.2 with an average 0.5 tackles per Premier League game and 0.9 interceptions.
His importance is shown by the number of games he played, with 51 games across all competitions and when the Dutch captain sustained an ACL injury in the 2020/21 season Liverpool could only manage a top 4 finish with standards seemingly slipping without the Dutch centre back marshalling the back four.
What can we expect from them in 2022/2023?
It is hard to know what to expect this year given the bar was set so high last season. Liverpool have strength in all areas but have lost a lot of key attacking players and their depth isn’t quite what it was last year, with the likes of Mane, Origi and Minamino leaving. Winning the Premier League will certainly be in the mind of Klopp and Liverpool fans and a best price of 16/5 offers good value. Liverpool also have a history of making Champions League finals and can be found at the best price of 6/1 to win the competition (each-way pays 1/2 the odds if they reach the final with most bookies).
Where do the odds project them to finish?
The Premier League winner market projects Liverpool to finish in second right behind rivals Manchester City. This a result Liverpool fans are probably sick of seeing after what has happened to them over the last couple of years, but it also presents an opportunity for punters who believe Klopp’s men can finally win the Premier League again, they are currently the best price of 16/5.
Any recommended bets?
It seems like Liverpool and Manchester City will be fighting again for the Premier League but with key squad players leaving Klopp may have to focus more heavily on the bigger competitions. Klopp has signalled his intention to win the Premier League title this year and if he decides to hone in on the League this year, 16/5 may well represent a bit of value.
