Quadruple. That was the buzzword on the tongue of the Liverpool faithful towards the end of the season. This season, they would like to pick up the pieces after their hearts were shattered, as a season that offered so much promise concluded so abruptly.
The two domestic cups were the only unchartered territory Klopp had in England. And he conquered them after two wins in penalty shootouts against Chelsea. Talks of a quadruple transformed from soft murmurs to genuine discussions on TV and online forums. However, every Liverpool fan must have privately acknowledged that it won’t be a walk in the park. Especially given Manchester City’s relentless and Real Madrid’s penchant to turn up in European games.
Two Heartbreaks In A Week
But when Jarred Bowen scored his second against the Cityzens on the penultimate game of the season, the Reds believed. It was a difficult proposition, but if Steven Gerrard’s Villa could hold them to a draw, while they won against Wolves, it would have been Klopp’s second PL Title.
And almost as a miracle, The Villains did go 2-0 up at the Etihad. To add the cherry on top, it was the ex-Liverpool boy Phillip Coutinho who scored the second. Now it was Liverpool who were in the driver’s seat. But Ilkay Gundogan had other plans. A quickfire brace off the bench along with a Rodri goal completed the turnaround. The Cityzens retained the Premier League crown.
But the Champions League final was there up for grabs. After all, that’s what they did in 2019. After narrowly missing out on the league title by a point, they went with their heads high. They won the prestigious trophy after overcoming Spurs in Madrid.
But it was not to be this time. A Vinicius Jr goal gave Ancelloti his second Champions League with the Los Blancos.
The disappointment among the fanbase was obviously large. But they will go again. They have shown time and time again that no matter how much the disappointment, they can pick themselves up and go toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut.
Here, we will have an overview of what their team may shape up as they start the 2022/23 season.
A New Look Liverpool Front Three?
The fabled trio of Salah-Mane-Firmino has come to an end.
This comes after Sadio Mane expressed his desire to leave Anfield. Mohammed Salah too has not agreed on a new contract. Roberto Firmino has increasingly found himself on the periphery after Diego Jota’s arrival.
Divock Origi is also on his way out, after a memorable 8-year tenure in Liverpool.
As such, Liverpool may have an all-new attack come August.
They have planned in advance though. Luis Diaz looks to be an incredible buy from Porto. The electric winger has scored 8 goals and registered 4 assists since his arrival in January. And now they have also recruited Darwin Nunez from Benfica. Nunez too has had an incredible output in Portugal. 34 goals in 39 games is an insane record, and Klopp will hope that he can replicate those numbers in England.
They may line up with these three up front. However, if Salah stays, Klopp may play with Nunez through the middle, with Diaz and Salah occupying the wide positions. Jota may be sacrificed, as he has shown to be more effective in a central position.
The Reds Midfield
Liverpool has one of the finest midfielders in the division. The problem is, all of them are rarely fit together.
Thiago Alcantara and Naby Kieta are notorious for this. In recent years, Jordan Henderson too has shown his fitness struggles lately.
They will be looking to get reinforcements. Fabio Carvalho is an exciting prospect from Fulham who has already agreed to sign for the Reds. He is a technical midfielder who makes late runs into the box to grab goals.
Moreover, Liverpool will hope that the two academy boys Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliot can make progress. On the other side of the age spectrum, veteran James Milner has been offered a contract extension.
Alex-Oxlade Chamberlin is expected to depart, with Aston Villa interested in his services.
Defence
Liverpool’s backline seems to be settled. Virgil Van Dijk recovered from his injury quite well and became his imperious self once again. Joel Matip too remained fit and showed why he is one of the most underrated defenders in the world. The addition of Ibrahima Konate has reaped dividends too.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson show no signs of slowing down either. Kostas Tsimikas has shown to be a capable backup on the left-hand side. For giving Trent cover, Liverpool are looking at young right-back Ben Doak from Celtic.
It remains to be seen what happens with Joe Gomez and Nico Williams.
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