It's the Liverpool 2022/23 season preview and prediction, as the Reds look to wrestle the title back from Manchester City
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Like a mischief of magpies bewitched by anything sparkling in the sunshine, silverware remains Liverpool’s enviable objective. Jurgen Klopp’s relentless gegenpressers came within a whisker of sealing an unprecedented quadruple last season, only to fall agonisingly short of the two biggest prizes.
Major surgery has been necessary with Sadio Mané leaving for Bayern Munich, and ensuring that €100m replacement Darwin Nunez gets off to an explosive start, while dovetailing effectively with Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, could be decisive. Or give the ball to Trent. The 23-year-old Alexander- Arnold made more expected assists, key passes, forward passes, crosses, through-balls and shot-creating actions than any other Premier League player in 2021/22. He’s a right-back.
Liverpool 2022/23 season preview and prediction: The lesson from last year
Twice in the previous four campaigns, Liverpool have lost the title race to Manchester City by a single point and, on both occasions, they’ve finished the season with fewer defeats.
Stalemates have ultimately proved the difference between making history and fading from it. Seven draws cost them glory in 2018/19 and Klopp’s side managed eight last term, including a six-goal ding-dong at new boys Brentford and a 2-2 at home to Brighton, having been two goals to the good.
The odd victory against direct rivals wouldn’t go amiss, either: last season’s record against the top four featured six draws out of six. The departure of legendary supersub Divock Origi has removed a psychological weapon for when the clock’s ticking down, too. Liverpool could do with replacing that magic.
The coach: Jurgen Klopp
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Is there a single manager in world football more revered by his club’s fanbase than Jurgen Klopp? From bear hugs on the pitch to banter in the press room and solemnity when it’s required, Klopp just gets Liverpool, so understandably a new deal to keep the trophy-botherer until 2026 was met with great joy.
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The owner: John W. Henry
John W. Henry and his Fenway Sports Group have overseen a dozen years of steady success already. The American lured Klopp to Anfield and then provided funds to make Liverpool a formidable force again. All rosy, then? Not quite. European Super League dalliances aren’t easily forgotten.
The mood around Liverpool…
The whimper with which Liverpool’s quadruple hunt ended – coupled with how appallingly their supporters were treated before the Champions League final in Paris – still stings. However, this remains a period of remarkable success for the Merseysiders, and with Klopp at the helm, nothing is beyond their fans’ wildest dreams.
The one to watch
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Fabio Carvalho’s £5m arrival from Fulham looks like cracking business. The 19-year-old Portuguese playmaker honed his considerable talent on the small-sided pitches of Balham, south London, before progressing through the Cottagers’ impressive academy.
He nailed down a place in the first team and bagged 18 goal involvements for the Championship winners last term, only to sadden fans by forcing a move to Liverpool. He possesses pace, poise, creativity, quick feet... not to mention a sensational head of hair that’s worth the price of admission by itself.
Most likely to…
Match Manchester City for points, goal difference, goals for and head-to-head, before losing the title on a coin toss.
Least likely to…
Defeat Real Madrid in June’s inevitable 2023 Champions League Final clash. There are less glamorous bogey teams.
Last season was truly unforgettable: playing every single game possible, reaching three finals and taking the title race to the final weekend. It might have ended with only two trophies but it was still a ridiculously enjoyable campaign.
The big talking point is the breakup of our long-serving front three: Mo Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino.
This season will be different because I can see a more streamlined approach. The squad is being thinned out and I’d expect the Premier League and Champions League to be our main focus.
Our key player will be Alisson. Take your pick from the rest, but having a superhuman goalkeeper probably edges it.
Our most underrated player is Curtis Jones. The squad pretty much get their dues, but there’s both an underappreciation of what Jones offers and how young he is – 21, heading into his third full campaign!
The opposition player who grinds my gears is any goalkeeper who points and shouts at their defence after every routine save. Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale – you get the gist...
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that he’s the best in the world. Irreplaceable. The best thing that’s happened to this club since King Kenny. Need I say more?
If he left, he should be replaced by his No.2, Pepijn Lijnders. Liverpool is built
for succession: the ethos is driven through the staff and Klopp’s assistant is handed
a lot of responsibility.
I won’t be happy unless we win one of the two main trophies, realistically.
The one change I’d make would be to bin off the NFT project and don’t do another.
We’ll finish as champions.
FFT'S VERDICT… 2nd
It’s now all change on the frontline for Klopp & Co – but this may well be yet another case of hard luck losers.
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Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.
