Jurgen Klopp came very close to winning his first title with Liverpool last season. But Sergio Ramos’ criminal tackle on Mo Salah and Larius Karius’ schoolboy mistakes made that dream impossible.
But Liverpool reacted to that failure by giving the manager a very big budget. Already world class players and household names like Shaqiri, Keita and Fabinho will play at Anfield next season.
But the biggest deal for Liverpool could be yet to happen. If the £67million bid for Roma’s Brazilian stopper Alisson goes through, things could be looking up for Klopp’s Liverpool side ahead of the new season.
The Brazilian goalkeeper has cut short his post-World Cup holiday in Sardinia and flown to Liverpool to undergo a medical, while he will also pen terms on a six-year contract with the Merseysiders. Alisson’s transfer fee shatters the previous record for a goalkeeper – the £35m Manchester City paid for Ederson – and Monchi admits the offer was too good to turn down.
He told reporters: ‘Alisson’s Liverpool deal will be official soon. They made a world-record bid for a goalkeeper and we decided to sell him. ‘We haven’t finalised anything yet [with Alisson’s medical still to come]. But it is true that the negotiations are advanced and he’s over in Liverpool now. ‘When a very substantial offer comes in, you have to consider it. We weighed up the pros and cons and decided to speak to Liverpool.’
Klopp has looked to address what could be the weakest point of his squad, having been left to think about Karius’ double Champions League final blunder.
Klopp is entering his third full season as manager of the Merseyside club, and has assembled a strong squad. Now that a goalkeeper may be on the way, will Liverpool be able to win the League and win the Champions League?
Here are some of the influencing factors:
The core
When talking about successful teams, you hear about the core a lot. A solid team core is needed for teams to rise to the top of the gruelling Premier League season. Klopp will have a strong core team, if the Alisson move goes through. The team will be one that is able to keep fighting it out in the long run.
Philosophy
Klopp brought his ‘pressing’ style to the Premier League, with a lot of success. Without the ball, Liverpool’s fitness and pressing is hard to deal with, even for the top teams. Even with the ball, Liverpool are equally as drilled. Klopp always puts more importance with the line-up at the back, so that his team are able to play it out. With Karius, this is a bit shaky at the moment, but with the addition of Alisson, Liverpool could be unstoppable.
Presence
New additions Naby Keita and Fabinho have gone under the radar, but will bring a lot to the team. Klopp earmarked both players as ‘must sign’ assets, with Michael Edwards pulling out all the stops to make it happen. Fabinho is a 6ft 3in coverted full back who will be able to comfortably sit in front of the defence. Keita’s defensive as well as attacking work-rate, alongside Henderson and Milner, will give Klopp a multitude of options to help him dominate in the middle of the pitch.
Creativity
This could prove to be the weakest point of Klopp’s well-drilled Liverpool side. With Coutinho’s exit adding some more balance to the team, it also led to a bit of a creativity black hole in the team. Following the exit, Klopp tried to reshape his team, putting more on the shoulders of Salah, Mane and Firmino, which worked to some extent, but could be something that he’s still looking to improve.