The Reds have a new manager but no new signings, so how will they fare in the first year of the post-Jurgen Klopp era?
Right up until March it appeared as if Jurgen Klopp's final season as Liverpool manager was going to end on a glorious high. Having already won the Carabao Cup with 'kids', the German's resurgent Reds were top of the Premier League and looking forward to quarter-finals in both the FA Cup and Europa League.
However, the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. As Klopp subsequently conceded, a shock FA Cup loss to Manchester United grossly affected Liverpool's confidence, and drawing another game at Old Trafford that they had dominated signalled the start of the collapse of their title challenge, while high hopes of securing a Europa League final send-off for Klopp in Dublin were dashed in emphatic fashion by eventual winners Atalanta.
Overall, though, the season was a success, given it had begun with serious doubts over the strength of Klopp's squad. The midfield overhaul worked out well in the end, with Liverpool not only winning a trophy but also earning a vital return to the Champions League via a third-placed finish in the Premier League.
Consequently, Klopp was able to bid an emotional farewell to Anfield knowing that he had left the team in rude health for his successor, Arne Slot. The question now, of course, is how will Liverpool fare in their first season under their new Dutch manager?..
Getty Mood around Anfield
The fans are experiencing seriously mixed emotions ahead of Saturday's Premier League opener at Ipswich. On the one hand, Slot's Liverpool have performed very well in pre-season and there is already enough evidence to suggest that the new coach's ideas are taking root at Anfield.
It would be wrong to suggest that things had gone stale after nine years of Klopp's thrilling but mentally and physically draining 'Heavy Metal' football, but it's clear from what we've seen so far that the change in leadership could prove a positive. At the very least, Slot's tactical tweaks seem to have gone over well with the players.
Unfortunately, while Slot has made an instantaneous impact at Anfield, new sporting Richard Hughes has not. Less than 48 hours before the start of the new season, Liverpool remain the only team in the Premier League yet to make a single summer signing – a staggering state of affairs for such an ambitious club with a new manager at the helm.
Perhaps even more concerningly, key trio Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all entered the final year of their respective contracts.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTransfer business
Very little to speak of. There have only been outgoings at Anfield this summer, with Fabio Carvalho the most significant sale, having been bought by Brentford for £27.5 million ($35m) – a fine fee for a player that never really looked like making the grade at Liverpool.
However, it's also worth remembering that both Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip left when their contracts expired at the end of last season, which only makes it all the more worrying that the first-team squad is still awaiting reinforcement.
The hope was that Martin Zubimendi could be convinced to join from Real Sociedad, to belatedly bring an end to Liverpool's long search for a specialist No.6, but after telling Hughes that he was willing to move to Anfield, the Spain international ended up staying in San Sebastian after coming under intense pressure from his Basque employers to remain loyal to his hometown club. According to reports, there is no Plan B, meaning Liverpool are set to start the season without a world-class defensive midfielder, meaning the hope is that Ryan Gravenberch can grow into the role, most likely alongside the multi-talented Alexis Mac Allister.
A deal to sign Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili does seem to be moving in the right direction, though if that does go through, the Georgia international is expected to be loaned straight out, potentially to Bournemouth, before returning to Anfield down the line to replace Alisson Becker – which only serves to underline that this is hardly an area that urgently needs addressing, with the Brazilian's brilliant understudy, Caoimhin Kelleher, still at Anfield.
AFPPre-season performances
Liverpool's pre-season programme was bookended by games behind closed doors – and they won neither, losing 1-0 to Preston North End at Kirkby before drawing 0-0 with Las Palmas at an empty Anfield.
However, in between, Slot's side were mightily impressive. Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Real Betis, while Mohamed Salah and Carvalho were both on target in the 2-1 defeat of Arsenal. Carvalho struck again in 3-0 rout of Manchester United that also featured strikes from Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas, as the Reds made it three wins from three on their United States tour.
Then, in their first outing at Anfield under Slot, the Reds hammered Sevilla 4-1, with Luis Diaz scoring twice and Diogo Jota and Trey Nyoni scoring one goal apiece. A number of key men only featured for the first time on Sunday, meaning they might not be in optimal condition for Saturday's Premier League opener at Ipswich, but that was to be expected given how many players Liverpool had involved in Euro 2024 and Copa America.
So, all things considered, pre-season couldn't have gone much better for Slot. The results were encouraging, the performances even more so.
(C)Getty ImagesTalking tactics
Liverpool chose Slot to replace Klopp at the helm because they felt the Dutchman's style of play was quite similar to his predecessor's, with the hope being that the common ground would facilitate a rather smooth tactical transition for the players. The early signs are certainly promising, with Liverpool scoring some brilliant breakaway goals in pre-season that could be termed 'classic Klopp'.
However, there have been noticeable changes. For starters, while Slot has argued people shouldn't get too caught up in trying to work out his preferred formation, it really does look like Liverpool are going to play a 4-2-3-1, featuring a double pivot in front of the back four and a No.10 tucked in behind the main striker.
Despite the devastating Zubimendi setback, Liverpool do not lack options in the middle of the park but, right now, it appears as if Slot has decided that Gravenberch would be best deployed in a deeper role, especially as Wataru Endo was one of the few players to struggle in pre-season and Stefan Bajetic is taking time to find his feet again after his incessant injury issues.
As for the likely No.10, Dominik Szoboszlai will be a strong contender if he can replicate the form he showed during the first half of last season, but the rapidly improving Harvey Elliott looked ideally suited to playing as an attacking midfielder during an eye-catching pre-season campaign.
In defence, Jarell Quansah seems to be ahead of Ibrahima Konate in the battle to start alongside Van Dijk, while Jota is unquestionably leading the race to start up front ahead of Darwin Nunez. The Portuguese just needs to stay fit…
Whoever plays, though, it's clear that after the intensity of the Klopp era, Liverpool will focus on retaining possession and play with far more patience under Slot, who has heard urging his new team to kill opponents with passes during pre-season.