Liverpool finished 3rd in 2020/2021 Season on 69 points.
What a rollercoaster of a season Liverpool endured last year following their long-awaited Premier League triumph. Liverpool will look back at last season and use the injuries of Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Joel Matip as a possible reason for their tragic downfall but I think eight games at Anfield without a win is simply unacceptable given the high standards they have set in last 3-4 seasons. Six defeats at Anfield in a row was the worst in the club's history and it that time they also struggled to score, having 115 shots without converting. That infamous 7-2 defeat to Villa also came with Van Dijk and Gomez in the side so Klopp will look for reasoning all over the squad rather that just injuries. A poor title defense and an overall alarming campaign for Liverpool in truth. The absence of fans and key players are the dual factors but Klopp will no doubt avoid using this as a direct consequence and will look to ensure that infamous collapse does not happen again. However, when you examine the stats from last year in that Liverpool had 16 different center-back pairings with a combination of center-halves and midfielders it's very hard to ignore. If any of the other top four sides had endured such a torrid injury list there's no doubt they would have struggles, but it is the extent of the downfall that will concern Jurgen Klopp. Despite Mo Salah being at his usual best, the fluidity of Liverpool's prized front three was slacking, but again the major disruption to the team's system is a reason for this. However, the shot conversion statistic mentioned earlier illuminates their dip in form and it's difficult to solely blame the injuries on this. The introduction of Diogo Jota from Wolves last year raised a few eyebrows but he has been such a refreshing addition to the side and has lifted some of the pressure of the front three whenever he has played. Back to Liverpool's concern, the one positive to take from the season is that they portrayed their renowned resilience and managed to end the campaign in 3rd, achieving Champions League football when many had wrote them off following their 6th home defeat in a row to Fulham. It would have been so easy to bet against Liverpool making the top four but the fact they did is in all honesty incredible. Their form towards the end of the season was the usual Liverpool and I think Klopp had somewhat finally patched up his sides cracks. That away win to United and the incredible last-minute winner from Alisson signed Liverpool's season off in style and in truth saved their dismal title defense. Klopp must be given huge credit for steering Liverpool to safety in the absence of his senior players and with their return he will be hoping to mount a more promising charge on the summit of the Premier League. Klopp and Liverpool have also come under criticism for their dull activity in the transfer window. Klopp has said that he is satisfied with the current squad that he has. Last season, they particularly struggled in defense and with the return of Van Dijk and Gomez coupled with the signing of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig, Liverpool's defense is arguably the strongest it's ever been in terms of it's depth. The real concern for the fans is Liverpool's reluctance to replace PSG bound Georginio Wijnaldum, who enjoyed a memorable five years at the club. Many fans believe replacing arguably their best midfielder las season is a necessity but Klopp, as usual, is content with the squad he has and will hope that current midfielders such as Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago can fill that void. The improvements made by their rivals is also a concern to the Liverpool faithful but this criticism has come before and Klopp has never been phased. Klopp has also publicly stated that Liverpool's transfer business largely depends on the departures, with fringe players such as Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi still on the books at the club so maybe all will change towards the windows closure. Nonetheless, Liverpool will be adamant they can return to their best with the players they have coming back, with the memory of last season hopefully being banished with a much a better campaign this time.
MAJOR TRANSFERS- (subject to change).
IN- Ibrahima Konate- (RB Leipzig, £36 million).
OUT- Georgino Wijnaldum- (PSG, free).
Harry Wilson- (Fulham, £12 million).
Marko Grujic- (Porto, 10.5 million).
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