Football writer Alex Keble assesses each Premier League club and their prospects for the 2024/25 season.
Liverpool
UEFA Champions League winner and tactical revolutionary. Adopted Liverpudlian. The man who broke the 30-year wait for the Premier League title. How are you supposed to follow that?
Arne Slot is tasked with keeping Jurgen Klopp’s ideas alive while subtly updating them; evolving the squad without dismantling the legacy; and ensuring a smoother transition than we saw when Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger left Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.
It’s a big ask to replace Klopp as Liverpool manager.
But sheer exhaustion, physical and emotional, was Liverpool’s only downfall last season, meaning there is hope that fresh new ideas - and football played at a slightly lower intensity - can bring instant success.
Performance last season
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +62 | 91 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +62 | 89 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
FA Cup: Quarter-final
EFL Cup: Winner
UEFA Europa League: Quarter-final
Last five seasons
| Season | League position |
|---|---|
| 2019/20 | 1st |
| 2020/21 | 3rd |
| 2021/22 | 2nd |
| 2022/23 | 5th |
| 2023/24 | 3rd |
Best Premier League finish
Champions: 2019/20
See: More about Liverpool's history
Season aims
It is unfair to ask a manager debuting in English football to hit the ground running. Recall that even Pep Guardiola needed a transitional season, finishing third with Manchester City in a forgettable 2016/17 campaign.
Champions League qualification is essential, of course, but as long as Slot’s philosophy shows green shoots the Liverpool supporters won’t ask for more than that.
Key transfers
There haven’t been any. No Premier League club has been as quiet as Liverpool, who are yet to make a single addition despite releasing Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara in June and selling Fabio Carvalho to Brentford.
Liverpool's key transfers so far
| Player | Transfer type | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Joel Matip |  Released |
- |
| Thiago Alcantara | Released |
- |
| Fabio Carvalho | Transfer Out |
Brentford |
See: Clubs' summer 2024 transfers
Tactics
Off the ball the Klopp link is clear: since 2020/21, when Slot joined Feyenoord, only Liverpool and Bayern Munich have recorded more shot-ending high turnovers than their 259.
But in possession Slot’s teams are more considered than Klopp’s, with a greater focus on detailed positional instructions compared to his predecessor’s more improvisational approach in the final third.
In other words, he’s a bit more Guardiola than Klopp. That’s where Liverpool supporters will see evolution.
Injury report
| Player | Injury | Latest Update |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Robertson | - | Details |
| Dominik Szoboszlai | Details |
Pre-season results and fixtures
19 July Liverpool 0-1 Preston Report
27 July Liverpool 1-0 Real Betis Report
1 Aug Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal Report
4 Aug Man Utd 0-3 Liverpool Report
11 Aug v Sevilla (H) Details
Best XI (4-3-3)
Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson; Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones; Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota.
Opening PL fixtures
Kits
See: More details at Liverpool's online store