All change at Anfield ...
Aug 13, 2025
The EPL is already the Greatest Show on Turf (hybrid surfaces actually, but that doesn't have quite the same ring to it), but this season is building up to be an absolute classic. Big money has been spent, Liverpool are setting an incredibly high bar, Manchester City are looking to bounce back, Arsenal are hoping to ditch the "second again" moniker, Tottenham and Manchester United are seeking redemption and Chelsea are the "best club on the planet", or rather, they won some tournament played in the US in the off season!
Liverpool:
A great first season for Arne Slot at the club and I admit that I was a little sceptical about how that was going to play out ......
Liverpool begin a new, post Klopp era and many of his staff have also departed. The German head coach has been going toe to toe with Pep Guardiola for many years and not just in the EPL. Liverpool have been seen as City's main rival, but the truth is just three top 2 finishes and only one title in ten seasons. Also, Mo Salah has now turned 32 yo and his contract will expire next summer and he has to either be sold to Saudi, a move that has long been touted, sign an extension, or his contract allowed to run down. Virgil van Dijk is a year older at 33, not the player he was and has not been for 2-3 seasons IMO and he is in the same position contract wise and it feels like a transition period will have to be overseen by new head coach Arne Slot and his assistants. In 30 years as player and coach, the 45yo has never been with a club outside his native Netherlands and not many Dutch coaches have been a success in the top flight.
I said "transition", but that is not really the case at the moment with not a single signing and Liverpool are known for being cautious with the cheque book. However, I have argued long and hard that the defence is not up to standard, at least defensively, going forward their defenders are ok and whilst they "only " conceded 41 goals last season, which was six fewer than 22/23, xGA says it should have been 47 and exactly on par with the previous campaign when they were 5th. Even 41 goals conceded is a respective 7 and 12 more than the top 2, who also scored more and I would argue that they remain some way behind City and the Gunners. They were top through 30 rounds last season, 9 points adrift after 38 and ended the season poorly, also going out of two cup competitions late. Slot loves the hard high press and in good numbers and with everyone keen to impress the new boss, stamina through 38 EPL, 8+ Champions League, plus two domestic cups could again become a problem at some stage. Slot has also only coached six CL games in his career and lost four. I again have concerns about them and for now, the new head coach.
In my defence, I still ranked them third and I think that much/most of which I wrote above was correct. Liverpool coasted to the title, but 84 points is the 8th lowest in winning total EPL history and I wrote a brief article about all The Usual Suspects (normal title rivals) having underachieved and 84 points would only have placed the Reds third in two of the three previous campaigns. They scored a lot of goals, but 41 conceded was still too many ( see above) doubly so for a title winner and 25 of those came on the road, the same or more than Brentford (no shame in that!), Everton, Fulham and Palace. I think they did run out of gas a little and what at one time looked like 3-4 titles, ended with one, but it was the one they wanted. I can also repeat that Salah and VVD are yet another year older, both signed new contracts which was great for them and the club, but whilst I accept that the CB is talismatic, he has not impressed me for several years as much was he has other viewers. Salah was unbelievable, scored 29 EPL goals to win the Golden Boot and looked as fit as a butcher's dog! However, that was his most since 2017/18 and ten more than he scored in each of the previous two campaigns and Father Time catches up with everyone eventually. His durability is unbelievable and the Egyptian superstar has missed just 16 league games in his eight seasons with the club, but again, something has to give some time.
I think that Slot and all those making the key decisions at the club realise all of the above. The coach surely knows he has to rotate more and it has been all change this summer. They have sold Luis Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold and a couple of others for circa £115m and signed Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, Milos Kerkez of Bournemouth and Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £250m plus. It doesn't end there as they have bid over £110m for Alexander Isak of Newcastle and unsettled the player, who wants the move big time and that looks likely to be done at some stage. This is all a bit un-Liverpool like, they do not normally flash the cash like this and if the Isak deal gets done, their two biggest signings of all time, and three of their top five, will all have come in this transfer window! This really raises the bar in the EPL and is very exciting for the season ahead and I think we will see a brand new (and improved?) Liverpool. I thought that I had worked out what the transformation might look like, last season Liverpool played a lot of long ball passes from deep lying positions, but Frimpong and Kerkez are VERY attacking full/wing backs and their heat maps highlight how long the pair spend in the opposition half. Szoboszlai and Gravenberch would start deeper in this new system and we already saw signs of that late last season. Wirtz can be fuild, wide or as a 10 and Salah could move more centrally , but they still needed a striker and one who is equally fluid to Wirtz and that is/was Ekitike, but now Isak is (likely)coming in too! Boy, they are going to be fun to watch, but I still feel they will be vulnerable defensively, if anyone can get the ball!
The loss of Diogo Jota and his brother is incredibly sad and will be long felt at the club and no knowing how that might influence things, but a very exciting era in prospect and some very brave decisions have been taken as it is not easy to change so much in a title winning side and this Liverpool team is unlikely to be anything like the 24/25 version.
I have ranked Liverpool as #1, but have absolutely no interest in odds of 2.75 to win the title, some of their signings look great and it appears that Alexander Isak might still move to Anfield, but what they really need is a defender or two and especially a top quality CB (or maybe two!). I think until that is addressed they will struggle big time for clean sheets and they should have conceded 3-4 goals to Palace yesterday. (edit: Sunday) There is so much offensive talent that I have had to put them as #1 but the value will again be with them to win game with BTS.
Good luck!
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