Just two victories away from a historic quadruple, Liverpool signed three players last summer and, ultimately, failed to build on a position of strength.
Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay were added to the fold at the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign, aside from a late panic loan move for Arthur, the midfield was not bolstered.
It’s been a department that has been heavily scrutinised in the months since, with tired, ageing legs not consistently up to the task of delivering the intensity required.
Changing the team is instrumental to keeping the gears in motion, a seamless transition that the Reds have not mastered – despite countless history lessons.
But Jurgen Klopp has given two reasons why it wasn’t time for “a big overhaul,” the first being the Reds’ success last season and then the short turnaround that followed between one campaign and the next.
“I like the squad, but we can’t judge it without looking at the circumstances,” Klopp explained to Sky Sports.
“If the last season hadn’t been as long, if the last seasons wouldn’t have been that successful, there would have been more changes, that’s normal.
“But because we were very successful, especially last year, with a very short summer after, it’s not a summer for a big overhaul because you cannot just bring players in.
“In the last day or two, when pretty much all of them – apart from Luiz Diaz and Thiago – are out there, we have 26 first-team players without goalkeepers.
“The squad is big enough, but we’ve had so many injuries that we never could use them and that leads to things. Every squad in the world can be improved and ours as well, of course.
“It was always clear that after a long time, there would be some struggles and it’s not only going in one direction.
“I knew that can happen and you never know one thousand percent in the moment, but it was pretty likely that this year would be a bit bumpy for different reasons, on top of a World Cup in between.
“Our main issue has been injuries. And when you don’t get momentum in a season, you always have to fight against something and with players coming back from injury.
“We knew we needed changes and this summer is a summer where we have to do something clearly.”
You can somewhat understand the logic of not wanting to add too many players to the fold when their time to integrate into the team is limited, but it’s interesting that Klopp still notes that Liverpool foresaw “this year would be a bit bumpy.”
It’s led to another wasted season whereby the Reds are just attempting to give themselves a clean slate for 2023/24.
