The new season is upon us, and that means it’s time for all of us to make predictions that will prove to almost completely be wrong by next May!
It was a disappointing campaign last time out in which the Reds never threatened for any silverware, but a positive burst of form throughout April and May gave us some hope heading into the summer.
Chelsea are up first as we kick things off with a testing opener, and the This Is Anfield team have attempted to pick out a top scorer, best player and plenty more before we get underway.
Here are our predictions for the new season, let us know yours in the comments!
Matt Ladson
Predicted finish… 3rd
Player of the Year… Mac Allister
First name on the teamsheet… Alisson (not just because he’s the ‘keeper but because he’s so vital given we will continue to give away so many clear cut chances!)
Biggest concern is… the lack of a holding midfielder!
This season I’d be happy with… winning the Europa League and top four. Nothing less.
Henry Jackson
Predicted finish… 2nd
Player of the Year… Trent Alexander-Arnold
First name on the teamsheet… Alisson
Biggest concern is… injuries, because Liverpool seem cursed!
This season I’d be happy with… winning the Europa League and being in a title race for at least a chunk of the campaign.
Chris McLoughlin
Predicted finish… 2nd. In truth, I think the Reds could end up anywhere between second and fourth, but let’s air on the side of optimism and hope the new midfield gels quickly and Liverpool don’t miss Mo Salah too much when he goes to AFCON.
Player of the Year… Kylian…er, Mo Salah again.
First name on the teamsheet… Alisson, quite literally.
Biggest concern is… who else the Saudi Pro League targets next. Alisson? Virgil? Mo? At the time of writing there are still 33 ‘foreign player’ slots available to fill across the 18 teams and it seems nobody is off limits…
This season I’d be happy with… top four and silverware. Liverpool’s aim should always be to win every competition they enter and I’m never ‘happy’ to not be champions, but realistically I see it as a season when Klopp’s aim of building a second great team makes significant progress – but won’t be quite ready to win a title. Can’t rule out a cup success though…
David Lynch
Predicted finish… 2nd
Player of the Year… Mohamed Salah
First name on the teamsheet… Alexis Mac Allister
Biggest concern is… a slow start. The fact that midfield rebuild has been so comprehensive means it could be a while before we see the best of Liverpool – let’s just hope they can pick up the points regardless early doors.
This season I’d be happy with… I think challenging Man City after making so many big changes feels like a big ask, but being the best of the rest really should be the aim. Oh, and nothing less than victory in the Europa League given Klopp’s record in Europe.
Joanna Durkan
Predicted finish… ever the optimist, I’m going to say 2nd. I’m considering that to be optimistic…
Player of the Year… Cody Gakpo. I really like what I’ve seen so far and he is going to excel after a full pre-season.
First name on the teamsheet… Alisson, it just has to be.
Biggest concern is… the depth, or lack thereof, in midfield and defence. It’s not like we have the best track record with injuries so you feel this is bound to be exposed a time or two.
This season I’d be happy with… top four is non-negotiable and at least one trophy. We ought to be demanding more but that is me being realistic. I’ll happily take more, though!
Harry McMullen
Predicted finish… I’ll be bullish and go 3rd. Man City will always be there, and Arsenal’s excellent transfer window puts them in the race again for me. Liverpool right now feel like the 2017/18 vintage: able to batter any team in 90 minutes, but lacking the consistency to get 90+ points.
Player of the Year… Darwin Nunez. It’s not as simple as him copying his Benfica trajectory, but whether he bags a ton of goals or not, I predict his performances will go up a level.
Our new system really benefits from a proper No. 9 to create depth – his presence pins back the defensive line and creates space for the two 10s to fashion chances.
With a false nine, we get more options to link play, but without that depth opponents can squeeze up higher and put pressure on our midfield. Darwin is exactly the kind of bully who’ll thrive in this role, as we’ve already seen in pre-season.
First name on the teamsheet… Alexis Mac Allister, and not because he’s new and the team underperformed last year. He’s so good in tight spaces, a proper playmaker, and even better out of possession than I thought – forever popping up on the opponent’s blind side and nicking the ball away.
Turns out you can be 5’9 and be a pressing monster! Plus he can play as a 10, an eight, a six, double six, double ten… he’ll be integral no matter what setup he’s operating in. I love him already.
Biggest concern is… depth. There’s actually a strong argument to be made that the best squads have 14 starters at most, and rotate as little as they can get away with. But in the past, Liverpool always had players like Lovren, Origi, Shaqiri who could step up in a crisis and deliver – despite not being at the level to start.
I’m not sure yet who’s doing that for us this season, whether it’s a short suspension, Salah going to AFCON etc. Prove me wrong, fringe Reds!
This season I’d be happy with… top four and a trophy. I know that’s very late era Wenger Arsenal, but we have to be in the Champions League in 2024/25, and we should be favourites for the Europa League.
I liked seeing us win at Wembley (twice) recently so if we don’t lift a cup in Dublin I’ll settle for one in Brent. I’d also love to win both derbies and get another big scoreline against United if we can!
Steven Scragg
Predicted finish… champions, obvs. During the first 16 years of my life Liverpool won the league ten times and were runner up on five occasions, thus my factory setting prediction cannot be anything other than champions.
Aside from that, the last time Guardiola lost a sidekick it rocked the Man City boat, while Arsenal will suffer a hangover from the end of last season. Added to this, Man Utd are within their Houllier/Benitez era, and Newcastle will be stretched by Champions League football, plus their obligatory drop into the Europa League come the new year.
Chelsea and Spurs will play pretty football but avoid silverware. Remember where you heard it first…
Player of the Year… Trent Alexander-Arnold. Our new vice captain will go from strength-to-strength.
First name on the teamsheet… Trent again, as there is simply no substitute for him.
Biggest concern is… we need to identify a long term successor to Van Dijk. I think the captaincy will embolden him once more, but at 32 we’re entering the age where we failed to bring in a long term successor to Alan Hansen, and the price we paid for that mistake was massive.
Let’s not repeat history. Beyond that, while the midfield revamp/clearance was overdue, we have lost a lot of experience. We could do with bringing in a new Milner/McAllister.
This season I’d be happy with… the Premier League title.
Aaron Cutler
Predicted finish… 5th
Player of the Year… Cody Gakpo
First name on the teamsheet… Trent Alexander-Arnold
Biggest concern is… a lack of options in defensive midfield. Lavia won’t be enough! I was hoping for more signings by this stage…
This season I’d be happy with… qualification for the Champions League and silverware.
Adam Beattie
Predicted finish… 2nd
Player of the Year… Trent Alexander-Arnold
First name on the teamsheet… Alisson, closely followed by Salah
Biggest concern is… injuries derailing us again. We can’t allow it to become an excuse for the third time in five seasons, we know the risks of leaving ourselves short.
This season I’d be happy with… a trophy and making Pep Guardiola worry about us again in the league.
