Guardian writers’ predicted position: 3rd (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 3rd
Prospects
There are few guarantees with a high-profile succession but it is a safe bet that Anfield will be home to one of the most intriguing stories of the Premier League season. Liverpool have lost a manager who was worshipped by the Kop, and not for the first time. The club now hope Arne Slot proves a replacement more in the mould of Bob Paisley than Graeme Souness.
Liverpool are not braced for Souness-like upheaval; that is also certain, given it was the prospect of continuity and fine-tuning a squad built by Jürgen Klopp that attracted the club to Slot. The former Feyenoord coach emerged as a leading candidate after a meticulous recruitment process overseen by the new sporting director, Richard Hughes. Liverpool are confident there is more to come from a relatively young squad that was in title contention ahead of schedule last season before fading during the run-in. Slot’s rich inheritance also includes the return of Champions League football after a one-year absence. He is expected to keep the club there.
Liverpool’s head coach has claimed only small margins separated the team from Manchester City and Arsenal last season and his stated aim is to deliver the marginal improvement needed to win the Premier League. Slot’s hands-on approach to training and more possession-based tactics have been welcomed in pre-season, as has the 45-year-old himself behind the scenes, with Liverpool’s midfielders particularly enamoured of the freedom he has granted them.
But it is far from ideal that Slot has started work in a summer of a European Championship and a Copa América. He will have had Liverpool’s full first-team squad together for only 11 days before his Premier League bow at Ipswich. At least the early fixture list looks inviting, on paper, and offers a chance to make an immediate impression.
The manager
Slot admitted he had “big shoes to fill” after Klopp’s departure. They may be impossible to fill in terms of rapport with supporters, force of personality and authority (an all-powerful manager as opposed to a head coach in a new structure led by Michael Edwards, Fenway Sports Group’s chief executive of football). But, in the more important fields of winning and developing this Liverpool team, Slot will back himself to make his mark. There is space for improvement. “We helped the new manager, if you want, by not winning everything,” said Klopp at his farewell event. “Imagine if we’d won the quadruple this year.” Slot, who won the Eredivisie title and KNVB Cup in his two seasons with Feyenoord, promises an evolution of Liverpool’s style rather than radical change.
Off-field picture
After the seismic shock of Klopp’s decision to step down, relayed to Liverpool’s owners in November, FSG used the months before his exit to restructure the football operation. Edwards is at the helm and Mike Gordon, the FSG president, who worked closely with Klopp, has taken a step back. A quiet transfer window prompted concern beyond the usual #FSGOUT brigade but Slot wanted a good look at his inherited squad on a pre-season tour of the US before moving for any upgrades. Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi, fresh from winning the Euros with Spain, has been identified for the defensive midfield upgrade required. Away from the pitch a 2% rise in ticket prices, and the lack of engagement before that decision was announced, was met with widespread dismay.
Breakout star
Slot said he was not surprised at the quality on display during Liverpool’s US tour – his players are representing one of the biggest clubs in the world after all – but several young talents caught his eye. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder Trey Nyoni was among them. Nyoni became the third-youngest debutant in Liverpool’s history when appearing against Southampton in the FA Cup last season, five months after arriving from Leicester, and looked immediately at ease with Slot’s instructions on tour. It will be difficult to break through a field of established internationals when the real business gets under way but Slot was unafraid of trusting youth at Feyenoord and the England Under-18s player could prosper.
The A-lister
As the receptions received in the US testified, Mohamed Salah remains Liverpool’s biggest draw as well as being crucial to transporting the success of one era into another. At 32 the forward is in excellent condition and will be looking to break the 20-goal barrier for a remarkable eighth consecutive season as a Liverpool player. He should benefit from being one of the few senior players to get a full pre-season under Slot, having finished his international commitments with Egypt on 10 June. Salah’s contract situation threatens a distraction, however. He is in the final year of his deal, as are Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk. He will not be short of lucrative offers, from Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, if there is no agreement to extend a phenomenal Anfield career.
What they did this summer
One of Slot’s first acts at Liverpool was to Zoom-call Darwin Núñez while the striker was at the Copa América with Uruguay. The purpose was to reassure 25-year-old that he was central to his vision, literally and figuratively. Núñez cut an unhappy figure towards the end of Klopp’s reign, when he started one of the last seven games and found himself behind Cody Gakpo in the pecking order. He enjoyed a release this summer under Marcelo Bielsa, flourishing as a lone forward, and has scored 10 goals in his past 11 appearances for Uruguay. Slot envisages a similar central role for Núñez and believes he can unlock the 25-year-old’s explosive talent on a more consistent basis.
