Liverpool have made some shrewd additions in the summer and are looking all but ready for the new Premier League campaign. In their last pre-season match, the Reds demolished Napoli 5-0 with five different goal-scorers on the pitch. The fact that there are players who are yet to return from international duty and would do so this week, gives Jurgen Klopp’s side a real boost ahead of the season-opener against West Ham United on Sunday.
The Merseyside heavyweights have managed to make four new additions to their squad during the summer transfer period which includes Naby Keita from RB Leipzig, Fabinho from AS Monaco, Xherdan Shaqiri from Stoke City and Alisson Becker from AS Roma. Klopp has successfully managed to address most of his problem areas from last season and has also been able to add some much-needed squad depth which should come in handy when the going gets tough with fixtures coming thick and fast during the winter festive period.
However, there are still questions marks on whether the current crop of Liverpool players can push Manchester City in the Premier League title race. It is expected that Jurgen Klopp would continue to opt for his favoured 4-3-3 formation to get the best out of the Liverpool players. Let’s take a look at the strongest XI that Klopp could choose if his side is to challenge for the top-flight title in the upcoming season.
Defence
There is no doubt about who will be the No. 1 keeper at Liverpool for this new campaign. Alisson Becker has arrived at Merseyside from AS Roma on a world-record transfer fee, and he will be expected to line up between the sticks at Anfield.
The Brazilian will be protected by a backline consisting of Virgil Van Dijk and Dejan Lovren in central defence. Andrew Robertson would be the left back while Trent Alexander-Arnold will lineup on the right side of the defence.
Midfield
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is expected to start with the new recruits, Fabinho and Naby Keita in central midfield. The trio will raise the spirits of a lot of Kopites around the world as they have the potential to strike up one of the best midfield partnerships in Europe.
Henderson can operate as the ‘quarterback’ for his team with his long-range passing and vision while Fabinho could be the midfield destroyer with his main task being disrupting opposition attacks and starting counter-attacks for his side. Naby Keita will be the ‘jack of all trades’ as he has everything that a modern midfielder should possess. The Guinean international adds a lot of pace, dynamism, goal-scoring ability and most importantly, creativity to the Reds midfield, which they have lacked in the last campaign.
Attack
The front three of Liverpool pick themselves. The prolific trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah had lit up the Premier League last season. It remains to be seen whether they can replicate the same kind of form in the upcoming campaign so that the Reds can mount a realistic title challenge in the top tier of English football.
