Liverpool: What to expect in the 2022/23 Premier League season

Liverpool have been re-established as one of English football’s pre-eminent forces since Jurgen Klopp took management of the club in 2015.

Not only have the won a first Premier League title in 2019-20, they have consistently impressed in the Champions League, winning the competition in 2019 and also reaching the final on two more occasions.

As the 2022-23 season dawns, another titanic battle for the crown is expected between Liverpool and Manchester City, who have dominated the Premier League between them for the past five years.

The Reds generally seem to have been one step behind, but as a more explosive and exciting team, Klopp’s outfit are a favourite for many neutrals. But what can we expect from them in the 2022-23 Premier League season?

Top players

Liverpool took the unusual step of selling Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window. The Senegal international is widely expected to be a front runner for the 2022 Ballon d’Or, but with one year left on his contract at Anfield, he was moved on.

Klopp can afford to lose such a talent, though, and will see it as part of the evolutionary process of his team. Liverpool work on the basis that there is never a revolution in their ranks, but rather a slow changeover of players.

Mohamed Salah has been the Anfield club’s top player for several years. Having arrived from Roma in 2016, there were doubts over whether he could shine in the Premier League, yet the Egypt international has since obliterated those. Salah is recognised as one of the world’s outstanding players and excels in the domains that Klopp expects his side to thrive in: he finishes brilliantly, works supremely well in transition and is extremely clever with the positions he takes up.

But if Salah is Liverpool’s long-time attacking hero, they have another rising star in the form of Colombia international Luis Diaz, who has shown much promise in his brief time in the Premier League. Having arrived in January, Diaz has shown himself a capable successor to Mane and Salah.

But it is not just in attack where Liverpool boast world-class talent. In the heart of the rearguard, Virgil van Dijk is one of the modern-day game’s great defenders. The Netherlands international is such a strong performer, it is not evident that he only returned last season after serious injury. As well as being a dominant all-round defender, he possesses remarkable technical ability.

Meanwhile, the Reds also have potent attacking weapon in their defence in the form of Trent Alexander-Arnold, their flying right-back. The England international is an assist machine and his attack-minded style means he fits perfectly into Klopp’s style.

And no great team is complete without a great goalkeeper. In Alisson, Liverpool have one of the best in the business. Not only is he a fine shot-stopper, he also sweeps behind the back line impressively and regularly typically posts an assist or two each season because his distribution is so expert.

Virgil van Dijk is one of the world's best defenders and has been a key part of Liverpool's recent success

Formation and tactics

Liverpool are predictable in the manner they align themselves for games, with Klopp strongly favouring an attack-minded 4-3-3 formation. Indeed, during the 2021-22 season, they did not play anything but this system, regardless who was in their starting XI or the opposition they were playing.

When attacking, they play with inverted wingers, who like to cut inside off their flanks. This works perfectly to the strengths of the full-backs, Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, who are both expert at exploiting the gaps in the wide areas that are left by the wide men. This season, expect to see Salah and Diaz occupy the wide berths, with Darwin Nunez in the centre.

Defensively, meanwhile, Klopp employs a ‘gegenpress’, which is an aggressive form of defending that sees the team hunt in packs to close down opposing players quickly and force them into mistakes, ideally near their own goal. This is a team-orientated style of defence, and it is one that the Reds have mastered.

With a high defensive line, the onus is on goalkeeper Alisson to be alert and clear up any danger that might arise if the opponents beat the press.

Strengths and weaknesses?

Liverpool’s greatest strength is the way that star individuals like Salah and Diaz can come together to form a tight-knit unit. Their recruitment in recent years has been on point, so any incomer, as the Colombian was in January, almost invariably comes in and impresses immediately. It speaks volumes of the diligent work that is done in the background.

Indeed, Liverpool’s players are mentally tough. That was made amply evident last season as they pushed Man City all the way for the Premier League title. Although they may not be spectacular performers, Jordan Henderson and James Milner have come to represent the quiet determination of this side, as well as the willingness to adapt to any circumstances thrown at them.

There is no more explosive attacking unit than Klopp’s side in European football. Spearheaded by the seemingly relentless Salah, they possess pace and accuracy in key areas of the field, with Alexander-Arnold and Robertson’s tireless work down the flanks defining the indefatigability of the team. There is a relentless energy to Liverpool, whose running seems to be endless.

This energy, though, can also be a weakness. Alexander-Arnold had a tendency to be caught out of position defensively last season, largely due to his willingness and desire to attack. Klopp would argue this was offset by the sheer volume of chances the defender created, but nevertheless it is a price he has to pay for his rock-and-roll approach.

How the team compares to last season

Liverpool’s starting XI this season is likely to resemble last term’s very closely, although there is one key difference. Benfica striker Darwin Nunez has been signed for close to £70million and will slot into the centre-forward role. Prolific in Portugal for Benfica last season, he will provide more of a focal point to the attack than Mane did last term, but equally it remains to be seen how a more traditional No.9 fits into Klopp’s system.

Promising youngsters Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay have been added to the squad from Fulham and Aberdeen respectively, but they are liable to be on the fringes of things.

Sadio Mane was clearly Liverpool’s big summer sale, with the Senegal star having been a key component of their plans under Klopp. With the exception of the 30-year-old, those players who have left Liverpool in the summer were not key to their plans. 

Divock Origi, for example, may have been a cult hero for his ability to score clutch goals off the bench, but in truth he does not possess the quality to start for a side like Liverpool, while Takumi Minamino, who has gone to Monaco, was reduced largely to outings in the cups. 

Neco Williams, Marko Grujic and Ben Davies have all been sold, while Sheyi Ojo, Ben Woodburn, Rhys Williams and Loris Karius have been released.

Prediction

Second. Liverpool and Manchester City will again vie for the league title, but the greater squad depth of the defending champions should win the day. Nevertheless, with Liverpool’s European pedigree, expect to see Klopp’s side to go deep in the Champions League, with Salah to enjoy a barnstorming season, in part because he does not have the World Cup to contend with.