Summer of change

Jurgen Klopp Masterminds Liverpool Squad Shake-Up Ahead of 2022/23 Season

A season where a team picks up multiple pieces of silverware, in this instance both the FA and EFL trophies, shouldn’t feel like a disappointment, but arguably Liverpool fans will have been left a little low by the manner in which 2021/22 played out in the final stages of the campaign.

Mounting a legitimate attempt at a quadruple is unheard of, and Jurgen Klopp’s side came painfully close to pulling off the impossible.

Indeed on the final weekend of the Premier League season, with Aston Villa two goals to the good at the Etihad Stadium, it felt as if fate was edging the Merseyside outfit a step closer to success, only for Man City to battle back to win their final game of the league season and of course, this was followed by Liverpool losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League where the opposition keeper, Thibaut Courtois, put in a breathtaking man of the match display to keep the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at bay.

What Will 2022/23 Bring?

Liverpool fans, and indeed anyone who likes a flutter, may feel that when it comes to football betting options, backing the Anfield side to once again push on all fronts might be wishful thinking, and there have certainly already been some fairly hefty changes in Klopp’s playing squad that will influence just what can be accomplished.

Klopp has now been in charge at Liverpool for just under seven years, and his latest challenge is to refresh his options as he sets about ushering in a new era of success as he seeks to shuffle his pack.

While strong younger players are coming through the club’s academy and new additions have helped to pave the way for future success, there’s no denying that some parts of Klopp’s squad are entering the latter stages of their respective careers.

Ins and Outs

Klopp chose not to stand in Sadio Mane’s way as he sought a new challenge and a move to Bayern Munich saw the Senegalese international bring an end to his hugely successful tenure at the club. Over the course of six seasons with the club, the former Southampton man racked up 120 goals and formed an integral part of a three-pronged attack (alongside Salah and Roberto Firmino), which must now be reshaped.

Squad players Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino, and Neco Williams left for AC Milan, Monaco, and Nottingham Forest, respectively.

With Klopp looking to rejig his attack, in comes Uruguayan youngster Darwin Nunez, who bagged 34 goals last season in a deal that could amount to as much as £85 million. One can only hope the former Benfica man can follow in the footsteps of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz when it comes to making an immediate impact.

The capture of teenage sensation Fabio Carvalho from Fulham may well be a piece of business that will be lauded in years to come; the young attacker only cost an initial £5 million and may already be capable of breaking into the first-team set-up given his impressive displays last season.

Perhaps the biggest signing Klopp made this summer came in the form of Salah penning a new three-year extension to his contract, which makes the Egyptian star the best-paid player in the history of the club, and it’s a deal that is worth every penny.

Good Mix of Youth and Experience?

Liverpool fans can not ignore the fact that the club’s most important personnel, arguably their back-bone of Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, and Mohamed Salah, are all 30 or above, but this is nicely balanced out by the many younger talents that the club has already bedded in and it will be interesting to see how Klopp chooses to share playing time around.

The rotation of his squad is something Klopp is adept at, and you can see that he managed his playing staff perfectly last season. Liverpool played a massive total of 63 top-tier games in 2021/22, but tellingly only one outfield player started more than 50 of those fixtures (Virgil van Dijk).

A total of 37 players were used in all, and sharing around the workload serves two purposes: it not only helps keep key players fresh but also gives playing time to youthful prospects and squad players who clearly want to feel that they are contributing to the greater good.

More of The Same

You can expect Manchester City and Liverpool to battle it out for the Premier League title again, and such is the amount of talent among the two squads that once again, the title winner may be decided by a very fine margin, meaning that scrapping for every single point is key to Klopp’s chances of success.

City have brought in Erling Haaland to make their attack even more frightening, and Liverpool will have their work cut out trying to keep pace with the reigning title holders, but you can expect a tight race to ensue between the two giants of the European game.

Written by Alan Spencer