Liverpool FC begin a new season and, in many ways, the most full departure into whatever the post-Jurgen Klopp era will eventually look like. Arne Slot is gone. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, and Curtis Jones are gone. This is the closest the team has come to a reset since the gregarious German left.
And now, the club are on the eve of a new season. Adoni Iraola is at the helm. Liverpool are missing some major pieces – and with the aforementioned departure of Curtis Jones, suddenly feel even lighter.
Too light. At least in terms of the midfield.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Let’s take a look at some different phases and aspects of the team we’re excited – or anxious – to get a better view at.
The Overall Structure
Liverpool’s playstyle last year left a lot to be desired. There was the mass amounts of possession, sure, but it rarely looked like it would lead to much. And it felt like Slot’s approach to breaking packed defenses was to simply play with numerical rotations to build overloads.
Unfortunately, the team’s passing felt quite slow and the structure always felt more open than not. Which meant that Liverpool were quite susceptible to counters. Besides that issue, though, there was the matter of the team seeming to lack an understanding down the defensive spine. It’s no secret that as much as the club might have wanted to keep Ibrahima Konate, he had a rather down year. And with the progression of both Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson Becker through their decline years, the defense felt surprisingly easy to unpick.
I’m hopeful for a return to more energy out of possession and also more tempo and movement in the offense. Teams parking the bus will always be an issue, my hope is that Iraola’s prescription will bring with it a less anemic offense and, hopefully, a football that is both more successful and easier on the eye.
The Emergence of Isak and Wirtz
Liverpool’s success hinges almost entirely on strong seasons from Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. Let’s start with the latter: Flo put together an uneven season, if we’re going to by the expectations. While the German prodigy – earmarked as Bayern’s prime target the year that Liverpool managed to pry him away – started slow, he did manage to find ways to contribute before again fading towards the end of the year.
Expectations for this season, especially after relatively strong appearances for his national team, are much higher. And without Mo to lean on, not to mention that his best partner from last year, Hugo Ekitike, is currently injured, it’s hard to imagine where else the playmaking will come from. Someone will need to force defenses to separate in order to free Isak and also manage to feed the striker that final ball. Wirtz is going to be the player Liverpool are counting on to play that role.
As for Isak, the objective will be to regain the form that had him in the conversation as best striker in the league. That’s not hyperbole: over the previous two seasons, Isak was the name most raised as the person who might be able to unseat Erling Haaland as the Premier League’s best goalscorer. Like Wirtz, there’s reason to be optimistic this year will be more positive, starting with the fact that the Swede was quite impressive during World Cup play. And, again, without Ekitike to provide cover to start the season, everything will have to flow through Isak in order for the Reds to succeed.
Midfield Is An Inch Deep
Curtis Jones departing for Inter Milan is sad because he’s a Scouser. It’s also troubling because, despite the fact that he’s at least 5th on the depth chart in terms of overall central midfielders on the squad, his ability to play in a defensive role or advanced was incredibly valuable. Obviously, not much you can do if a player’s valuation of their own abilities extends beyond what the club’s braintrust does, but it’s still difficult because competing on all fronts requires rotation. And CuJo was the perfect rotational player.
I’ve not watched Iraola’s Bournemouth that closely, but given the workrate demands I’ve been seeing in pre-season the lack of depth here – and in the attack – have me deeply worried. I’m hoping for Trey Nyoni to take the step I think he’s been tipping towards. And we’ll definitely be banking on Rio Ngumoha to find his feet as a regular player in a new position. But the possibility that it all does work out exist in the liminal space of pre-season; the Schroedinger’s Season, if you will.
It won’t be too much longer until we get to see what to make of our questions and concerns. I’m excited by a lot and more that we didn’t get to cover, like a collection of center-backs that is among the most exciting a group of individual talents assembled at Liverpool that I’ve ever seen.
Which, I guess, is the thing I want to end this with: I’m really just ready to get this whole thing going. Ready to ride out the ups and downs with this group of guys playing a schoolyard game across an ocean from me. Ready to re-discover that I’m never going to be able to fully rid myself of this love for Liverpool Football Club.
Happy start to the campaign, Reds. Let the season begin.
