After a summer break of almost three months, fans can once again hold their breath for the upcoming matches of one of the most exciting football tournaments – the Premier League.
The 11-week break certainly seemed too long for football fans, but for the players who will be playing at full throttle over the next 10 months, the break must have passed in a heartbeat.
So let’s see what has happened in the Premier League since its inception for 2022/2023 and what Liverpool’s poor start means for the team’s chances of fighting for the title this year.
Now what?
Not that Liverpool have lacked success before, but with Jurgen Klopp, the Merseysiders are truly writing their new story.
Two seasons ago, the club brought the Premier League title to Anfield after a 30-year drought in this sense, and a year before, they triumphed in the tournament that brings together the best European clubs, the Champions League. All this, along with many other successes, quickly put the team on the map of one of the most dangerous positions to dominate European football.
As for Liverpool’s chances of lifting the trophy this season, it’s still too early to make definitive predictions. Having said that, sports bets Operator 32Red is giving fans of the game plenty of opportunities to place bets on their views on what is shaping up to be an extremely close season.
Although the first three games didn’t go as planned for the Reds, the team has plenty of time to turn things around. Let’s not forget that the World Cup is approaching, which will inevitably have an impact on the performance of all club tournaments in the world.
Near Miss last season
After a strong but difficult 2021/2022 season, the Reds were just two points away from finishing ahead of league champions Manchester City.
However, with the start of the new season, the team did not start very convincingly. Although only three games have been played, these have ended in defeat and two draws for Klopp’s boys, with the club currently in an unenviable 18th position in the standings.
Unsurprisingly, there are more than one or two possible reasons for this, and while we don’t know exactly what’s going on in the club kitchen, some of the issues are visible on the outside.
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The last game against arch-rivals Manchester United, in which Liverpool lost 2-1, highlighted the problems caused by a lack of key players for the German manager to choose from.
Even before the game, the coach he shared his concern that the numerous absences left him with few options on the bench.
On top of everything, players were missing at every position, with names like Ibrahima Konate, Naby Keita and Diogo Jota being unavailable due to injuries. New signing Darwin Núñez was serving a three-match ban for a header on Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen.
Building a midfield
Liverpool’s midfield has been the subject of much comment and criticism even before the start of the season. Many have expressed the opinion that Klopp needs to strengthen the midfield, and until recently this was expected to happen during the pre-season transfer window.
The club added two forwards, attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho and a defender, but did not add a new midfield addition. Klopp is confident in the players he already has, although after the Manchester United defeat he hinted that he would be open to attracting someone for this role if he gets the green light from the club. For the match with the Red Devils, the coach was deprived of four of his midfielders.
Manne’s departure
Last but not least, the absence of Sadio Mane, who moved to Bayern Munich, had an impact on the Reds’ performance. For six seasons, the forward has been a bulwark of the Merseysiders’ attack. His absence up front means a complete change in Liverpool’s tactics and strategy in the forward positions, a change that will require time to adapt and analyze the results.
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