Last season saw a stutter from Liverpool. Besides then, the club has qualified for the Champions League every season under Jürgen Klopp. The Reds are also the last team to win the English Premier League besides a dominant Man City.
On two other occasions, Klopp's squad has pushed The Citizens down to the wire, ending as close runners-up.
Based on the above, saying Liverpool has no chance of winning the EPL in 2023/24 would be foolhardy. The Anfield outfit has a chance, perhaps as good a chance as any other of the top six teams in the league. Alright, except for the current favourites and reigning champions.
What are the realistic chances of Liverpool winning the Premier League this season? It's clear that Man City is the team to beat and nobody will argue that point. But who are Liverpool's main rivals when it comes to running Pep Guardiola's champions closest?
Besides Man City, with average odds of around 4/6, the smart money is on Arsenal. On most sites that bettingsites.co.uk reviews, it's likely you'll find The Gunners as second-favourites for the title, with most outlets offering odds of about 5/1 on Mikel Arteta's team.
As the 2022/23 runners-up and some major new signings, this is not surprising. When you also consider the serious injury to City's Kevin De Bruyne, the South England side could end closer to, or ahead of, the champs this time around.
Let's come back to Liverpool, the current third-favourites with most sportsbooks at 9/1. At this point, the bookies' odds suggest Man Utd (14/1), Newcastle (16/1), and Chelsea (18/1) are all in with a shout. Maybe not such a loud one compared to the top three favourites, perhaps?
What about Liverpool, though? Can the Anfield Reds rise like a phoenix from last season's ashes to reclaim the coveted top division title? After dominating the opposition during the COVID-hit 2019/20 season, there's no real reason they can't do it again.
Almost every football fan will agree that the Premier League is better when Liverpool competes. The same is true of Man Utd, so ideally both these English giants need to re-find their former glories to truly complete the EPL.
It has been a long time since this happened and maybe Liverpool is closer to future greatness right now than its traditional rivals.
Liverpool's pre-season has been anything but settled. Everything started well with the acquisitions of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Luis Diaz's return to full fitness added to the sense of fans' expectations. Then things went south quickly.
First, the Saudis came calling. Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, Liverpool's defensive midfield core, were both gone within the space of a fortnight. No worries, Klopp had a plan, but it seems Chelsea did too. Both of the Reds' prospective new defensive midfield signings, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, walked into Stamford Bridge instead of Anfield.
There was no need for panic. Liverpool's next choice, the Japanese captain Wataru Endo made the swap from Stuttgart. Based on his belated debut against Bournemouth, he's going to fit into Klopp's system well. Endo stepped onto the Anfield turf just after Mac Allister left it last weekend. The latter received a questionable red card in a decision that Liverpool successfully appealed.
Right now, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah look in great form, and Cody Gakbo is bedding in well. Dominik Szoboszlai is playing like he's worn Liverpool Red for years, so the forward line looks primed for success. Only Darwin Núñez hasn't hit his straps yet, but to be fair, he hasn't had much chance.
Defensively, new skipper Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté look solid. Let's ignore the first 15 minutes against Bournemouth, though. Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are already looking to get back to their creative best. The biggest worry remains Liverpool's midfield. Only Endo remains to play in defensive midfield, and he's brand new.
The general feeling is that Klopp remains a man shy in defensive midfield. He bought Alexis Mac Allister for other reasons, and the promising Stefan Bajčetić has been out injured a long time and missed pre-season.
Maybe Liverpool's hopes of mounting a strong and enduring title challenge ultimately lie in buying either of the current Reds' reported transfer targets. Kalvin Phillips, Ryan Gravenberch or Andre Trindade arriving at Anfield sooner rather than later would lessen any doubts.
We agree with the bookies. Liverpool has every chance of competing for the Premier League title in 2023/24, but there remains some work for Klopp and his transfer team to do. Don't write off The Reds, though.
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