How confident do you feel for next season?

[Section_31]

Did't want to start a 'gonna win the league'  thread but I have to say, following this summer's business and the front three and big Virg plus fullbacks who were looking outstanding last season, coupled with the fact that - so far - our main rivals haven't strengthened in a particularly impressive manner, I haven't been this confident going into a league season since Kenny's first tenure ended, genuinely.

[Captain Turdseye]

Confident isn’t a word I’d use. Nervous and excited is how I’m feeling. Can’t wait to see us back smashing the goals in.

[Numero Veinticinco]

You'd think top four is a minimum we should expect from the league. I'm excited to see how things go, but with a nearly brand new midfield and a new keeper, who knows whether that'll stick from game one or if it'll take some time to gel. 

[The Guest]

It’s going to be mad. This is the best team and squad we’ve had in decades. It’s the direction the English game has gone in though and all the top sides are stacked with great players back to front. The difference with us is that we’ve got Klopp and a style of football nobody else can handle when we are at it and that includes City.

 

I can’t see past us and City battling it out for the league. I think Mourinho is going to have his crash year and he will end up sacked. There’s just too many issues and unhappy young players for him to deal with. I expect they will throw some money around before the window closes but it will be reactionary and nonsensical and won’t fix what they need. I think he will struggle to sell his game to the top players these days.

 

With Chelsea I just get the feeling the owner is losing interest. They took an age dealing with Conte when years ago they would have just paid him off. Hazard wants out and they didn’t even try and go in for Alisson even though Courtois is likely to go as well. They aren’t what they were in the transfer market.

 

Spurs are the strange one. They don’t seem to be signing anyone. They’ve got a good first 11 obviously with a few players on the periphery of that but that’s not going to win you the league. I think Kane is going to become a monster they can’t control as well. He’s too greedy and it’s going to bite them this season.

[Trumo]

Spurs are the strange one. They don’t seem to be signing anyone. They’ve got a good first 11 obviously with a few players on the periphery of that but that’s not going to win you the league. I think Kane is going to become a monster they can’t control as well. He’s too greedy and it’s going to bite them this season.

 

Spurs are one of those clubs that do all their deals on deadline day.

[Dr Nowt]

We'll challenge for the title.

[El Rojo]

We'll challenge for the title.

Hopefully. Would be great to still be in the mix in April and May.

 

We’ve done some great business, but even more important for me is that we’ve kept our front three without any drama.

[Brownie]

Quietly confident.

[Dr Nowt]

There will always be less pressing areas which can be improved upon in a squad - could have better left-back cover, could move Matip on and add a reliably fit centre-half who even in Klopp's eyes can properly challenge Lovren, etc.  For me the nagging major one which may hamstring us this year is insufficient cover for 2+ injuries and/or a long-term one within the front 3, and the type of player we were looking to add in Fekir (who in turn would have helped with the previous issue).

 

Given where we were 3 years ago though, I'm aware that is a somewhat churlish complaint and as much as I wanted both, if I was given the choice of a new number 10 or a new keeper last week there would have been no competition. 

 

We've focused on our greatest areas of weakness and I can't wait for the season to start.

[Section_31]

Is it the season after this when the winter break comes in? That will be a huge boon to Klopp judging by his training methods.

[Biscao]

I reckon we’ll finish in second place. I don’t see us beating city in the league this season.

[Jose Jones]

One more quality player for the forward positions and I would be hyper confident.

 

As it is I think we’re a smidge behind Man City. Don’t forget the season before last they finished two points ahead of us. They were amazing last season but perhaps they aren’t that far ahead.

We’ve got a top manager, the most expensive keeper ever, a top class centre half for the whole season, promising full backs who should only get better, Keita is going to tear shit up in the midfield and the best forward line in the world. And decent quality depth everywhere, bar that one extra forward player.

 

Man City will be really good, Man Utd will be a bit better than last season I think. Spurs you’d think will struggle at the start of the season because 90% of their team will be late back from the World Cup.

Chelsea and Arsenal are the wild cards with new managers, but it might take a while for them to get going too.

 

I’d say we should be certs for the top 3. With a bit of luck with injuries and decisions we can give the league, the CL and a cup a really good crack.

[stringvest]

We are automatically assuming that our new players will gel and play to something approaching their optimum.  I suspect we'll see one hit the ground running, one start slowly and improve, and one struggle to achieve an impact.  Even that should be enough to improve us significantly though.

[Mr T]

I haven't felt this confident since the summer we signed Diouf and Diao.

 

Absolutely buzzing for the season.

[Elite]

My only concern is we still lack cover for the front 3. We'll be extremely fortunate if they all get through the season unscathed. Shaqiri is an okay squad player but I wouldn't rely on him and he's a massive downgrade on Mane, Salah and Bobby.

[ZonkoVille77]

3rd or 4th place with good runs in all cups. Domestic cup likely.

[El Rojo]

My only concern is we still lack cover for the front 3. We'll be extremely fortunate if they all get through the season unscathed. Shaqiri is an okay squad player but I wouldn't rely on him and he's a massive downgrade on Mane, Salah and Bobby.

Maybe we should be expecting something from Solanke and Brewster, when he’s fit again.

 

I assume Ings and Sturridge are on their way out.

[Hades]

Struggle to finish top 4, same as last season. No reliable goalscoring backup for Firmino.

[Red Dawn]

Very excited. A good run in the first few games is vital.

[aRdja]

We are automatically assuming that our new players will gel and play to something approaching their optimum. I suspect we'll see one hit the ground running, one start slowly and improve, and one struggle to achieve an impact. Even that should be enough to improve us significantly though.

My guess is Keita, Fabinho and Shaq in that order.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I'm excited, but also slightly nervous that it could take some time to find the balance in this new midfield, particularly with regards Fabinho.

 

Our front three could go into the new season as is, with Shaqiri as cover. However, is Salah likely to repeat his goalscoring feats of last season? I reckon not. Luckily our defensive displays got better as the season went on, thanks in no small part to VVD. Add Alisson to the mix and we should be even more solid at the back. It feels very much like the kind of season where our style under Klopp could evolve again.

 

The key thing for me is, no matter what the other sides do to strengthen, none of them have addressed key weaknesses like we have, so their scope for improvement is significantly less. We were decent, and now we've added quality in midfield and in goal, which has the potential - once everyone's settled and firing as a team - to propel us to the next level. At they very least it should offer more consistency around which Klopp can plan.

 

I'm just really hoping that we don't look disjointed in the the first half of the season and have to mark this one down as a dreaded "period of transition", which is shorthand for out of the league race early. I'd love to be in the hunt for the league, but honestly I'd take top four and a cup right now; this team under Klopp needs to jump the final hurdle of actually winning a final and touching silverware, the confidence, belief and dare I say swagger that'll bring will be immense. I want to see players who think they'll win things, not merely hope they could.

[RobbieOR]

The club is firmly going in the right direction and has been for a couple of years. Not sure on a title challenge based on how good City are but we're better than the rest at this stage I think. 

[Section_31]

The club is firmly going in the right direction and has been for a couple of years. Not sure on a title challenge based on how good City are but we're better than the rest at this stage I think. 

 

Pretty much my view too Rob.

[an tha]

Feeling excited but nervous.

 

The problem I feel we face is the weight of expectation and the hysteria that explodes as soon as we get close to something and then the recent history of imploding at the crucial time and crumbling under the pressure.....it weighs everybody down and suffocates us - how we break it i don't know...but it is a massive problem.

 

Obviously winning something would be the start of it.

 

The spotlight is going to shine brightly on us this season - withstanding it is gonna be the test, signing world record keepers brings that spotlight and brings that expectation.

 

Time to step up - if we don't the glare from that spotlight will get harsher and harsher.

 

Do we have big enough men to stand up and deliver...let's hope so.

[RedKnight]

Confidence and sport do not go hand in hand for me. But I am ridiculously excited to get competitive football started and see what this team can do.