Despite a ridiculous run of form that saw them win a domestic double, reach the Champions League final and take the title race to the final day, Jurgen Klopp’s men somehow ended last season with the bitter taste of disappointment.

Missing out on the big two will certainly hurt, but under Klopp, Liverpool have been here before. After losing his first of 3 Champions League finals at the club, the German proved his worth to the Anfield faithful the following season, as he steered his side past Spurs to lift the trophy.

It’s not the first time Liverpool have failed to win the league title on the final day too. Whilst it may not have been as dramatic as last seasons stunning City comeback, fans may recall Glenn Murray opening the scoring for Brighton in 2019, the last time both teams tussled for the trophy on the final day. The season after that, the curse was broken, and they finally won the Premier League. It begs the question, can they bounce back again?

Selling star asset Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich for a staggeringly low 30 million euros certainly doesn’t help, especially when for the majority of last season, despite their strength in depth the Senegalese attacker was the team’s driving force – and even had a case for Ballon D’or contention until Karim Benzema decided to morph into football’s equivalent of Thanos.

His replacement, 22 year old Uruguayan Darwin Nunez, signed from Benfica for a club record fee of 85 million. The striker scored 34 times for Benfica in all competitions last season, including goals in both legs of the club’s Champions League quarter-final defeat to Liverpool in April. His stats certainly appeal, and Nunez certainly has the talent – but it’s easy to assume such a young player can embed himself into a completely new environment, then slot into a complex and pressurised starting eleven like Liverpool’s so seamlessly. It’s a big transition, and one that must happen fast if Liverpool are to come anywhere close to performing as well as they did throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

Klopp and Liverpool’s gegenpress gung-ho style of fast-paced pressure football has seen them become the divisions most engaging football team. A spine of world class players like Allison, Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander Arnold, Fabinho, Mane and Salah mixed with energetic tenacity in the combative styles of Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino transformed a stagnant Liverpool side into one of the best in the world.

Jurgen and his heroes in red have brought Liverpool back from the dead, winning the Premier League during the pandemic was their crowning moment – but they didn’t rest there. Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s Head of Performance and Recruitment worked wonders alongside Klopp in creating an extraordinary side before leaving his role this summer – but perhaps their most impressive body of work lies in the aftermath of each triumph.

Despite overwhelming success, fighting on all fronts for the most part of three long, gruelling seasons was clearly starting to have an impact at Anfield. In Manchester, cash-rich title rivals City and Pep Guardiola were hurt, and continued to throw money in the transfer market in the hopes of securing a coveted quadruple. In Edwards, Liverpool had their magic man. The ‘transfer guru’ made his mark again, finalising the signings of Thiago, Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate and more. For the rest of the Premier League, a scary prospect lay ahead, for a team already thriving at the top under Klopp, now had back-up.

As it transpired, City’s quest for the quadruple changed hands – and Liverpool’s startling new strength in depth tore through nearly every team in every tournament they took part in. They almost did it – the unthinkable, the unimaginable. Never before have an English football team been in the position to win all four competitions in one season, yet there they were, on the verge of history.

History never repeats itself though, surely something most fans and pundits can agree on is that Anfield won’t see a season quite like that again this time round. Firmino’s impact is no longer what it was when he was at his brilliant best, Mane’s departure and Mohammad Salah’s stalling contract negotiations mean the famous front three is no more – Jota and Nunez certainly fit the bill, but it will take time to adjust after pivotal changes made to the ever-present starting eleven accustom to success. For Liverpool to keep up with City, new man Nunez will have to hit the ground running and light up the league like Mane did for so long.

Teenage stars Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay are signings for the future – whilst they may feature sporadically, the likelihood both will have an impact on the team instantly remains doubtful. Minamino and Divock Origi’s departure may not look to tragic on paper but the loss of two capable match winners on the substitutes bench could damage their short term success in cup competitions and removes any sort of last ditch scenario tactically like in important league games of the past – remember Origi’s winner against Everton in the dying moments? It’s just one example of countless times the Belgian was brought on to save the day. Games add up, and one of the soul reasons the squad were so successful last season was, as mentioned, strength in depth. It begs the question, can they still keep up?

Verdict: 3rd

Liverpool won’t disappoint, but this coming season may prove more difficult than expected after the departure of Mane and the relentless nature of the squads work ethic and consistency. The league may not be within reach this season, but expect strong performances in all three cups, including against Manchester City in the Community Shield, and another stellar season at Anfield. I don’t think they’ll win the league this time round, but the Champions League is well within their reach, after a World Cup break giving key squad members like Salah and Jota time to rest before crucial games when the season resumes post Christmas.