Liverpool come into the new season with the hopes of challenging for the title. Jurgen Klopp’s first season at the helm of Liverpool FC saw them reaching the finals of both the League Cup and Europa League. Despite the highs in cup competitions, The Reds had a disappointing end to their league campaign finishing in 8th place.
The Summer has witnessed Jurgen Klopp showing the door to several long time servants club including Martin Skrtel, Joe Allen and Jordan Ibe. The club has once again invested heavily in the transfer window as the German coach slowly but surely puts a winning team together. The 2016-17 season is shaping to be one of the most hotly contested seasons in the league’s history. How will the Reds feature in the thick of things?
Liverpool 2016-17 Season Preview
Jurgen Klopp (Pic Cou: express.co.uk)
The sacking of Brendan Rodgers last October came as no surprise. The Northern Irishman looked out of ideas during his final days at the club. The Club managed to replace Rodgers with one of the biggest managerial names in the game – Jurgen Klopp. The turnout around in form was almost instant as Klopp’s Liverpool registered away wins against Chelsea and Man City in his first five games.
The performances in the league started to drop when they started to emerge as a serious contender for the Europa league. While they were winning 4-3 against Dortmund in Europe the Reds struggled to get results against teams such as Newcastle and West Brom back home . The Europa League final ended in a 3-1 defeat and a 8th place finish in the league meant that they won’t be contesting in Europe this season.
In a bid to finish among the Top 4, the Club has added as many as 6 new players to their squad this summer. They were impressive in pre-season with the 4-0 win over Barcelona being a highlight. A Champions League berth is certainly an achievable target for the club. The Manchester Clubs and Chelsea have also strengthened themselves this season so the Reds will have to be consistent to secure a top 4 finish.
Squad Breakdown
Simon Mignolet has had a mixed career with Liverpool FC. The 28 year old Belgian has impressed and flopped equally during his time with the club. In order to provide competition to the Belgian, Liverpool brought in 23 year old German keeper Lloris Karius from FC Koln. Karius though suffered a pre season injury and will be sidelined for three months providing Mignolet a final chance to prove himself.
Defender Nathaniel Clyne is almost ensured of a place in starting 11 after impressing during his first season with the club. At the center of the defense Lovern will be hoping to continue his good form under Jurgen Klopp. There are as many as 4 players vying for partner him namely Ragnar Klavan, Joel Matip, Tiago Illori and Mamadou Sakho. The 30 year old signing from FC Augsburg, Klavan featured heavily in pre season and will be given a run at the start of the campaign.
Liverpool have been trying to bring in a left back after some horror shows from Alberto Moreno. Joe Gomez who impressed during the few appearances he had last season is unavailable at the start of the season due to injuries. Liverpool have arguably the most creative midfield in the competition with the likes of Wijnaldum, Lallana, Can, Coutinho, Grujic and James Milner.
Unlike a few seasons ago Liverpool do have the strength upfront with Sturridge, Sadio Mane, Danny Ings, Divock Origi and Firmino all in contention. Yes! Mario Balotelli is still with Liverpool FC.
Liverpool 2016-17 Season Prediction
The last time Liverpool had no European football in a season they went on to challenge for the league title. The Reds do have the talent in the squad but has been struggling with injuries heading into the new season.
Liverpool did get off to a perfect start to the new season with 4-3 away win against Arsenal. The club was able to come back from a goal down to lead 4-1 and finally win the game 4-3. A typical Liverpool victory. They do have some difficult fixtures in their next 4 games which includes visits to Tottenham and Chelsea.
We are expecting Liverpool to secure a top 4 spot and are more than a dark horse to win the title. They are also the favorite among the “Big 6” to win a domestic trophy.
Verdict: – 3rd Place
Player to Watch – Liverpool 2016-17
Philippe Coutinho (Pic Cou: skysports.com)
Philippe Coutinho
One could say that the transformation of Coutinho to a world class player is complete. The 24 yr old impressed for Brazil in the Copa America and kicked off the 2016-17 campaign with a brace against Arsenal. Despite being linked with Barca at the start of the transfer window, the Brazilian shrug of interests to continue working under Klopp.
The winner of Liverpool’s last two player of the year award, the Brazilian is strong contender for the PFA Player of the year award this term. He has expressed his intention to improve his goal tally which stood at 12 last season. Coutinho is blessed with a create set of players around him and will have time and space to work his magic.
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Betting Tips – Liverpool 2016-17
1. Premier League Champions – 8.00 (Bet 365)
Given the odds on offer and the unpredictable nature of the Premier League this wouldn’t be a bad bet at all. If one of the clubs manage to open up a 10 point lead at the top of the table by Christmas we expect the title to be decided by around 5 points. This scenario will help keep Liverpool in contention.
2. Relegation – 751.00 (Bet 365)
Nope!
3. Liverpool 2016-17 Top Scorer
Daniel Sturridge – 3.50 (Betvictor)
Philippe Coutinho – 3.75 (Betvictor)
Sadio Mane – 4.00 (Betvictor)
Divock Origi – 7.00 (Betvictor)
Firmino – 7.00 (Betvictor)
Danny Ings – 17.00 (Betvictor)
Liverpool’s last two top scorers in the league were Steven Gerrard with 9 goals in 2014/15 and Firmino with 10 goals. Sturridge is the logical option with his impressive goals to games ratio for the club. However the England international can’t be trusted with his injury troubles.
There are plenty of attacking talent in Liverpool’s ranks and we expect a number of players to grab around 10-15 goals this season. We are backing Philippe Coutinho but any of the others listed are not a bad bet at all. We can’t see any of the Liverpool players challenging for the Golden boot with Sturridge the outside contender with odds of around 34.00 (William Hill).
4. Specials – Win A Trophy
Yes – 3.00 (Skybet)
No – 1.36 (Skybet)
The Lack of European competition and a big squad should mean Liverpool can challenge equally both in the league and the domestic cup competitions.
5. PFA Player of the Year – Coutinho – 17.00 (Paddypower)
For us Coutinho is one of the favorites to bag the PFA Player of the year award. The 24 year old has been progressing exceedingly well during his time with Liverpool and we pick him to peak this season. A Great Bet considering the odds on offer. Sturridge is an outside contender provided he stays fit for the whole season.
6. LMA Manager of the Year – Jurgen Klopp – 9.00 (Betvictor)
The German coach has impressed during his time with Liverpool. A Top 4 finish and a Cup triumph would make him a strong contender for the award.
7. Highest Scoring Team – 5.50 (Sporting Bet)
The last time they didn’t play in Europe Liverpool slotted in 101 goals in the league. We expect their attacking talent to blossom under Klopp and is a favorite to end the season with the most number of goals.
8. Top 4 – 1.90 (Sporting Bet)
A strong contender to challenge for the title and a definite top 4 finish for the Reds. A Bet you should be making on Liverpool FC.
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Transfers In – Liverpool 2016-17
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Transfer In |
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| Sl No | Position | Player | Fee – € | From |
| 1 | CF | Sadio Mane | 41 million | Southampton |
| 2 | MF | Georginio Wijnaldum | 30 million | Newcastle |
| 3 | DF | Joel Matip | Free | Schalke |
| 4 | DF | Ragnar Klavan | 5 million | Augsburg |
| 5 | GK | Alex Manninger | Free | Augsburg |
| 6 | GK | Loris Karius | 6.1 million | FC Koln |
Liverpool – 2015/16 Stats
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | GD | Points |
| 8 | Liverpool | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | +13 | 60 |
