The new "Premier League" season will start on August 13, which means that there are only 7 days left until the start of the English championship. As the championships approach, Eurofootball.com will provide you with an overview of all twenty "Premier League" teams.
This time, the last season of the "Premier League" in eighth place "Liverpool" team, which has never been lower than this position since the creation of the league, will be reviewed.
"Liverpool"
History:
The team was founded in 1892 and will compete in the "Premier League" for the 25th season. The best finish in this league is 2nd place.
In the "Premier League," they have been playing continuously since the league was founded.
Last year's season:
In the 2015-2016 "Premier League" season, "Liverpool" had an unsuccessful start, which led to Brendan Rodgers being fired as a coach and Jurgen Klopp becoming the new team strategist. At the end of the season, the "Reds" focused on the Europa League tournament, often giving fewer opportunities for players in the Premier League. This ultimately led to "Liverpool" finishing in eighth place in the English championship.
Changes after last season:
This summer, Jurgen Klopp made changes to the "Liverpool" lineup. The team said goodbye to defender Kolo Toure and unestablished midfielder Joao Teixeira. Full-back Brad Smith and winger Jordon Ibe were sold to "Bournemouth," Joe Allen went to "Stoke City," and Martin Skrtel was sold to "Fenerbahce."
During the offseason, four out of seven acquired players came from the coach's homeland, Germany. Experienced goalkeeper Alexander Manninger and defender Joel Matip joined the team without any transfer fee. Estonian Ragnar Klavan moved from "Augsburg" to England for a fee of 5 million euros, while goalkeeper Loris Karius came from the "Mainz" team for a sum of 6.2 million euros.
However, two of the most expensive purchases of the team played in the "Premier League" last season. Georginio Wijnaldum, who dropped out of the highest English league last year along with "Newcastle," cost "Liverpool" 27.5 million euros. The most expensive offseason acquisition of the team was 24-year-old winger Sadio Mane, who came from "Southampton." The club paid 41.2 million euros for this player.
Several players returned to the team who were loaned out to other clubs last season. Among them is midfielder Marko Grujic, acquired from "Red Star" in January, who is still waiting for his official debut in the "Liverpool" lineup.
Players worth paying attention to:
Georginio Wijnaldum. Wijnaldum scored 11 goals last season and was the most productive player for "Newcastle United." His game caught the attention of Jurgen Klopp. The 25-year-old player can play in all midfield positions due to his speed and style of play, which should fit well with the tactics used by the German and contribute to Liverpool's game. Although Klopp has many choices in the midfield, Wijnaldum is one of the main contenders to secure a place in the starting lineup.
Sadio Mane. Mane struck more than 10 goals in the last two seasons in the "Premier League." He has recently attracted the interest of not only one club in this league and this summer he finally left "Southampton" and joined the Liverpool squad for just over 41 million euros. Last year he showed that he can not only score goals but also create opportunities for his teammates – in total, he made seven assists in the "Premier League" last season. The most expensive purchase of the team this summer should not have problems establishing himself in the Liverpool team, so the fans of this team can only hope that Mane's productivity will not decrease in the coming season.
Roberto Firmino. While last season the Liverpool club was still led by Brendan Rodgers, Firmino not only did not have any goals or assists to his name, but he also did not play a full 90 minutes in the "Premier League." However, with the change of coaches, the player's role in the club has grown, and the Brazilian turned that confidence into productive play. He ended the season with 10 goals in the Premier League and made 7 assists, being the most productive player in the club. At just 24 years old, the team can expect even more stable and productive play from him next season.
The team's strengths:
Pressure. Jurgen Klopp is best known for his pressing tactics, which are called "Gegenpressing." From the first moments at the club, the German tried to apply this tactic to the Liverpool team, and this offseason he chose fast attacking players who should fit this tactic perfectly. This summer, Klopp had the opportunity to spend more time and prepare the team for the new season, so the upcoming season should show an even more improved and refined pressing by the Liverpool team.
Shots from outside the penalty area. Last season, Liverpool was one of the teams that took the most shots from outside the penalty area, which brought positive results - the "Reds" scored 15 goals with such shots, and no other "Premier League" team matched this statistic. Seven Liverpool players scored at least one goal from long distance last year, and Philippe Coutinho scored four goals from outside the penalty area. All these players remain in the club for the next season, so the team's productivity from long shots should not suffer.
Creating opportunities with short passes. Last year, this team was one of the best in the league at creating chances, and in terms of opportunities created by short passes, they were the best in the "Premier League." Although they did not always take advantage of these opportunities last season, the team should be even more dangerous this summer, with two players who scored 11 goals in the "Premier League" last year joining them. If they manage to improve their chances conversion, they will be a threat to any team in the league.
Interesting facts about "Liverpool":
— The "Reds" have won the highest English league title 18 times, but since 1992, when the "Premier League" was founded, they have never won the championship title;
— The "Liverpool" club has won the most League Cup titles in the history of this tournament. In total, they triumphed 8 times in this competition;
— The 8th place achieved last season is the worst result in the history of the club in the "Premier League." They recorded the same result in the 2011-2012 and 1993-1994 seasons;
— Robbie Fowler, a former Liverpool player, holds the club record for the fastest hat-trick. He did it in just 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Until last year, this was also the "Premier League" record, which was then broken by new recruit Sadio Mane, who scored three goals in 2 minutes and 56 seconds;
— Former Liverpool representative Xabi Alonso holds the club record for the longest distance goal. He scored from a distance of 58.5 meters. At the time, it was a league record, now it is the fourth best result in league history, counting only goalkeepers' results;
— The most matches played in the club's history were played by Ian Callaghan — 857. The most goals were scored by Ian Rush — 346.
