This preview is written by Mohamed Mohamed (@moesquare on Bluesky and Twitter).

Moe has writing about football in the public sphere for nearly a decade for various outlets, including The Analyst, The Athletic, and StatsBomb. As well, he’s dipped his toes into the world of YouTube with the channel Footy Insights, which looks into the present and past of the beautiful game. He’s written for us several times previously, most recently on the career of Kevin De Bruyne.

Uncertainty was a major theme in the buildup to Liverpool’s 2024-25 season. Jürgen Klopp departed after nine seasons at the helm, winning every major trophy possible and playing a large role in the club’s return to being one of Europe’s best. Arne Slot was given the task of helping spearhead another title challenge, after impressing with AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord. Off the pitch, the contractual situations of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold dominated a ton of the storylines, as each star had one year left on their respective deals.

The season ended up being a successful one for Liverpool, winning their 20th league title and 2nd in the Premier League era. After multiple instances of running close to Manchester City (2019, 2022, 2024), they were the ones to take advantage of City’s season from hell and largely cruised to the title. Two of the big three ended up re-signing until 2027 (Salah, van Dijk), while Alexander-Arnold took his talents to Madrid. Europe was less favorable to the Reds, losing in the round of 16 of the Champions League in a penalty shootout to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.

By keeping most of the core together, along with major money signings coming through the door, most signs point to another big season for Liverpool. They’ll once again be in contention for another PL title, and looking to make a deep run in the Champions League. Emotions will also be running high throughout the campaign, following the death of Diogo Jota in early July.

This is an easy question to answer, they were very good and clearly the best team in the league. Now, there is an argument to be made that the 2025 iteration of Liverpool didn’t have the top gear that previous ones did (2022 in particular were awe-inspiring at their peak). Their final points total of 84 was the lowest from a title winner since Leicester City in 2016, although it was clear the team had taken their foot off the gas pedal once they officially won the title. Unlike other times when Liverpool challenged for the title but luck didn’t go their way, that wasn’t the case in 2024-25. Manchester City had a severe drop off which even surprised their biggest skeptics, and Arsenal’s ability to mount any title challenge was hampered in part due to injuries and ill-timed red cards.

But again, Liverpool were quite good and were the PL’s best side. Nobody else had a better goal difference than them at +45. Their open play goal difference at +36 was only bettered by Arsenal’s +37, and Liverpool’s open play expected goal differential of +31.57 was by far the best in the league (Manchester City were 2nd at just under +16).

They might have slowed down a bit as the season went on, but they can be forgiven for that given how quickly they wrapped up the title.

The shift from how Liverpool played in Klopp’s final season vs Year 1 of “Slot-ball” was subtle. Part of it was because there were no major incomings or outgoings. There’s only so much change that can be done when inheriting essentially the same squad of players from the predecessor (Klopp). Liverpool themselves had gradually evolved tactically during Klopp’s tenure, which included Alexander-Arnold’s unique interpretation of an inverted fullback, as part of a growing trend in the PL (at least for now). As well, they weren’t quite as chaotic in 2023-24 compared to previous seasons.

Under Slot, there was a greater sense of control during buildup. They would often have four behind the ball, with either a single midfielder or double pivot in place, trying to build through the middle more often than in years past. During these phases of play, Alexander-Arnold would often be snug to the backline positionally in an L-shape. This also helped in having a better chance at reducing direct attacks coming their way, although it did make Alexander-Arnold a slightly more peripheral figure in attack compared to previous seasons.

Ryan Gravenberch’s positional change from a left sided No. 8 to a 6 was key in Liverpool’s ability to progress in central areas, marking one of the few major differences in Klopp’s Liverpool vs Slot’s. He was adept at evading incoming pressure on the turn from different angles, leaving his marker in the dust and helping create artificial transitions.

Out of possession, Liverpool’s 4-2-4 was part of a growing trend across the league. Teams tried to block access towards the central zones via the front line and having man-to-man marking in midfield. When it works, play would be forced out wide with little way of getting into the middle of the pitch. The team would have strong compactness with the defensive line at a solid height, helping box opponents to create high turnovers. Jon Mackenzie from The Athletic illustrated the pros and cons of such an approach.

Even with a larger emphasis on control, Liverpool still ended up generating a ton of transition opportunities. They were once again the PL leaders for shots originating from a counter attack or high press situation, after doing so in Klopp’s last season in charge. The numbers actually increased slightly under Slot, and made up a larger proportion of Liverpool’s shot diet due to a greater focus on shot quality.

One interesting note about Liverpool last season is that set pieces didn’t end up being nearly as potent for them as it had been in previous seasons under Klopp. They had a goal differential of 0 from dead-ball situations (8 for vs 8 against), while their set piece expected goal differential was 2.59, above average but only ranking 7th. In previous seasons, including in 2020 when they won the title, it was a big reason why they racked up sky high goal differences. Whether this returns for next season will be interesting to monitor.

Due to various factors (squad sales, previous fiscal restraint, revenue growth), Liverpool have allowed themselves such leeway against the Premier League's profit and sustainability regulations to go on a tremendous spending spree. Over €300 million has been spent this summer, and rumors continue to persist of them forking over a PL record transfer fee for Alexander Isak.

Players out: ST Diogo Jota, RB Trent Alexander-Arnold, GK Caoimhín Kelleher, CB Jarell Quansah, LW Luis Díaz

Clearly one of these players sticks out as being not like the others. There’s a separate section below on Diogo Jota. If you missed the news, he passed away in a car accident earlier this summer.

There were prominent departures to help Liverpool splash the cash this summer. Luis Diaz’ robustness at both ends for a winger made him a valuable contributor, but at 28, the club couldn’t turn down potentially €75m from Bayern Munich for a non-star. Jarell Quansah was not a part of Slot’s plans, and getting €35m from Leverkusen helps the accounting books as an academy graduate. Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of the key figures of Liverpool’s ascent since his debut season in 2017-18. His atypical skill-set for his position was such a game changer in attack that he was the rare fullback to help quarterback an elite attack for multiple years. Although he was set to sign with Real Madrid on a free transfer, the existence of the Club World Cup forced them to pay €10m to secure his early release before his contract ended in June.

Players in: RB Jeremie Frimpong, AM Florian Wirtz, LB Milos Kerkez, ST Hugo Ekitike, GK Giorgi Mamardashvili

The majority of the money spent so far has gone towards Bundesliga talents like Florian Wirtz (22), Hugo Ekitiké (23), and Jeremy Frimpong (24). At such a young age, Wirtz has already shown himself to be an expert at operating between the lines and creating plentiful chances. His ability to play across the frontline helps Liverpool’s tactical versatility. That combination has helped him produce like one of the better players in the world, and helped Leverkusen win the 2024 Bundesliga title. Given the fee spent to acquire him (£100m upfront with £15m in add-ons), it is fair to expect he eventually becomes one of the key figures of his generation.

In any other window, acquiring Ekitiké would be the headline transfer. His season and a half with Eintracht Frankfurt was a smashing success, helping propel them back into the Champions League for this upcoming season. He’s part of this current era of jumbo-sized strikers in the PL, with a skill-set reminiscent of Isak’s but will need time adjusting to the physicality of English football. Frimpong was also part of that impressive Leverkusen side, generating a ton of goals and assists compared to others at his position by frequently getting into advanced positions through high-end awareness and elite burst. The Premier League becoming more transitional in recent seasons gives him a better chance of immediately providing a ton of value on the right flank. The one prominent non-Bundesliga signing in Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth is an energizer bunny who’s seen as the successor at left-back to the aging Andy Robertson.

A quick summary:

Liverpool signed players who had some massive production last season.

It’s pretty hard to choose anyone other than Mohamed Salah, who tied the PL record for most goals and assists in a single season with 47 (in 4 less games than Alan Shearer and Andy Cole did back when the PL played 42 games). After slowing down due to a hamstring injury following the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, and questions concerning his future, he came back and had arguably the greatest season in the history of English football. Players don’t tend to have career years after age 30. Then again, Salah’s career has been anything but ordinary.

Salah’s usage last season was quite interesting. His defensive responsibilities were lessened, allowing him to cheat more and being a reference point for direct passes versus an unsettled opposition. If you watch the compilation below of his goals and assists last season, just notice how often he got to attack in space, helping make up for a general decline in his ability to create off the dribble in more static situations.

It’s very unlikely that Salah will crack 40 or more goals and assists in a PL season. Before 2024-25, the only other time he achieved such a feat was his first season with Liverpool in 2017-18 when he had 42. At this point though, Salah’s earned enough benefit of the doubt in terms of aging gracefully and remaining one of the best players in world football further notice.

Any season preview for Liverpool would be incomplete without remarking on the tragic loss of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva. Diogo Jota was a key squad player since his signing in 2020, relentlessly crashing the box from a variety of angles. Grace Robertson made an astute observation of how much of an old-school skill-set he had for a forward, making him a unique option for Klopp and Slot to utilize over the course of the season.

In addition to Diogo Jota’s relentless style of play, he was a beloved figure off the pitch. Tributes following his death have shown how much of an impact he had on teammates and non-playing staff at Liverpool, the Portuguese national team, and other clubs he previously plied his trade for. The preseason matchup between Liverpool and Preston following his death was highly emotional, and Liverpool themselves have gone on to retire his No. 20 shirt.

Diogo Jota’s passing has left an indelible mark on Liverpool as a club and city at large. It’s something they’ll have to navigate, not just for the upcoming 2025-26 season, but for many after.

Purely on paper, Liverpool have a real chance of winning consecutive league titles for the first time since 1984. Assuming that van Dijk and Salah continue to age like fine wine, they have the necessary top end talent needed to compete. If those two begin to show a noticeable decline in performance, things do get tricky, especially in central defense given the lack of reinforcements. The midfield is stronger in comparison, although quite reliant on Gravenberch holding things steady, and he started to show signs of fatigue during the back half of the season. With there still being time left in the transfer window, perhaps further signings will still be made to reinforce non-attacking positions. Liverpool also had pretty good injury luck last season, and getting such a thing two seasons in a row is tough to bank on. This is especially pertinent given Salah will be participating in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations during the winter.

In addition, the club won’t be able to use Alexander-Arnold’s game-breaking creative talents to help unlock matches, something which could take some getting used to. It’s different having your lead/co-lead creator occupying deeper areas to help initiate transitions, compared to Wirtz’s expertise in creating dynamic moments from tight spaces. Without Alexander-Arnold in the squad, more of the on-ball creation duties will be distributed across the starting XI. How Liverpool will operate with orthodox fullbacks on both sides of the pitch will also be important to monitor.

Diogo Jota’s passing does make it hard to project what will happen with Liverpool going forward. Grief and the handling of it isn’t a linear thing that we experience. It can hit at any time, and it’s unique to every person. Perhaps getting back to a daily routine can bring a sense of normalcy, and there’ve been instances of clubs/teams in sports rallying together in the face of tragedy. On the other hand, losing someone close to you can have an adverse impact for a long time. For the purposes of this preview, I am assuming Liverpool will be able to play like their established selves while working through the emotional pain, but chasing normality is certainly easier said than done.

All things equal, I think Liverpool have the best chance among the contenders of taking home their 21st league title, and 3rd in the Premier League era.

Prediction: 1st