1. Their Defence Is Far More Strong This Season
At times last season, Liverpool’s defence turned out to be their undoing. Despite scoring a lot of goals, their lack of stability in defending caused them to drop points from winning positions, conceding 3 or more goals 5 times during the last PL season.
The arrival of Virgil Van Dijk in the winter did strengthen their backline, and now it is stronger than ever. Joe Gomez’s return from injury makes him an able partner to the Dutchman, as Gomez’s pace is important when defending against fast counters, while Van Dijk’s strength in the air makes him an asset when defending set pieces.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson raised several eyebrows with their performances last season, and it has been much of the same yet again, With Nathaniel Clyne, Ragnar Klavan and Dejan Lovren all ready and raring to go, Klopp can rotate his backline in the cups while retaining his best for the big games.
2. They Boast Of A Powerful Bench
Among the teams who are picked to get their hands on the PL trophy this time, only Manchester City have a bench that is capable of matching this Liverpool squad. After a series of carefully placed investments, the Reds now have Shaqiri, Sturridge, Lallana, Milner, Moreno, Fabinho (once he is declared fit), Matip all available from the bench.
What this means is that Klopp can now rotate the lineup in the cup competitions, and not overwork the team as he did last season. While the front 3 of Mane, Salah and Firmino will still be played almost every time, the arrival of Shaqiri means that they can now be relieved of their duties earlier once the damage has been done.
With the midfield also having options to rely on, it is possible to add another direction to his heavily favoured heavy-metal football against teams that like to park the bus as well. Klopp has often been criticised for not having a backup plan when Plan A doesn’t work, and he finally has the right cards in his hands.
3. Their Midfield Is Far Better Now
The departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona last summer prompted questions about whether the Red’s creativity in midfield would be compromised. Fortunately for them, they did not need much in that department thanks to a superlative season from Mohamed Salah.
Any doubts as to whether that will once again become a factor have been put to bed, not through the same channels but from a completely different angle. The procurement of Naby Keita has added a new dimension to the team, something they had very little of last season, except for the occasional performances from Emre Can – physicality.
Playing in the central midfield of 3, Naby Keita allows one of the other two to be permanently involved in attack, much like Kante does to Chelsea. Once Jordan Henderson gets back to fitness, Keita can become even more involved in the attacking side of things, thereby freeing the front 3 even more.