How Liverpool can win the title next season

Can Liverpool win the Premier League next season?

Can liverpool win the league next season? Mission Impossible could be achieved for the Reds. It may seem like an impossible task at Anfield at the moment.

Who can win next season’s Premier League title? After years of hurt, years of not getting into the Champions League and barely coming close to a title, I think next year it is very much possible for Liverpool to finish top of the Premier League tree.

It’s possible, but only if certain things happen. Of course, the squad the club have at the moment isn’t capable of being the best side in the league over 38 games. The back 5 are average and the team is lacking pacy wingers. However, with the right reinforces brought in, Liverpool aren’t worlds away from competing, they’re probably closer than everyone thinks.

A Poor Season (so far)

Let’s remind ourselves of how Liverpool’s current season has gone. On October 4th, they sat 10th in the table after being held to a draw by Everton in the Merseyside derby, Danny Ings and Romelu Lukaku were both goalscorers. This proved to be Brendan Rodgers’ last game in charge at Liverpool, as he was sacked hours after the match. The sacking was met with a good reception from fans. I thought, and still do think, it was a call of desperation and impatience.

Nevertheless, the league took a break for international games, and by the time the fixtures resumed on Saturday 17th October, former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp held the reins at Anfield, a man known for his positive attitude to games and his pressing style of play, he was a man who had a lot to do. An opening game against Spurs for Klopp ended 0-0, but already showed one or two glimpses of an improved Liverpool mentality.

Fast forward 6 months, and despite their league position not greatly improved, Liverpool are looking like a side to be feared. In all competitions, they’ve won well against Manchester City, Chelsea, Southampton, Manchester United and Aston Villa. They’re into the Europa League semi-finals and chasing a victory in that competition that would give them Champions League qualification for next season. And that is possibly the key part in whether or not Liverpool can win the title next season. It’s all about how this season ends

What needs to happen

In terms of attracting players, Liverpool shouldn’t have much of a problem doing that this summer, but they’ll have even more selling points if they qualify for the Champions League. What Liverpool can advertise to players right now is a very exciting thing, and that is simply the prospect of playing under Jurgen Klopp. He’s internationally known for having a fantastic relationship with his players, and most players in the world are going to want a taste of that, Champions League football will basically give them the opportunity to sign any player they want (with a few exceptions).

So, let’s say that Liverpool DO win the Europa League and therefore qualify for the 2016/17 Champions League campaign. As a player, who wants to leave their club or is open to leaving their club, Liverpool suddenly looks like a very exciting destination, much more exciting than Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United are at the moment, a club that is receiving heavy criticism from the press. Liverpool are the only ‘big club’ this summer who definitely won’t be having a change in manager this summer, and stability at a club is something a player definitely desires, nobody wants to go to a club to play under a certain manager, only for that manager to walk out of the door the second you walk through it.

And it is a very real possibility, that every English team that made it into the Champions League last season could have a change in manager this summer. Chelsea and Manchester City have confirmed their new men in charge, Louis van Gaal is under a lot of pressure at Manchester United, while Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal may finally be coming to an end if you believe everything you read. This is good news for Liverpool, who you could argue have already had their transition period under the new boss, by now every player knows exactly what Klopp expects from them, and a good team will use the transition periods other teams are set to have to their advantage.

How Klopp can maximize his summer with the squad

While everyone else is transitioning, I trust that Klopp will be quietly going about his business this summer. He seems like a man with a plan, he’s had a good period to assess the quality of the league this season, and he’ll use this summer to try and get the better of it. Along with new signings at the back and going forward, the most important thing about this summer is how Klopp uses his pre-season. Pre-season is the ultimate opportunity for him to get this squad up to the fitness levels needed for them to press the opposition to a high-standard for 90 minutes. The only player in the squad currently fit enough to press at the intensity Klopp wants for 90 minutes is Adam Lallana, and if you keep a close eye on him during a game you shall see what I mean. Other than that, no players have the energy to fit into Klopp’s style of play for 90 minutes, Roberto Firmino is particularly far away from where he needs to be.

If Klopp is wise, he will be efficient and ruthless this summer. He will flog the dead wood in the squad, bring in some proven talent and exciting prospects, and then work with his new squad to get that right up to the standard he wants them to be. When it comes to August, Liverpool can turn into quite a force, and the 2016/17 season could be an exciting one for the newly-renovated Anfield.

If all goes to plan, it will be a very exciting time to be a Liverpool fan come May 2017.

By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10