Ok so The Spuds chicken on a basket thing has some deeper meaning too?
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That doesnt make it any less bizzare.
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Italians smdh, those rancid tittie milk drinkers 
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Am I the only one who doesnât buy into the Liverpool hype this year? They may still have a good season but Iâm expecting them to underachieve relative to their rapidly growing expectations. Just because they did pretty well last year and have bought some decent players doesnât mean theyâre going to reach another level automatically.
I find their attack a little underwhelming too and that hasnât changed. I canât see Salah matching 32 goals and while I think heâs good I donât think a forward like Firmino is ever going to be the type to break 20 goals. I like Mane too but heâs not exactly world class.
Two of their big signings are replacements for Coutinho and Can who are hardly bad players, so itâs not like theyâve replaced weak links with top players (except of course in goal which could be a night an day change for them).
I think they had a good thing going last year and itâs not certain that theyâll match that. Theyâll be doing well if they can do 4th / 75ish points again but Iâm not quite sure why people are tipping them for big things so quickly. I think weâll still be seeing plenty of minutes from the likes of Milner, Henderson, Lovren and Wijnaldum so thereâs still room for improvement.
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Donât know mate there seems to be a bit of clutching going on there regarding the front three.
On paper at least theyâre going into this season as the only major threat to Man City.
They had a good thing going in the second half of the campaign - around a few weeks after Van Dijkâs arrival. They now have that, plus a very high profile goalkeeper and potentially excellent defensive midfielder come in too.
Firminoâs been a major focal point and false 9 who should only get more seasoned in the role. Not scoring 20 a season? So what like. The three share the goals around like itâs nothing.
Lot rests on Salah again but what reason is there to doubt him right now tbh.
Shaqiri could easily deputise for Mane sometimes if heâs struggling.
The big loss for them is Oxlade-Chamberlain. He was thriving in that set up.
They really do have the basis right now to go on except for the fact that Pep and Manchester City exist.
They probably wonât win the league but barring major injuries I think they could take 2nd and may pose the biggest threat to City.
Their attack may not have stellar names but it doesnât need to, itâs just so incredibly functional and they work so well together. By having Firminio to create space and press from the front it allows Mane and Salah to kill it on the counter in roles that are more free, I donât necessarily think Salah will have as great a season but itâs clear something awoke in him last season and I donât doubt heâs gong to score 20 plus.
This biggest thing for Liverpool is their improving defensive record which has been woeful for years, since theyâve signed VVD and Robertson became the #1 LB their defence has looked very solid indeed and they finished on a high. Add Alisson into the mix and youâve got a pretty damn good spine there.
The midfield has been heavily upgraded as well Keita is immense and theyâve also signed a great DM, Can was never a starter whilst those two most definitely can be. Theyâve got Lallana returning who is a very classy player too. As funny as it sounds losing Coutinho has been almost a good thing.
I donât like to say it but theyâre building something special on Merseyside.
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I tend to agree. Now that they look Cityâs most dangerous opponent they are likely to collapse under pressure.
Iâm sceptical of any player thatâs functional or works in a particular system. Theyâre functional when it works but as soon as it stops they soon become less effective. People thought Morgan and Drinkwater were good because they were playing in a team/system that was working but itâs easy to make judgements on players when you see them playing at their best more often than not. I think what we saw of Firmino last year was the best he had to offer, which is certainly plenty if he could do that all the time but you canât bank on players producing their best form every year until they retire.
Even if Salah has another great season, he might only score 22 which is a 10 goal shortfall in the team which probably isnât getting made up elsewhere. Are they banking entirely on buying players = a better defence and that winning them games? Itâs certainly possible and on paper they look like a good team but I canât see their three attackers being any more productive than they were last year.
Football is rarely as black and white as team has a good season, team buys some players and has a better one. People always get into the habit of thinking every player in a team will be as good as they were the season before and then add additions on top of that but it rarely happens. People always tip the team that wins the title to be competing the next year and it hasnât really happened in the last 5-10 years.
It just feels like expectation is disproportionately high for this team. I bet if Liverpool scrape 4th (which is still very good considering the ups and downs of the past 10 years) people will be questioning Klopp but I canât see why the expectation appears to be growing other than nobody else appears to be improving.
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The shadow of my thumb was thrown upon the like button and then you said Lallana was classy. You just had to push it too far, didnât you.
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I donât think theyâll win the league, but I think they are the next best after Manchester City. They will score lots of goals, they tightened up a lot defensively in the 2nd half of last season and now have a far stronger midfield and keeper. Iâm expecting a low 80s point tally which I think will be good enough for 2nd.
You make valid points, I suppose time will tell. Itâs not simple as adding X, Y, Z but I think what holds them in good stead is virtually all the positions theyâve strengthened are ones that have needed major upgrades for a long time.
They needed a proper keeper and now have one, just like us they now have a baller DM after neglecting that area for years and they have potentially just secured their Gerrard replacement in Keita.
I think their bench in terms of attack still needs a signing or two, Shaqiri is OK but if one of the main guys goes down itâs a significant drop in quality.
@Gladiator: Haha, no love for Lallana eh? Despite not being one to rack up the numbers heâs a very good player, Liverpool donât have another of his type in their squad. Heâs definitely someone who can help to dictate the tempo if their midfield is under the kosh.
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Lallana and Shaqiri are better than most can hope for as squad players. In fact Iâve probably been harsh on the Milners etc. too. I hope Lallana can reach 100% again, thereâs something quite distinctive about the way he plays, and heâs from Bournemouth so clearly a top lad 
If where questioning Liverpools front 3 which is valid,should we not also question City attack. Sane was great last year but will he get them numbers again. Stering was good but always questionable in front of goals. Aguero injury and age wise is not the very best out there.
Defence without Kompany is leaderless at times for me too.
They have the advantage with the manager for me, but last season got better after a very good start. Be interesting this season if that doesnt happen.
For Henderson and Lovren theres a Delph and Ottomendi knocking about. Id say its a matter how or if Liverpool have grown from Europe that defines their campaign.
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Is Gab Jesus actually good? Or is he just a poacher taking advantage of a incredibly productive creative team?
I didnât really like his WC performances
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Hes good and developing but not ready to take the lead roll for me yet. Agree when the pressure was on in Russia he lacked in front of goal.
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Salah, Mane and Firminho are just coming into their prime and maybe they just are âthat goodâ. Salahâs improved goalscoring has coincided with him playing closer to goal and playing for a team that breaks at speed. Keita, Fabinho, VVD, Alison and are elite recruits. Their midfield and defense looks far far stronger, which was their problem. Most importantly they play as an organised unit.
I donât think last seasons Liverpool is comparable to Leicester. Teams rolled over for Leicester, they thought âitâs only Leicesterâ and didnât show up. Teams played into their counter attacking seige mentality. When we played them we beat them twice. When teams played us they upped their game. Same with Liverpool last season but Liverpool imposed their will on teams.
Now can they win the league? Probably not.
But now weâll see a lot less of the names mentioned. Wijnaldum had 26 starts last season for example. With the Oxlade-Chamberlain injury he will probably still play decent minutes at the start of the season, but still. Plus they arenât fully relying on Salah/Mane with the depth Shaqiri provides.
Liverpool just had a very solid base last season, only 5 losses and theyâve conceded 38 goals, and have added a lot of quality. A Wijnaldum - Fabinho - Keita midfield looks a lot better than anything they played last season. I do think that besides Alisson they really needed to add a proper attacking midfielder who can play in tight spaces and force something against (very) defensive teams. Theyâve had a lot of 0-0/1-1 results.
An Arsenal midfield with Santi looks a lot better
It does. It has to be seen if it actually will be better in the case of Liverpool.
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