Less than a week remains for the transfer window to end and for the Premier League season to kick off. Liverpool seem to have completed most of their business and the final week of training in France will really set us up for an exciting campaign.
Now, this isn’t about us lifting the title or where we will finish in the Premier League, rather, it is about the three main players for us in the campaign.
And I am not going to suggest Mohamed Salah as it is pretty evident that he would be on the lips of most supporters. Liverpool have added strength to the side this season and we haven’t really let go of any top players, so we should have more strength in depth when the games start mounting up.
However, we could be in for a fantastic campaign this season and these three players could turn out to be crucial for us.
Alisson
Of course, he had to be on the list. The Brazilian is the world’s most expensive keeper and he has been doing the business in pre-season too.
The goalkeeping issue has been a huge one for us ever since Jurgen Klopp took over and it seems like the problem has now been put to rest. The 25-year-old Alisson is one of the best in the world and he should help us pick up a lot more points by cutting out the errors at the back.
There will be a lot of pressure on the Brazilian to start performing from day one but I’m certain he is a quality buy.
Best save success rate in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season
🥇J. Oblak — 85.8%
🥈Alisson — 80.1%
🥉D. De Gea — 79.9%https://t.co/BwvcOK7fm0 pic.twitter.com/nxOtQyzdMA— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 6, 2018
The above stat proves that Alisson can stop the shots and with him commanding the defence, Liverpool should not leak goals in.
Naby Keita
The deal to sign the Guinea star was completed last summer but we will get to see him this time around. Not only is Naby Keita someone who fits our playing style perfectly, the 23-year-old will be wearing the iconic No.8 jersey, which was handed over to him by Steven Gerrard.
The former RB Leipzig man should be the link between our midfield and our attack. His endless running and tenacity is just what we need in the side.
I would even compare him to a younger Adam Lallana minus the silky touches. Keita is more tenacious than the Englishman and has a better engine too.
The Guinea midfielder also has an eye for goal, having scored 14 goals across two seasons for Leipzig. We saw a bit of an edge in his game last season as he picked up multiple red cards.
Tenacity and aggression will work well in our team and if any player looks like a real piece of the jigsaw at Liverpool, it has to be Keita.
He isn’t a Xabi Alonso or a Steven Gerrard, but he could turn out to be the Keita we all deserve.
Joe Gomez
Some might scratch their heads after seeing this choice and while we have the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabinho or even a Trent Alexander-Arnold returning from the World Cup, it is Joe Gomez who could surprise us all this season.
The Englishman sacrificed his season for us, playing as a right-back and had to miss not only the Champions League but the World Cup too.
However, a pre-season full of training should work for the Englishman and it is time Klopp lets Gomez play as a central defender this season.
This could be great news for us given our problems last season. Dejan Lovren is a quality defender but he is prone to a mistake. Joel Matip is too injury prone while Ragnar Klavan should only play a few cup games and come on as a substitute when needed.
We still need a young central defender that can do the job for us and well, we just might have found one. Gomez could have played as a CB regularly last season but Nathaniel Clyne’s injury meant he was rotated with Trent at right-back.
With Clyne 100% fit and ready, this should give Gomez the chance to play in his preferred CB spot and we could see the best of the youngster alongside Van Dijk.
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Of course, Liverpool have a number of quality players who could shine this season. It has been too long since we won a trophy and if the players start the season well, there will be some celebration at Anfield come the season end.
