???️ Liverpool FC 17/18 Preview

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Hope, excitement, euphoria, jubilation, disappointment, frustration and anger are just some of the motions we will all be going through as football fans over the next 10 months. And to be honest we should be used it after this transfer window mind fuck. Personally, despite being slightly bogged down by the social media moaning and groaning I am fucking ecstatic the next Premier League season is upon us. I am sick to death of talking transfer rumours, reading about transfer rumours and most of all discovering that any Tom, Dick and Harry that might know an estate agent can somehow fabricate some bullshit to be blurted out and heap further misery onto the rumour mill. By all accounts anyone could do that. I know someone that works in Home Bargains and they said they saw Naby Keita buying a six pack of Lynx for £3.99. So that means he’s defo moving. See, I can make stuff up too. We all know you can’t get a six pack of Lynx for £3.99. Give it a try yourself though and you will quickly learn to take any Twitter transfer rumours with a pinch of salt on and carry on with your life. Apologies for the slight rant but I can’t afford therapy and the lads in the office won’t listen to me. Anyway, I digress. The season is just a few days away and as far as I can see things are looking up for Liverpool. If you shy away from those rumours and any mention of Barcelona putting in a ridiculously bad meff bid in for Phil Coutinho then you can see things in a positive light. Pre-season has been great on the marketing side but more importantly for us fans there have also been vast improvements on the field. Young Padawan’s I will start with the youngsters; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Woodburn, Ryan Kent and Joe Gomez have all put in superb performances individually and collectively. Their names have come up a number of times in shows we have recorded in recent weeks and I think I speak for everyone when I say we are all buzzing for them to first of all get an opportunity within the first team and secondly to grab that chance by the bollocks and run with it. I will use they Bayern game as an example. I don’t think anyone would have thought Trent would have had Ribery in his back pocket that match. OK, so Ribery wasn’t exactly on fire that game but he’s still a world-class and experienced footballer. As Chris Pajak put it “Ribery was playing football before Trent was walking.” Cant really argue with that. But that in itself illustrates his improvement over the past 12 months. There is the argument he’s not the finished article and rightly so he’s still only a kid. With another 12 months under Klopp, further Premier League experience and the possibility of gaining some experience in the Champions League you can’t help but have high hopes for the lad. Its a similar story for Ben Woodburn, he has been immense in this pre-season. I am fully aware I am writing this with red-tinted glasses on so if you disagree please comment in the the section below. But for a 17-year-old the way he plays the game, the way he reads the game and most of all for me, his maturity has been a joy to watch. I’ve mentioned a few times now that towards the end of last season he played a handful of games and was thrown in at the deep end in which he looked a boy amongst men. Now after that experience and with having been away on tour with the first team, training with the first team and having had Jurgen Klopp put an arm around him I’m confident he can play a part in what I hope will be a successful season for Liverpool. Ryan Kent was a surprise for me, a pleasant one at that. He appears to have ‘beefed up’ over the summer and looks like he really wants to prove his worth at the club. He also provides another healthy option for us this season. I think I have said this about 100 times this summer but depth and quality is something that has royally fucked us in the arse over recent seasons. Particularly last season when Sadio Mane was either at the AFCON or out injured we severely lacked pace on the wing. His confidence, drive and determination to beat a man was also something in which we were missing, There were countless times last season when we got into the last third of the opposition half and we ran out of ideas resulting in passing the ball like it was one of Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear bombs that nobody wanted to touch. With the club playing in the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and the Panda Pop Cup or whatever its called these days, Kent will be called upon. I also go into this season with confidence that I can look at the bench or the squad and be significantly happier than I have been in recent years. I’m not for one second suggesting Ryan Kent or any other the other youngsters will be game changers but if they had to start a cup game or maybe even the odd Premier League game I wouldn’t mind. Joe Gomez had a bit of a mixed bag for me. And thats through no fault of his own. The lad has obviously been through massive injuries and is thankfully on the road to recovery. He was also unfortunate to play at CB and RB, often during the same game. I think thats how he could get game time. He has come out and said that he would prefer to play at CB but like the lads I’ve already covered, experience will be invaluable. New signings Ok so the window hasn’t gone how we all hoped so far but lets look at what we have got. I will start with Andrew Robertson. I think he was a surprise buy, it was clear after last season we needed a left back and we got one. Kudos to you if you put money on it being him. We had been priced out of a Mendy deal so that didn’t happen and I don’t think there was much choice out there we could have realistically gone and completed a deal for. Add to that Milner did a magnificent job there last season. Well, if you miss out kicking the ball out for a throw in every now any then. And how could I forget the resurrection of Alberto Moreno! Suddenly they left back woes seem less of a problem. So theoretically we needed to use money to bolster other departments. I know, we are still waiting. Mo Salah. Wow. Where do I start with him? He has drastically improved our forward line. We all want to see that Bobby, Mane and Salah combination us top as much as possible this season but much like Ryan Kent if Mane was to get injured again we know we have the option to play Salah and still be a threat on the counter. His link up play with Bobby Firmino and Phil Coutinho during the pre-season period has all left us frothing at the mouth. Given the current climate and you know that Brexit shite, £36m looks an absolute steal. Finally Dom Solanke. Another one who I don’t think anyone had money on. After doing some research on him for one of the shows earlier in the summer his stats make for pleasant reading. Wherever he has played he has been a proven goal scorer. One season in particular notching 42 goals in one season. Sound, it wasn’t in the Premier League but he clearly has an eye for goal. I’m equally impressed by his bollocks. Let me explain. He could have easily been another one of the 2747347347834834863846364 Chelsea players to go out on loan to another club but he obviously backs himself. It was being banded about that he refused a new contract due to wanting more money, only time will tell but I genuinely believe that he saw all those loan moves had enough. Good luck to him. He managed to bag a few goals during pre-season and his performances we’re just as impressive. He fights for the ball, he is good with his feet and is happy to press high up the pitch. I think we will see more of him than some people think. Even after a few games the general census on social media is that he will be third choice. Add to that the inevitable injury to Daniel Sturridge then he quickly moves up to second. Where Will We Finish? Possibly one of the most difficult questions in football right now. So I can only give my opinion. I think top four has to be the target again for Liverpool this season. Wether thats first, second, third or fourth I don’t really care. This will be the first season in many when we are playing Champions League football. As much as I believe we Klopp will give his all and as will the players, being in that competition year in year out has to be a major priority for several reasons. The financial side is the obvious place to start, then attraction of players and keeping the current crop of players happy. For far too long we have been a stepping stone for the Barcelona and Real Madrid’s of this world. We should be in that bracket too not feeding it. The outcome of our season will also depend on other teams around us. Man City will be up there having spent more of defence than some countries across the world. As much as it kills me to say I think Manchester United have also improved their squad this summer. I don’t understand the Matic deal from a Chelsea perspective. £40m is a steal and it furthers the hand of a major rival. Tottenham will be difficult to judge, they have an immense squad but playing at Wembley this season could cripple them. Thats possibly more hope than a reality. Arsenal will probably start well, drop off, do well again and want Wenger in and then out again. That’s just the first week. Cup Runs As previously mentioned I think Klopp has gone all out on squad depth this summer and I believe thats down to fighting on all fronts. We won’t be in the same boat as we were when we reached the Europa League final and had to play a third and fourth choice team during domestic cups and Premier League games. Klopp also has experience in Champions League football and my heart says a last sixteen place would be successful given then current squad we have. Again that all depends on who we get on the group stages and I wont tempt fate so that is of course if we get in the group stage. And if we do, lets not put our best player on the bench versus Real Madrid. My head is mashed from the transfer window so I wont entertain the idea incase I spontaneously combust.   Let’s Fucking have it! This weekend is the one we have all been craving for the past two months. Let’s put this daily transfer bull shit behind us and concentrate on what matters, watching Liverpool play footy. If you think I’ve chatted absolute biff please let me know in the comments, alternatively positive comments are also welcome. Where do you think we will finish? Who will be the star player? Let me know in the comments below,   Ross Chandley    
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