Every Liverpool fan was just exhausted. After the 2021/22 season, our Liverpool Reds were dealt fate’s ugly hand, losing the Premier League on the final match day for the second time and then losing a Champions League final when we were arguably the better team on the pitch. And to add on to that, the departures of club legends Sadio Manè and Divock Origi hurt our fans to the core. Regardless, Jurgen Klopp’s men were expected to compete for those titles again. What happened this past year was something that very few fans probably expected, but it was a year where a lot was learned.
The Summer Transfer Window
The transfer window started off with a bang. The signing of Benfica striker Darwin Núñez for £64.1 million with an additional £21.4 million in potential add-ons was finalized in early June. Other additions included Fulham attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho and right-back Calvin Ramsay. All eyes were on the young Uruguayan though as he was instantly being compared to Manchester City’s new striker signing Erling Haaland. After a shaky start in a preseason tournament in Asia, Núñez scored four goals against RB Leipzig in another friendly. He then followed that performance with a goal in a victory against City in the Community Shield, as Liverpool won 3-1.
While this was promising to Liverpool fans, we were all still mourning the losses of Sadio Mane and Divock Origi, two club legends. And another summer went by without FSG bolstering our midfield options. Despite that concern, the Reds had fought until the last day in every competition. They’d be able to do it again… right? Right?
Early Season Struggles
The day after the Community Shield victory against City, Liverpool hosted a friendly against Strasbourg at Anfield. In this friendly match, Ibrahima Konate hurt his hamstring and was set to miss the beginning of the season for the Reds. And then during the first game of the season against Fulham, midfield maestro Thiago Alcantara suffered a hamstring injury that would keep him out for the next six games. Unfortunately, that would not be the end of his injury problems for the year as he would end up missing a total of 22 games during the 2022/23 season.
Despite Darwin Núñez’s strong showing with a goal and an assist against Fulham, it wasn’t enough as the Reds drew 2-2 at Craven Cottage. The next game had fans waiting for Darwin to showcase his skills in front of the Kop. Unfortunately, his temper was what was on display that day as the Uruguayan striker was sent off with a straight red for head butting Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen. This would cause Darwin to miss the next three Premier League games, slowing down the momentum he had gained after his first two performances as a Red.
Luis Diaz was able to salvage a point for the Reds with a wonder strike from outside the box, but with a 2-1 loss at Old Trafford in the next game Liverpool were winless from their first three in the league. Needing to bounce back against Bournemouth at home, the Reds tied a Premier League record with a 9-0 victory against the Cherries. Two goals from both Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz, a first goal for Fabio Carvalho, Harvey Elliott, a screamer from Trent Alexander-Arnold and a Virgil van Dijk goal capped off the historic victory. Bournemouth boss Scott Parker was even sacked after the historic loss. However, this would start a trend for Liverpool this year where the fans would see a performance and think their team was back… only to be hurt in the next matches.
Liverpool would somehow squeak by in the next match at home against Newcastle with a 98th minute winner from Fabio Carvalho, which would unfortunately be one of his rare highlights of the season. The next match was a goalless draw at Goodison Park where Darwin Núñez returned to the pitch, hitting the crossbar on a half volley strike. To make matters worse, in Liverpool’s first Champions League game they were blown out by eventual Serie A Champions Napoli by a score of 4-1 in Naples. It was one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen under Klopp. The team looked slow in every aspect and just uninspired unfortunately.
During that span, in my opinion, Luis Diaz was the team’s best player. The intensity of his pressing, speed down the wing and chance creation was spearheading our attack. That was all sadly stopped when a clash of knees with Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey sidelined our Colombian winger until after the World Cup. The injuries would keep piling on and the results would keep being inconsistent. We would lose to Leeds United at home and then beat Serie A leaders Napoli in the Champions League. Going into the World Cup break, Klopp’s men just couldn’t figure out a consistent rhythm like they had done the year before.
The Dark Days
After the World Cup break, Liverpool seemed to be moving towards a brighter spot in their season. They narrowly lost to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup 3-2, but they won their first two Premier League games against Aston Villa & Leicester City. However, the next part of the season would be the Red’s most difficult time. From January 2nd to February 12th, Liverpool would only go on to win one game. It started with a horrible 3-1 away loss at Brentford and just went downhill from there. Here is a tweet that perfectly summarizes my time during that horrible spell of form.
Players were getting injured left & right, we were starting Ox at left-wing, we couldn’t stop playing Brighton & Wolves and we fell to as low as 10th on the table. However, the resurgence was coming.
Almost There…
It all started on a cold night at Anfield against the crosstown rival Blues. The game was obviously high energy with a lot of back-and-forth play. Then came a corner that Everton almost scored off of as the ball clattered the left goalpost. It was cleared by Liverpool with the ball ending up at Núñez’s feet on the left wing. As he sprinted down the pitch you could sense the crowd ready to erupt. Darwin lifted a ball towards both Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo, and Salah tapped the ball past Everton’s out-of-position keeper Jordan Pickford to make it 1-0. As the picture above took place, it was almost like you could feel Anfield shake through the TV.
Five minutes after halftime, Cody Gakpo tapped in a Trent Alexander-Arnold pass for his first goal in Liverpool colors (just like his compatriot Virgil van Dijk) to cap off a great 2-0 derby win. They weren’t in the top four, but this was the Liverpool that fans were used to seeing for the past five years under Klopp.
After that Everton game, Liverpool would go on to only lose two more games in the Premier League. They had massive results like beating longtime rivals Manchester United 7-0 at home, defeating Newcastle away 2-0 & beating Spurs in a Premier League classic 4-3 with a late Diogo Jota goal. They even went on a seven-match winning streak before back-to-back draws closed out the year. From being 10th in January, to finishing in 5th, Liverpool did have a great turnaround to end the year. Despite that, all Liverpool fans and players know that the Europa League is not our level. And in the summer the club was going to go through some big changes.
Departures commencing…
On May 17th, Liverpool announced the departures of Naby Keita, James Milner, Roberto Firmino & Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on Twitter. Losing Firmino was the biggest blow in terms of talent, but each of these players at one point in their careers at Anfield played a key role for the Reds. Not too long ago Naby Keita was a marquee signing for Liverpool, James Milner was the vice-captain and a big presence in the dressing room while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was always in the starting XI before his horrible knee injury against Roma in the Champions League all those years ago. These players leaving sparked a new era for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, however they would not be the last ones to leave. Fabio Carvalho would leave on loan to RB Leipzig, Calvin Ramsay would head on loan to Preston North End and Arthur Melo’s nightmare loan spell with the Reds would come to an end. The next two moves were players that were NEVER expected to leave before the window began.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was a centerpiece for this Liverpool side since his arrival from Sunderland in 2011. He was a massive presence in the dressing room and he had been captain ever since the departure of club legend Steven Gerrard. Gerrard had become manager of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq this summer and he made Henderson his top target. Liverpool fans first laughed at the idea, but rumors were swirling that Henderson was going to be offered a contract earning more than $750,000 a week. Now in football, these decisions at the end of the day come down to the player. When Klopp and Henderson had a meeting to discuss his future, it was reported that Klopp told the player to expect less playing time during this season. At that point, the writing was unfortunately on the wall for the Hendo. The 2019/20 FWA Footballer of the Year’s move to the Saudi side was finalized for a fee around $15.4 million. Liverpool said goodbye to a true club legend, with the players saying their farewells in an emotional video.
As Henderson’s move was being finalized, Fabinho was rumored to also be heading to Saudi Arabia. However, he was being linked with Al-Ittihad, the team that had bought N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema earlier in the window. As of July 28th, Fabinho’s move hasn’t been finalized, but the player did complete his medical for the Saudi side. The rumored fee is around $51.3 million, a big piece of business for Liverpool. With all these moves being made, Liverpool had lost a total of seven midfielders in one transfer window. They needed to invest in the position, just like they have needed to for the past several years. This year however, they had absolutely no choice.
New Arrivals…
Liverpool went and bought two new midfielders (so far) that completely fit the profile of the type of football that is being played at Anfield. Alexis Mac Allister (24) and Dominik Szoboszlai (22) are incredible players, and I can’t wait for them to showcase what they are all about. Alexis can play a range of positions in the midifield, including the 6 & 8. While Szoboszlai can play as both a center mid and a winger. Liverpool were somehow able to activate Alexis’ $44.9 million release clause and stray him away from other Premier League clubs. While for the Hungarian Szoboszlai, the price was a little steeper, activating his release clause that was set at $77 million. Both players rejected approaches from Champions League clubs in the Premier League to play for Jurgen Klopp and the Reds. Next on the list is 19 year-old Romeo Lavia, who is rumored to be arriving at Anfield for a fee around $54.5 million.
Lavia is a standout player with bags of potential, that could step in at the #6 position that is needed due to Fabinho’s departure. In my dream scenario, Liverpool would secure the services of Lavia while adding either Khephren Thuram or Manu Koné. And in addition to that, adding a left-footed centerback to play in our new formation would be crucial. Someone like Gonçalo Inacio from Sporting Lisbon or Castello Lukeba from Olympique Lyon would be ideal for our new system. We were forever linked with Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, but the Blues are pretty clear on wanting to keep him for the future.
We will see where the future takes us. With just over a month left in the transfer window and with 15 days left until our Premier League opener against Chelsea, the Reds need to act fast. I’m super excited for this new year, I just pray we can avoid the injury problems that plagued us last year. But no matter what, I’ll always back my beloved Reds. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
Lots of changes for the Reds! Welcome back to your blog! What a fantastic article about the Reds! Very informative! You are an amazing fan of Liverpool and you always remain hopeful for a better season. The Reds are lucky to have a fan like you, Yanni! Waiting impatiently for the next article.