With Liverpool set to look enviously up at the top four ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, the question remains as to whether Jurgen Klopp’s men can propel themselves back into the Champions League next term.
That’s certainly a likely possibility for the Reds, with Gary Neville going as far as to suggest they’re the one team ‘I would trust the most’ to vie with Manchester City for the title.
“Who’s the most likely challenger? The only team that’s proven they can run them [Manchester City] really close and that I would trust most is Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool,” the former Manchester United man told Monday Night Football (via Football Daily). “But I’m not sure about that because I think they dropped off way below what they did last time when they had a bad season.”
His co-host, Jamie Carragher agreed with his compatriot’s assertion but also backed the Reds’ arch-rivals: “I’m gonna go Liverpool and Manchester United.
“I think Liverpool will come back. I agree with Gary, I think the jump in terms of really challenging City might be too big. May still be too big for Manchester United.
“I do see those two teams… where Manchester United go and look really solid, get a few attacking players, score more goals, that’s what they need to do.
“Liverpool will invest in midfield players and they’ve got players who’ve won the biggest trophies before – the goalkeeper, Salah, Van Dijk, Trent – they’ve all won the biggest trophies.”
The Merseysiders have a huge gap to close from the current season, of course, with the league champions a whopping 22 points ahead at the time of writing (with a game in hand).
Is Gary Neville right? Can Liverpool compete for the title next term?
Our gut feeling is that it may take the upcoming season to repair the damage before we can go full steam ahead and deliver another 90-plus point season – what will most likely be required to overcome a Manchester City side inspired by our positive form.
Indeed, given our somewhat symbiotic relationship with Pep Guardiola’s men we simply can’t assume that a points range of 80-90 will be enough to clinch the title.
That all being said, and to avoid finishing on a completely negative point, we’re completely confident in our chances of breaking back into the top four; especially if we recruit suitably and replenish the midfield this summer.