Manchester City coasted to the Premier League title last season, finishing 19 points ahead of runners up Manchester United. But Despite United’s impressive league position, the team closest to challenging Pep Guardiola’s winning machine appear to be Liverpool, who were the first team to defeat them in the league, and also knocked them out of the Champions League.
But Jurgen Klopp’s side only managed a 4th placed finish, 25 points behind the champions and six behind United. Though the German has spent big in the transfer market this summer, it might not be enough to close that considerable gap, and new signings may still be required before the window shuts.
There are many similarities between the way Liverpool and City approach the game. Their managers value similar qualities, and there are aspects of their style of play which can be traced back to similar influences.
Liverpool and City have also taken a comparable approach to recruitment in recent seasons. Guardiola’s side have been able to do this on a much grander scale thanks to backing from the Premier League’s richest owners, and the ability to keep hold of star players such as Sergio Aguero, David Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne.
Manchester City’s overhaul during Guardiola’s first two seasons saw them spend over £448 million, and the addition of Riyad Mahrez this season takes them over £500 million mark.
Liverpool have spent £387m in the same period, but have also recouped much more through player sales, bringing in £157 million during last season alone. They haven’t always wanted to sell these players, however, with Philippe Coutinho leaving for Barcelona despite the club’s attempts to keep hold of their star playmaker.
The Reds have had a more focused approach to transfers since Klopp arrived, recruiting only when the right player becomes available but unafraid to spend big money when they do. Both clubs have avoided signing players for the sake of it — an example of this being their issues at left back in recent seasons.
It has been a problem position for both clubs, but rather than spend money on a short term solution they have used existing players to fill the gap while they wait for the right man to become available.
In City’s case the right (or left) man was signed in the shape of Benjamin Mendy, but the Frenchman suffered a long-term injury shortly after arriving at the club. Rather than go back into the market unnecessarily, they used the versatility of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabian Delph, and Danilo to cover the position.
Liverpool solved their left-back problem by using the ever-reliable James Milner in the role before Alberto Moreno’s revival and the emergence of moneyball signing Andy Robertson in 2017.
But while the money flows freely from the Etihad coffers, Liverpool have had to implement a long-term plan under their owners FSG, which is now bearing fruit and allowing them to compete in the upper echelons of the transfer market.
Virgil van Dijk, Naby Keita, and Alisson are the three standout signings from the top tier, but just below that equally important players such as Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino have also arrived, devloping into top tier players themselves. This trio have formed an attack which is among the best in the world, and the Brazilian was an early example of this approach pre-Klopp.
Liverpool have enjoyed one of their most successful transfer windows in recent years. Brazilian midfielder Fabinho arrived with minimal fuss before the World Cup, while Xherdan Shaqiri was signed for a bargain £13.5 million fee from relegated Stoke City.
Keita finally moved to Anfield from RB Leipzig after a protracted transfer saga which, like the signing of Virgil van Dijk, is technically part of last summer’s business.
But just when it looked like the club had finally found their replacement for Coutinho, the transfer for Nabil Fekir hit a snag during the medical and has not been revisited since. It’s here that Liverpool still look a player short.
They could do with someone who offers something different to the attacking drive and dribbling skill of Mane, Salah, and Shaqiri, in order to break down the low blocks they will inevitably face again in the Premier League this season.
Mane has been handed the No 10 shirt for the upcoming campaign, and though he had taken up some of the creative responsibility post-Coutinho by dropping slightly infield from his position on the left, this change of shirt number doesn’t necessarily mean he will begin to play a different position.
Though these players have a wide range of skills, none of them are really known as expert creators to the levels of Coutinho, Fekir, or someone like David Silva or Kevin De Bruyne at City, and Mesut Ozil at Arsenal.
Then there is also the centre back issue. Van Dijk arrived to solve half of the problem, but there is still a feeling that the right side of the pairing is still either prone to errors, in the case of Dejan Lovren, or, in Joel Matip's case, not reliable or durable enough.
In order to compete for the Premier League title Liverpool may still be one or two players short. It may seem overly picky to suggest this after the window they have had so far, where they have broken the transfer record for a goalkeeper, but hough they have some key pieces of the puzzle in place, gaps remain.
This is often where Klopp comes into his own. He uses the dressing room atmosphere created by his own personality, and through the personalities of the players they’ve carefully targeted in the transfer market. This helps them perform feats like last season’s Champions League run.
There are still a couple of weeks or so before August 9th, when the transfer window closes, and Liverpool have plenty of players lined up to leave, but will there be more new arrivals?
