Premier League 2018/19: Top 6 preview, transfer rating and predictions

Liverpool

Liverpool fans have big expectations for the coming season

Last Season: 4th

Players In: Alisson (Roma, €62.5 million), Naby Keïta (RB Leipzig, €60 million), Fabinho (Monaco, €45 million), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City, €14.7 million)

Players Out: Danny Ward (Leicester City, €14 million), Jon Flanagan (Rangers, free transfer), Emre Can (Juventus, free transfer), Danny Ings (Southampton, loan), Ben Woodburn (Sheffield United, loan)

Transfer Rating: 8/10

Preview

Despite receiving huge praise for their style of play, Liverpool only managed a fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season. They finished two points behind Spurs and a whopping 25 points behind champions, Manchester City.

If this is to finally be their year, Liverpool will need to vastly improve their consistency against the so-called lesser teams. The Reds dropped far too many points against bottom half opposition last time out and surprisingly won only two games against other top six sides.

Klopp's "rock and roll" football is extremely tiring for his players and Liverpool are in danger of fading badly when the fixture list becomes congested around Christmas. In addition, an injury to a key player such as Mo Salah or Virgil Van Dijk could leave Liverpool exposed and severely hamper their quality.

Klopp did extremely well in the transfer window, completing his business quickly. While he spent the most of any Premier League manager, he acquired targets in weak positions that will certainly enhance the quality of his starting lineup.

However, it is beyond the first XI that should worry Liverpool fans. The squad lacks real depth and it feels like they are still far from being capable of maintaining consistency over a long season.

We will undoubtedly witness great football again at Anfield this season, but a sustained title challenge is unlikely for the Reds. Instead, good cup runs both domestically and again in Europe seems like the best opportunity for success on Merseyside this season.

Prediction: 3rd

Next up, Tottenham Hotspur.