The first half of the season has gone well for Liverpool overall. There are still things to improve for Jürgen Klopp’s men but having undergone so much summer change — bringing in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endō and Ryan Gravenberch — it has been a good period on the whole.
Liverpool has been one of the favorites for the Europa League since it failed to qualify for the Champions League. That remains the case and it was a positive that it managed to avoid the extra play-off round by finishing top of the group.
In the FA Cup, Liverpool will face Arsenal at the Emirates early in 2024. The only advantage to getting the hardest draw possible (aside from getting Manchester City) was that if the Reds knock Mikel Arteta’s side out, they will have removed another favorite.
Premier League-wise, Arsenal remains ahead after that 1-1 draw at Anfield on Saturday. But Liverpool is right in the mix and primed to be a proper part of the race again all the way to the end — unless injuries derail things.
Here, Liverpool.com has taken a look at a few things that would be realistic before the end of the campaign. Klopp’s side is in a good position but now needs to find some consistency and take advantage.
Trent Alexander-Arnold contract confirmed
In an ideal world, Liverpool will get Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah signed up to new contracts in 2024. Alexander-Arnold feels like the easiest of those to sort out given he is much younger and clearly a massive part of the future at Anfield.
Salah and Van Dijk should both follow, though. The Egyptian remains Liverpool’s most important forward by a distance and the Liverpool captain is still the best defender in the world. Aside from Alisson Becker, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah are the cornerstones of the Liverpool squad.
Premier League title race
If the Arsenal game showed anything, it is that Liverpool is are definitely in the Premier League title race. Klopp’s men have put themselves into a good position — a much better one than most would have anticipated at this point in the development of Liverpool 2.0.
Manchester City will go on a run at some point but there is a gap to Pep Guardiola’s men. Get some consistency and Liverpool could finish ahead of them, and the Reds have already proven they can match Arsenal stride for stride.
Virgil van Dijk’s first trophy
Jordan Henderson lifted so many trophies in a short space of time at Liverpool that he ended up coining a special celebration as the latest piece of silverware was held aloft. The Hendo shuffle was a staple for a while, but no more.
Van Dijk is the Liverpool captain these days after Henderson departed during the summer and the Dutchman is yet to get the chance to be the center of the Reds’ celebrations. There is a good chance of that ending before the campaign is out.
As mentioned previously, Liverpool is the favorite to win the Europa League and should be eyeing up the final, while the other competitions are there for the taking as well. Van Dijk will hopefully not have long to wait until his first trophy lift and the Carabao Cup is a real opportunity.
