The new season starts on Saturday. What are your expectations for Liverpool as things stand?
The expectation for any top side should be to win the title. There’s no greater feat in the English game and I think looking back in a decade’s time, if this squad were only able to win the one league title, you would be scratching your head as to why.
It has everything a top side needs and even now, despite the obscene spending by Liverpool’s rivals, the Reds’ first XI is arguably superior to any other in the division. The only thing that stands in the club’s way is injuries.
Are you happy with the transfer business Liverpool have done so far? If not, what else do they need?
I think anyone connected with Liverpool who says they’re happy with the transfer business this summer is kidding themselves.
Ibrahima Konate was a good signing and fits the age profile perfectly. But I think the club needed to recruit a back-up right back, a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum and a striker who can compete for the starting XI.
Time will tell but as I mentioned before, the only thing that I feel stands in Liverpool’s way of league title number 20 is injuries.
Better squad depth would help massively, even more so when you consider the club will be losing Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah for a chunk of the season due to the AFCON.
Chelsea, Man City and Man United have all improved. Does that worry you at all?
Truth be told, no. Maybe I’m thinking with my crazy, biased Liverpool cap on, but I don’t think Man City have improved.
In my eyes, Bernardo Silva is a better, more effective football than Jack Grealish.
The ex-Villa man gets all the hype on social media because he’s the golden child of English football at the minute but when you take a step back and compare the two players, I think Bernardo Silva is a better talent.
Manchester United have strengthened but they will never win a league title with a midfield of Fred, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba. There’s no balance there whatsoever and I think deep down, Man Utd fans know that as well.
Chelsea are a funny one because they come in to the season as European Champions and have just re-signed Romelu Lukaku. Despite that, their biggest hurdle will be putting in a consistent run of results.
They play brilliant football at times, but they remind me so much of the Liverpool of old.
They always seem to win the big games like the Champions League final against Man City, but when it comes to league matches (like Aston Villa away a week before the final) they get played off the park.
Who was your one 'winner' and one 'loser' of pre-season?
I thought Kostas Tsimikas was excellent in pre-season and has shown himself to be more than a capable understudy to Andy Robertson at left-back.
Norwich will be a big test for him, but his Liverpool career has started pretty similar to the Scot in that it took him a while to adapt to the tactics but after a period of time, now seems to be flying when given a chance to impress.
I think ‘loser’ is harsh, but I don’t think Divock Origi has shown anything extra to get fans thinking he has turned a page in his Liverpool career.
He’s been dining on the success of Barcelona and Spurs in the Champions League for a while now and patience is starting to wear thin.
It’s a crazy situation because I genuinely believe if he was given the backing by a club like Wolves for example, he could go on to score 10-15 goals a season.
It just seems like he doesn’t fully suit the Liverpool system, and it may be time to part ways before people start to remember him for being inconsistent rather than his heroics of the Champions League run-in.
What would your starting XI be for Norwich City?
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Matip, Tsimikas, Fabinho, Keita, Elliot, Mane, Salah, Jota.
I think Harvey Elliott is a tremendously good footballer and he’s proving age is merely a number.
His performances have been breathtaking at times during his Liverpool career and considering the fitness of Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara, he could well get given a big chance to start at Carrow Road on Saturday evening.
