Is our squad stronger or weaker than last year?

What do you think?

  • Total voters
    736
Cricket Blue said:
For me definitely weaker.
We've lost some excellent players, we've signed arguably the world best forward but he may take time to adapt.
We've not yet signed a left back and the squad is very thin.
I think we're in for a transition season.
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Sounds like something posted last summer when we didn’t get kane.
 
I think we’ll start the season with a weaker squad than last year, but will finish with a stronger one.

We’ve lost a lot of experience but the new players will bed in. The January transfer window could be more interesting than usual, with players possibly more receptive to a move after the World Cup is out of the way.
 
Not signing a left back specialist before letting Zin go was a mistake. I know we have Cancelo and Ake who can play there but we should really have had someone finalised first.

We’ve sold players with proven PL and CL experience.

The new players will need time to gel and Grealish needs to step up this season.

Having said that we still have an amazing squad and will be the team to beat in both of those competitions.
 
My opinion is that we should be measuring the squad not against last season but the one before. With the previous campaign having ended ridiculously late owing to Covid, it was a very demanding fixture list in 2020/21, and we were clearly superior to our rivals in terms of quality in depth, which allowed us to win the league fairly comfortably in that campaign.

In 2021/22, we'd lost Garcia, Mendy and Aguero before August was out, and while one can argue that the former didn't need replacing, we did have to go through the campaign without a specialist left-back and a striker. We also released Torres, who was injured in the first international break and was sold as soon as the transfer window opened without having played again.

So last season, we certainly had less depth than previously, even if Mendy had been of dubious quality and Aguero had played little owing to injury. Indeed, for the first time Liverpool arguably surpassed us in this department. I assumed that, in strengthening up front (as we did weeks ago) and presumably adding a left-back, we'd rectify this to a large degree. However, it seems not.

We've swapped one reserve 'keeper for another, seen Jesus and Sterling leave as Alvarez and Haaland arrive, while Phillips comes in for Fernandinho. A new left-back will simply take Zinchenko's squad place. Yes, we have Cole Palmer making his way now but he has less than 500 minutes of experience in the CL and PL, while the other youth hope who was touted as possibly earning minutes this season, James McAtee, has been loaned out.

This coming season will be incredibly compressed and squad depth is more essential than ever. The mid-season World Cup will be a severe disruption for players and two-thirds of our squad (the lads playing for England, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland and Brazil) could easily reach the quarter finals and beyond. IMO, even if we do land a decent LB, the current level of squad depth could easily cost us.

I'm not moaning about this. Pep likes to work with a small squad and if he's happy to go with this set-up, then I fully back him. From numbers 1 to about 17 or 18, we have a superb group of players and I hope that will be enough to cope with the inevitable injuries and fatigue that will affect us in the coming season. but I do wish we had just a touch more depth.
 
Weaker for a year while the new lads bed in and then we'll be stronger for at least 2 more years with the ginger prince in his prime.
 
I would say overall we are weaker, at the moment. I think we have lost 2 quality players in Jesus and Sterling, (although both were entering the last year of their contracts and not prepared to sign new ones). We have retained Marez who I would of been quite happy to see leave. At the back we have 4 senior centre halfs (one already injured) and 2 full backs. I think we are only 2 or 3 injuries in the wrong places before we could be really short. There is still time for additions to be made to the squad and I think we will get a new left back at least. I hope I am wrong but at the moment I don't feel that we have the numbers for what will be an unusual season with a World Cup in the middle. It pains me to say I would have Liverpool as slight favourites for the league. After finally signing the striker we all wanted I hope we haven't depleted the supporting cast to much.
 
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Academica said:
I would say overall we are weaker, at the moment. I think we have lost 2 quality players in Jesus and Sterling, (although both were entering the last year of their contracts and not prepared to sign new ones). We have retained Marez who I would of been quite happy to see leave. At the back we have 4 senior centre halfs (one already injured) and 2 full backs. I think we are only 2 or 3 injuries in the wrong places before we could be really short. There is still time for additions to be made to the squad and I think we will get a new left back at least. I hope I am wrong but at the moment I don't feel that we have the numbers for what will be an unusual season with a World Cup in the middle. It pains me to say I would have Liverpool as slight favourites for the league. After finally signing the striker we all wanted I hope we haven't depleted the supporting cast to much.
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You do get the feeling that we are experiencing a kind of forced transition.This window should have been about replacing Ferno and finally replacing Kun and adding a full back perhaps. Instead it is turning into a mini exodus of players in their prime who apparently won't sign contract extentions. The season ahead seems a tad more daunting than it did back in April and a rocky start to the campaign won't be good for the nerves.
 
Academica said:
I would say overall we are weaker, at the moment. I think we have lost 2 quality players in Jesus and Sterling, (although both were entering the last year of their contracts and not prepared to sign new ones). We have retained Marez who I would of been quite happy to see leave. At the back we have 4 senior centre halfs (one already injured) and 2 full backs. I think we are only 2 or 3 injuries in the wrong places before we could be really short. There is still time for additions to be made to the squad and I think we will get a new left back at least. I hope I am wrong but at the moment I don't feel that we have the numbers for what will be an unusual season with a World Cup in the middle. It pains me to say I would have Liverpool as slight favourites for the league. After finally signing the striker we all wanted I hope we haven't depleted the supporting cast to much.
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Its the positions of where these players who`ve been sold play. Two wide attackers who both worked their bollocks off. Both as you say still young. Now we are forced to keep Mahrez in spite of him being 31 fortunately he is still scoring. Jack Grealish on the left doesn`t score enough as of yet, fingers cross his 2nd year he will score more. Absolutely agree with your assessment.
 
BILLT said:
I seem to recall it was said that Chelsea looked so much stronger this time last year. !!
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Seen this comment a few times. Chelsea were stronger. They kept up with us and Liverpool in the league and then both their wing backs got injured at the same time, then the Abramovich crisis happened. They've now signed an extra wing back who can play both sides, replaced Lukaku with Sterling, and they're plugging that defence.

We will be competitive but if you think Spurs and Chelsea won't be competitive this season you're kidding yourself.
 
This is going to be a very very tight season I imagine.. Very interested to see how Liverpool progress without Mane..
 
I
doobyedoobye said:
This is going to be a very very tight season I imagine.. Very interested to see how Liverpool progress without Mane..
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Getting Salah back to his best more of a worry to them.
Plus there is going to be one season when it all goes tits up on multiple injuries throughout the season for them surely.
 
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