Fansided

Preseason Premier League interesting rankings

By Michael Harshbarger

HOUSTON, TX - JULY 20: Paul Pogba of Manchester United during the International Champions Cup 2017 match between Manchester United and Manchester City at NRG Stadium on July 20, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - JULY 20: Paul Pogba of Manchester United during the International Champions Cup 2017 match between Manchester United and Manchester City at NRG Stadium on July 20, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) /
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BERLIN, GERMANY – JULY 29: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool FC runs with the ball during the Preseason Friendly match between Hertha BSC and FC Liverpool at Olympiastadion on July 29, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY – JULY 29: Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool FC runs with the ball during the Preseason Friendly match between Hertha BSC and FC Liverpool at Olympiastadion on July 29, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images) /

2. Liverpool

More like “You’ll never win a title again” am I right? Just kidding.

But seriously, Liverpool haven’t won a league title since 1990, which was before the Premier League was even created. The Reds were a dominant force in English soccer in the ’70s and ’80s, winning 11 First Division titles in 17 years (they have 18 league trophies overall). And then they just stopped winning.

This yearly attempt at getting the monkey of their back ensures Liverpool are always interesting. An in-his-prime Steven Gerrard made them must-watch in the past. But Stevie G has been gone since 2015. Lucky for Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp arrived from Borussia Dortmund the following year. It’s very hard to be uninteresting with the charismatic German as your manager. During his first news conference as Liverpool head coach he referred to himself as “The Normal One” positioning himself as a kind of anti-Jose Mourinho.

After leading the Reds to a sixth-place finish during his first season in charge, he guided his squad back to a top-four spot — only their second time in the last eight years — last season. Has Klopp steadied Liverpool enough to make a title run? It depends who you ask.

The Reds have whiffed on their two biggest transfer targets so far this summer. They cut off their chase of Southamton’s Virgil van Dijk after reports alleged that Klopp had illegally met with the defender, though may now be close to signing him. Maybe. It’s hard to tell. RB Leipzig straight up told Liverpool no, multiple times, when they inquired about buying midfielder Naby Keita. Bummer.

Liverpool did manage to buy attacking mid Mohamed Salah from Roma for £34 million. And they have a solid roster already in place. There’s the dual dynamos in midfield, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana; the leadership and consistency of James Milner and Jordan Henderson; and the quality and potential up top of Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. A breakout season from Belgian striker Divock Origi would be a big boost.