For all of Liverpool’s immense brilliance and consistency under the stewardship of Jurgen Klopp, they’ve only managed to win one Premier League title since the German manager arrived in October 2015.
This came in the 2019/20 season, when Liverpool earned a staggering 99 points and won the league by a whopping 18 points. Incredibly, they won 26 and drew one of their 27 league games that campaign, blowing away the opposition and ultimately claiming their first title since 1990.
However, Manchester City have won four of the last five Premier League titles, and while the Reds have gone toe-to-toe with the Citizens during two of these campaigns, they’ve been unable to seriously undermine their rivals’ domestic dominance.
Of course, there’s still good value to be had if you back Liverpool to win the 2022/23 titles and bet with Betright, especially given their level of performance during the last five years. But after a stellar campaign last time around, can the Reds really end City’s dominance of the EPL?
How are Both Sides Shaping Up This Summer?
Both sides have been proactive in the summer transfer window, with City quick to complete the cut-price signing of the prolific Erling Haaland for £51 million from Borussia Dortmund.
Pep Guardiola has also replaced outgoing midfielder Fernandinho with the stylish Kalvin Phillips, who signed in a £45 million deal with Leeds United.
As for Liverpool, they’ve responded to the loss of Sadio Mane by investing an initial £64 million in forward Darwin Nunez. An additional £21 million of add-ons is included in the transfer, meaning that the deal could ultimately break Liverpool’s record.
Other signings include 19-year-old midfielder Fabio Carvalho from Fulham and right back Calvin Ramsey (18) from Aberdeen, for a combined fee of just under £10 million.
In addition to Mane leaving, the Reds have also seen forwards Takumi Minamino the legendary Divock Origi exit the club this summer.
As for City, they’ve bid farewell to both Fernandinho and forward Gabriel Jesus, while Raheem Sterling is also thought to have agreed terms with Chelsea ahead of a potential move.
Are Liverpool Well-Placed to Win the EPL Next Term?
So far this summer, Liverpool have only spent marginally less than City, with this bucking a trend that has been prevalent since Klopp and Guardiola arrived in England.
For example, Liverpool have operated with an annual net spend of around £30.2 million during Klopp’s tenure prior to this summer, whereas the corresponding number for Guardiola is more than three times higher at £96.6 million.
While this summer’s increased spend may have been inspired by the loss of Mane, Origi and Minamino, it could also be a sign that the club is moving to build on its recent success and provide a more sustained challenge to Guardiola’s City side.
The question that remains is will Liverpool’s new look forward line be as productive now that Mane has left? After all, the Senegal striker averaged a success rate of 30% when pressing during his Anfield, with this consistently higher than teammates Diego Jota, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.
He also contributed 120 goals and 38 assists in 269 appearances across all competitions, meaning that the Reds have lost a player who’s integral to how they defend and attack.
With Darwin Nunez also likely to need time to settle into Klopp’s high octane style of play (the same argument can be levied at Haaland at City, of course), we’ll have to see if the Reds can maintain their high standards during the formative part of the new season and keep pace with their rivals.
Ultimately, both Liverpool and City have undergone transitions in personnel so far this summer, but we reckon that the Reds will have their work cut out to end their rivals’ dominance in the 2022/23 season.
