Liverpool 2023/24 Premier League Season Review

Liverpool, in their last season under German manager Jürgen Klopp, achieved their initial pre-season goal of qualifying for the Champions League once again.

Despite there being talk of a quadruple as late as March, the Reds ended this season with only an EFL Cup triumph to send Klopp off. They exited the Europa League at the quarter-final stage, same as the FA Cup, while securing a 3rd place finish in the EPL.

So how good or bad was this term for Liverpool? And what are the biggest talking points? Continue reading our Liverpool season review to find out.

Individual Performances

There were a couple of Liverpool players who performed at the highest of standards this season, and could consider themselves unlucky to finish 2023/24 with only one trophy.

Virgil van Dijk, the Reds’ captain after Jordan Henderson’s exit last summer, was back to his almost flawless best this season, leading the division for aerial duel success (81.4%). Perhaps the biggest compliment we can pay the Dutch defender is that, just like at his peak a few seasons ago, he was back to making a better player out of anyone playing alongside him.

We truly believe that Jarell Quansah would not have had as good of a season if he was not playing next to van Dijk. The young Englishman took advantage of a serious Joel Matip injury to make 17 EPL appearances for Liverpool this season, also contributing 2 goals to the cause.

And the same can be said about Conor Bradley, who emerged as a legitimate starting option this season. This might come in handy if Arne Slot decides to move Alexander-Arnold to the midfield on a permanent basis.

Alexis Mac Allister was another outstanding performer for Liverpool in 2023/24. Having played as a defensive midfielder in the beginning of the season, once Wataru Endo was trusted more as the ‘number 6’, Mac Allister was moved further forward and started influencing games in the same manner as he did for Brighton. His goal against Fulham is one of the nominees for Premier League’s Goal of the Season award, and we think it’s totally justified.

Top goalscorer Mohamed Salah also deserves a shoutout here, notching 25 in all competitions in a season where he has also struggled with injuries.

Manager’s Influence

Let’s face it: Klopp will always be loved by the red half of Merseyside. He is already spoken about in the same manner as Bill Shankly, the legendary Scot who revived Liverpool’s fortunes in the 1960s.

Liverpool had undergone a midfield reconstruction last summer, bringing in Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

Jürgen Klopp’s announcement back in January that he will be leaving the club in the summer took everyone by surprise, but he always maintained that it is business as usual. And it all worked quite well until about mid-March, when they were eliminated from the FA Cup and Europa League in quick succession, while also suffering a dip in form in the EPL.

They were one of the more entertaining sides in the division this season, being involved in a number of high-scoring games such as the home game against Fulham (4-3) and the away match at Villa Park (3-3). Plenty of their performances saw them score plenty and concede a lot as well, reminiscent of the early stages of Klopp’s reign and his ‘heavy-metal football’.

However, the German will probably be happy about the work he has done during the almost 9 years he has spent on Merseyside, knowing that he has left the club in a better place than he found it.

Looking Ahead

As Klopp leaves and Slot replaces him, the season ends with a feeling of ‘what could have been’, but Liverpool fans will certainly be happy about returning to the UCL and hopeful about the future.

With plenty of transfer rumours swirling around involving the Reds, they will be looking to make a couple of smart additions to help Slot hit the ground running in the Premier League.