Following Liverpool’s disappointing 8th place finish last season Jurgen Klopp has been anything but that when it comes to flashing the cheque book about this summer. In come proven Premier League stars such as Sadio Mane and Giorgio Wijnaldum, alongside new boys Loris Karius, Joël Matip and Ragnar Klaven, Liverpool now boast impressive squad depth. Last season was in fact the worst position and worst points total for the Merseyside outfit in the last 4 years, so it is clear Klopp wants no repeat of that this year. With that comes a small positive for all of us Fantasy Premier League fans…. No Europa League football! Woohoo! That competition has given me more fantasy football headaches than tequila and my ex-girlfriend combined! Also, let’s not forget that the last time Liverpool had a season without European football they went on to finish 2nd. Food for thought.
From an FPL perspective though Liverpool have always been an iffy proposition (since Suarez anyway) and these new additions have done nothing to help that, so choosing the following categories has not been an easy one. This is a team with question marks over the ideal starting 11 and a very tough opening set of fixtures, so their players come with a warning. My personal advice is to avoid them initially, but keep a very watchful eye over who plays where and who Klopp seems to favour.
STAR MAN – Roberto Firmino (8.5m)
This was a toss up between Firmino and Coutinho, but the stats just don’t lie. 10 goals and 8 assists in less than 2,000 minutes Firmino scored 36pts more than his Brazilian counterpart last season, but actually played 23 minutes less. Not only this but he averaged an attacking return every 109 minutes. Compare that to the following players Ozil (121), Eriksen (133), Payet (116), Coutinho (142) and Mahrez (108), you realise how affective Firmino really is. He has a full Premier League season under his belt now and if you add that to the fact he has no painful Thursday excursions to the outer parts of Cyprus or Belarus, I’m confident of a big season from the Brazilian.
HIDDEN GEM – Sheyi Oio (5.0m)
Okay, I know. This is about as hidden a gem as you will get in these previews, but this kid is a talent. I feel like this may be a season too early, but I just have a gut feeling Klopp starts to involve him a lot more. Especially as he has ruled out the opportunity of loaning him out. Last season he picked up 4 assists in just 397 minutes and has 3 assists for England so far in this summer’s U19 Euros. The one downside is the competition for places in that position, but if he delivers a couple of eye catching performances I think Klopp has enough belief to give the 19 year old winger a run.
BARGAIN OPTION – Alberto Moreno (5.0m)
Moreno was last season’s highest scoring defender for Liverpool with 104pts and was 16th across all defenders in bonus. So for all the defensive question marks he leaves, he actually delivers for us FPL gaffers. All summer Liverpool fans have been crying out for the signing of Jonas Hector but Klopp doesn’t seem interested. Add in the injury to Joe Gomez and the likely loan out of the ‘Scouse Cafu’, Jon Flanagan, the competition is very limited at full back compared to their centre back and midfield choices. There aren’t a huge amount of defenders at 5.0m crying out for my attention so he get’s the nod from me here.
If Klopp can find a settled system and get them playing like they did against City and Dortmund last season I really do have high hopes for them. A top 6 finish should be more than realistic.
Written by FPL Guru (@FPL_Guru_)
