In a recent edition of his blog show Three Up Front, soccer pundit Souness shared his insights on Liverpool Football Club and its current manager, Jürgen Klopp, and laid out his expectations for the team's performance this season.
Souness began by reviewing Klopp's coaching achievements at Liverpool, particularly the team's third-place finish in the Premier League last season. He acknowledged Klopp's outstanding ability as a coach, believing that he was able to maximize the potential of his players, but also expressed regret that the team was unable to go further to win the title. Souness noted that despite Klopp's widely praised coaching ability, last season's third-place finish did not seem to fully reflect the team's strength and potential.
For the new season, Souness expressed his expectations from the new Liverpool manager. He believes that if Klopp is unable to win the title with his current squad, then the team needs to show a better result than third place in the new season. Souness also mentioned that as the season progresses, Klopp needs to address the team's lack of full effort at key moments to ensure that the team remains competitive in the highly competitive Premier League.
Speaking about the team's goals, Souness believes that finishing in the top four is the minimum requirement for Liverpool this season, while the higher pursuit is to do well in the Champions League and reach the semi-finals. In particular, he praised Klopp's (or the presumed new coach's) decision-making ability during games, such as the decision to replace Kwaanza at halftime against Ipswich, as a wise adjustment based on the situation on the pitch.
Souness also emphasized the challenges facing Liverpool in the new season, including how to remain competitive in the Premier League and how to make a breakthrough in the Champions League. Despite the difficulties, he recognized Liverpool's opening match performance, saying that the team showed due strength and tactical skills against promoted Ipswich.
