For much of Jurgen Klopp’s reign, Liverpool have been seen as a force of sensibility and inevitability.
They challenged for the Premier League in three of the last four seasons. They clawed themselves back from the brink in the other.
But this was a year too far for the Reds. Their fast-and-loose style caught up with them and they have paid a hefty price – Thursday night football for the 2023/24 season.
Here’s 90min’s review of an up-and-down (mostly down) season for Liverpool.
Outlook heading into the 2022/23 season
Liverpool literally left everything on the pitch in 2021/22, playing every game possible.
They took home two domestic cups but fell narrowly short of Premier League and Champions League glory. The only way for the Reds to have been more successful this time around would have been to simply win two more games.
Sadio Mane ended his six-year stay at Anfield and was effectively replaced by the in-demand Darwin Nunez, seen as the counter to new Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Liverpool 2022/23 transfers in
| Date | Player | Signed from | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2022 | Darwin Nunez | Benfica | £86m |
| 1 July 2022 | Calvin Ramsay | Aberdeen | £6.5m |
| 1 July 2022 | Fabio Carvalho | Fulham | £7.7m |
| 1 September 2022 | Arthur | Juventus | Loan |
| 1 January 2023 | Cody Gakpo | Liverpool | £40m |
Liverpool 2022/23 transfers out
| Date | Player | Sold to | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 2022 | Loris Karius | Newcastle | Free |
| 30 June 2022 | Divock Origi | Milan | Free |
| 30 June 2022 | Sheyi Ojo | Cardiff | Free |
| 30 June 2022 | Ben Woodburn | Preston | Free |
| 1 July 2022 | Sadio Mane | Bayern Munich | £27.5m |
| 1 July 2022 | Takumi Minamino | Monaco | £13m |
| 1 July 2022 | Conor Bradley | Bolton | Loan |
| 11 July 2022 | Neco Williams | Nottingham Forest | £16m |
| 19 July 2022 | Ben Davies | Rangers | £3m |
| 19 July 2022 | Rhys Williams | Blackpool | Loan |
| 1 August 2022 | Tyler Morton | Blackburn | Loan |
| 30 August 2022 | Sepp van den Berg | Schalke | Loan |
Liverpool 2022/23 player of the season
Mohamed Salah
Salah remained consistent / MB Media/GettyImages
Liverpool may not have been at their rock-and-roll best this year, but Mohamed Salah more than played his part.
Suggestions that he would coast after penning a new and lucrative contract last summer fell flat, with the Egyptian King ending the season with 30 goals and 16 assists in 51 games across all competitions.
With Mane out the door, Salah had to get used to playing with new two co-stars in Nunez and Cody Gakpo, eventually ending the season finding some rhythm with the Dutchman.
Honourable mentions: Alisson, Andy Robertson