It's been something of a rocky start to the Premier League for Liverpool, but they may have ignited their season with their dramatic comeback win at St. James' Park on Sunday afternoon.
A lethal Darwin Nunez double off the bench was crucial, as 10-man Liverpool fought back from 1-0 down to win at Newcastle, who finished ahead of them in last season's table.
Question marks still hang over the team, however, with a lack of depth in midfield a glaring issue. Wataru Endo has been signed to fill the gap left by Fabinho and Jordan Henderson at the base of midfield, and the arrival of Alexis Mac Allister adds a new dynamic going forward, but there is little in the way of reinforcement off the bench.
Though Liverpool look mighty going forward, with the combined efforts of Mo Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, and Nunez, there are some doubts over the future of Salah, and their defensive performances have been mixed thus far.
Speaking to Ladbrokes Fanzone this week, former Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland predicted a poor finish for Liverpol this season, saying that he feels the unrest at the club will prevent a Champions League charge.
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Stephen Ireland predicts a poor season for Liverpool
Stephen Ireland exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone this week that he sees Liverpool finishing outside of the automatic European qualification spots, and fears that the unrest and lack of investment at the club will hold them back once again after their disappointing campaign last time out:
I've got Man City down to win the title. Then I think Arsenal will finish just behind them, followed by Chelsea. And then I think I'd put Man United in the top four with them - even though I don't think they're especially great right now. Then I'd probably go with Newcastle in fifth, and Spurs in sixth. That's how I see the top six looking, then maybe Liverpool in seventh. I just think they're terrible at the moment.
I just can't see anything more than seventh or eighth for them; I just don't see them being that strong this season. I feel like there's a lot of negativity in the club right now. The manager looks a bit beat up, as if this has become a harder job than he would've wanted it to be.
Liverpool need to spend a lot more money; it doesn't feel like he's actually got that many players to pick from, anymore. All of their best players have either gone or are going. Letting people like Sadio Mane go, at the time, probably wasn't the best decision from the club. I'm not expecting anything special from Liverpool this season.
I've no doubt the manager is really, really frustrated, especially when you look at how close Jude Bellingham was to joining in the summer. Now it's like they're clutching at straws with the players they're bringing in, and they just don't look good to me. The only thing they've got going for them at the moment is that they can kick on from that comeback win against Newcastle last weekend, and maybe that will see them through the next few weeks, but over the course of the season, things just don't look good, in my opinion.
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Though their performances may have left something to be desired thus far, Liverpool do have a more favourable run of fixtures approaching in which to up their game.
After challenging away tasks against Chelsea and Newcastle, Liverpool now face a run of games which takes in more favourable games against Aston Villa and Wolves. Jurgen Klopp will hope to have his team up to speed, if talk of a title charge is to begin once again.
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