Liverpool's Shift in Predictions for the Season

Liverpool, once the darlings of the BBC predictors, are walking into this season with a very different aura.

Twelve months ago, 22 of 35 pundits backed them to win the title. Only three thought they would finish outside the top two. That wave of conviction has gone. This time, out of 28 predictions, only four have Liverpool ending higher than third.

The mood has shifted.

Hitzlsperger still believes

Thomas Hitzlsperger is one of the few swimming against the tide. He has Liverpool down as runners-up.

“I've gone for them to finish second because I really like the way Iraola's teams play,” he explains. It’s not just tactics for him, though. There’s a personal leaning in there too. “I am kind of biased here because I am really hoping Wirtz has the season now that people expected him to have last year.”

Style, ambition, and a breakout campaign from a key talent: that’s the route Hitzlsperger sees back towards the top.

Murphy urges patience

Danny Murphy is cooler on their prospects. He places Liverpool third and senses a club in transition rather than at full tilt.

“Liverpool might need a bit more time before they are challenging for the title again,” he says, framing this season as a step rather than a destination.

The big question for him hangs over Mohamed Salah’s legacy and how Liverpool intend to replace it. Murphy is unsure whether the club feel they have already done enough with the arrival of Victor Munoz and a potentially bigger role for Rio Ngumoha, or whether a major move is still coming.

He points directly at the possibility of a late push for Paris St-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, or a similar profile, in the final days of the window. The attack, in his eyes, is still a live discussion.

Smith backs Iraola, worries about the back line

Sue Smith pushes Liverpool down to fourth, yet she is far from dismissive of Andoni Iraola.

“I know it's a completely different level and expectation managing Liverpool and it's going be interesting to see how he does in that sort of step up,” she says. The jump from Bournemouth to Anfield is huge, but her judgment is rooted in what he has already shown. “All you can judge Iraola on is what he's done at Bournemouth and I think he's been brilliant.”

Her hesitation comes at the other end of the pitch. “Defensively is my concern, though. Especially the right-hand side.” In a league where small weaknesses are ruthlessly targeted, that doubt is enough for her to nudge Liverpool out of the top three.

From near-unanimous title favourites to a side many now place behind at least two rivals, Liverpool’s perception has altered dramatically. Iraola’s football, the Salah succession plan, and a fragile-looking defence on one flank will decide whether those four optimistic predictions look bold or prophetic by May.