Lucas I presume as well will be used as a makeshift centre back.

Carragher thinks Liverpool will finish in the top four, citing the lack of European football as an advantage to us and Chelsea.


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I think he's put that in order, too.

1) Man City
2) Man United
3) Chelsea
4) Liverpool

I think that's fair. I'd take it, and I actually think we could do it if we can keep certain players fit. Losing Mané to the ACoN will be a blow. Maybe we'll sign someone in January to soften the blow.

No way am I gonna fall into the trap of predicting arsenal not making the top 4.

It is hard to think of such a thing, but if we do get into top four then obviously it'll be either them or Spurs making way, assuming Chelsea don't make it as well.

If it was just Liverpool (or Chelsea), then I'd guess Spurs missing out, Arsenal and Wenger's experience of finishing in the top four being the key advantage.

If Chelsea and us don't make top 4 this season, with neither of us having Europe to contend with, then it means we are either sick or just rubbish. Somehow I don't see either of us being out of the running, playing in Europe , especially the Europa Cup is draining as hell, as we found out last season. Depends how far into the European competitions they all go I guess.

I do agree that City should be favourites to win, the next 3 spots are any combination from the rest, most teams have made huge strides in buying this summer, so anything goes!

Just seen this on FB:

According to @newbalance shirt sales for Klavan have surpassed £50m in the last week.

£50m worth of Ragnar the Red shirts.

That's New Balance, of course, not Liverpool. I don't know what percentage the club actually makes from the shirt sales but it obviously won't be £50m worth. Apparently Man United/Adidas made £190m from Pogba shirt sales since he signed but they won't be seeing £190m of that.

I think part of the myth about shirt sales paying for transfers comes from people not realising just how much these shirt sponsors make from this stuff and why they do it.

Still, an impressive figure for someone who was bought as a fourth-choice CB.

Yeah I can't see both of us missing out on the top four after the improvements both of us have made, as well as the managers we have. Having no European football can be a real help, too. Reduces injury risk and gives Klopp more time with his team to implement his ideas. With all the players that have left we'll have a smaller squad, which would be easier to manage. It helped us in 13/14.

The main worry is if we become overly-reliant on Mané. He's been a real difference already. We missed him against Burnley. We'll miss him when he goes away in January, and if he's not careful we'll miss him through suspension. Hopefully he won't inherit Suárez's habit of picking up big suspensions, but if he wants to inherit his lack of injuries he's more than welcome to.

Making huge strides in buying doesn't guarantee success in a new season but certainly helps in terms of squad depth. The lack of European football should help us as the season progresses, 10 PL games into a season is usually a good barometer of how the table might look in May.
As for finishing in the CL places, I'd say that contrary to popular hype it'll be a City and Chelsea top two at the end of the season. No Europe is even more of an advantage to Chelsea with their spending power than it is to us.Conte also looks a good solidifier of their squad and is a very astute tactician. I'm still not convinced Mourinho will avoid a meltdown or ego clash with some of his bigger name players at Utd.

Until City, Chelsea cod United start playing big hitters, I'm not predicting anything although City look the most cohesive and slick side so far. Encouraged by our start in terms of the dominance we've enjoying away from home - hoping results will follow as the season and team progresses.

Arsenal's best eleven can still beat most teams on their day so I'm not counting them out. Chelsea are a bit reliant on Hazard at the moment so their season may hinge on his fitness/form.

I agree with Carragher that we've got a chance to get top 4 - especially without the tough schedule of others. We probably need two of Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal to fall short.

Reckon our neighbours will surprise a few - impressed with their transformation (new players and style) under their new manager. And that's before Lukaku hits any kind of form.

Absolutely, I too am pretty impressed with what they have been getting busy doing, they could have quite a few shocks for opposing teams this season, and good luck to them. Only down side is that they lost out in the final hour to Spurs - we know too well how that feels don't we!? Yep, hope they do well, but stay under us obviously!

They should be more annoyed at the way Sissoko cowardly handled the situation than being disappointed at missing out on spending £30m for a player that went missing last season when his club was getting relegated and only turned up at the Euros. His attitude stinks. Doesn't seem the type you want around when things are getting tough and you go through a bad patch. There's no doubting his quality but we've seen with Balotelli what someone's abilities or supposed qualities mean when their attitude isn't right.

Only just noticed that our old boy Arbeloa is at West Ham. Has covered both full back sides in his career, at 33 I definitely would've offered him a deal.

Before the season, and before all transfers were completed, I had predicted:

1. City
2. Arsenal
3. United
4. Chelsea.

Now that everything's all done transfer-wise, I'd probably stick with it, although perhaps switching United and Arsenal.

City are still my overwhelming favourites, and I genuinely think that you guys have a real challenge on, making the top 4. Of course, no Europe should work in your favour, but it's a big ask, I reckon.

Out of interest why do you think City will win the league over say us? It will be a tight one to call especially at this very early stage.

The top four teams might very well be those that you mention, although I do think Spurs should not be written off just yet, they have added some good players to what was already a strong looking side from last season (and I am sure that Kane will start scoring again sooner rather than later).

Liverpool have added some very good players, Mane especially looks like he has already settled in well.

The benefits of no European football will help them and Chelsea, so it is going to be one heck of a competitive season no matter how or which way you try to look at it!

This is the Liverpool thread. I'm not getting into the merits/flaws of City and United.

I was responding to Jamie Carragher's prediction, and gave my view on Liverpool's challenge for the top 4.

Fair enough, I was only asking you on your opinions on the top four situation, and why you thought City might win the league in that case, (so sticking to the topic at hand).

No matter what it is going to be an exciting and tough season to predict such is the talent available to most if not all of the Premier League clubs.

Are you going to say this every single time someone dares to put Man City above Man United in a prediction? Pretty much every time someone has done it you've asked this same question. People don't have to justify not putting Man United in first to you every time they make a prediction. In this thread in particular no one needs to justify not saying Man United will win the league.

It was more of a discussion on who will finish in the top four, and who will make way, not who will win the league, unless someone here thinks Liverpool will win it. Don't need to derail the Liverpool topic with people repeating what has been said every other time you have asked why someone has put Man City in first rather than Man United.

For the record, I, too, think Man City will win the league, and Man United will finish second. Like Jim, I thought that before the transfers, and now. In fact my change of opinion is similar to Jim's. Man United have moved up the table for me, but as of now I still have Man City as favourites.

Obviously I don't at all expect any Liverpool fans to put Man United top of any predictions, no matter the situation at hand, that is club rivalry, and that is fair enough, if the situations were swapped around, then it would be hard for any United fans to put Liverpool top I would imagine.

It is fair enough to put whomever at the top of any predictions, and to be honest there is not that much between Man United, City, Chelsea, and perhaps even Spurs and Arsenal.
There are plenty of clubs yourselves included who will be pushing very hard for one of those top four places.

I wouldn't have anyone as outright favourites, such is the closeness of the top teams, it could come down to a single point or two come the end of the season, and I have no idea who will prevail, I would of course love for it to be us, but I am not going to go quite out on that limb just yet.

It's nothing to do with rivalry. If I thought Man United would win the league I'd say it quite easily if I genuinely thought it. If it was down to club bias or rivalry we'd just be putting Liverpool at the top, and might not even be putting Man United in the top four at all.

What I'm saying is every single time someone has predicted or suggested Man City finish first, rather than Man United, you're always there asking why, like they have to justify their opinion to you, and it's always when someone puts Man City in first, rather than Man United. The Man City/Man United battle for top two wasn't really what was being discussed, but if someone mentions it, they don't need to justify not predicting Man United to win the league, especially in the Liverpool thread, even if they aren't Liverpool fans.

Rivalry doesn't come into it, but with it being the Liverpool thread then we have even less of a reason for having to justify our predictions if they don't have Man United winning the league.

The difficulty of predicting, or admitting, that a rival like Man United would win the league, ceased to exist when I was about 11. If Pellegrini was still in charge I'd have predicted Man United to win it. Give it a month and I might predict they'll win it.

I also predict you'll claim that you don't expect people to justify their predictions, or that you don't always require explanations whenever people put City as favourites, but you do. Even before the season started, every time someone says Man City will win the league, or will finish higher than Man United, you've done it.

Sorry for my inquiries, I didn't mean to cause any upset at all, especially not in another clubs thread, I was just curious, and I suppose I know where curiosity got the cat so to speak!

If anyone wants to put whomever top, that is their right, and I have no issue with that, it is that close a season that you or anyone could probably put one of about seven or maybe eight teams at the top, and it might prove to be the correct decision come the end of the season.

I think that you could still be in with a very good shout of a top four place, as Klopp will have you very well drilled on your extra days when your rivals will be playing European football, so that will very much be in your favour.

Lots of clubs will be happy with how the window went for them, and I can imagine that will include yourselves.

Agreed - it's not just Liverpool or City fans putting City as favourites. It's primarily bated on what people see with their own eyes. If United start adding more pace, tempo and drive to their play and continue to be hard to get at then opinions may change. In my opinion, the team that ended the game against Hull was more mobile and threatening than the one that started it and that's the quandary the manager has.

But I suggest this discussion continues elsewhere - these are a few top 4/prediction threads somewhere.

At the end of last season. I fancied you guys as potential champions. I'm no so keen now.
As with many others, I'd put Man City as favourites and then probably Chelsea.

I think Klopp will get you in to the top four with no big injuries. And I backed Everton to win it and for a place.

When we were sponsored by Nike they actually owned the Megastore so we got sod all. The new deal with Adidas means we've taken it back and get some sort of profit.

Well FSG are smart businessmen, I imagine they'll get a decent cut from shirt sales with New Balance. Don't know how much of that £50m we'll see, but it won't be anywhere nearly as impressive if we saw where that money goes.


In other news, Sakho has been included in the Premier League squad.

50% of your posts are apologising for the other 50%.

Not just here but in other threads. You regularly get hammered in your own club's thread, (the Manchester United Supporters thread) and in other threads too.

Why don't you think before you post, especially in this "Liverpool Supporters Thread"?

No one should object to non LFC fans posting here provided they do it in a reasonable manner. Other Man United fans post in here sensibly and their posts are welcome. Learn from them please.