After an underwhelming start to the 2022/23 Premier League season, Liverpool will be hoping they can get their campaign back on track.
Three losses and one draw in the last four Premier League games has seen Liverpool drop to 10th in the Premier League table and 11 points behind the Champions League places. In that time, the Reds have scored just once and conceded nine goals.
So, against that backdrop, fans were left frustrated that Cody Gakpo was the only arrival during the January transfer window. But, with plenty of players like Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk set to return from injury, the situation could potentially improve in the coming weeks.
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So, could Liverpool rediscover their best form in the second half of the season? Let's take a look.
We simulated the remainder of Liverpool's 2022/23 Premier League season
We used the Football Manager 2023 editor to update all teams, managers and playing squads of all Premier League outfits, while also using the Football Manager 2023 editor to replicate the current Premier League table as it is in real life. We then simulated from February 9 until the end of the season in-game.
Liverpool continued to struggle in the Premier League, failing to find consistency over the course of the campaign with their biggest winning streak standing at just two triumphs in a row. In their final 18 games of the season, the Reds picked up 28 points, tallying 57 points in total for the campaign and finishing eighth in the table.
Their eighth-placed finish meant that the Reds missed out on any European football for the following season, an outcome that could massively impact how they go about their business in the summer transfer window. Another big issue was how fragile Jurgen Klopp's men were defensively, conceding 22 more goals and conceding more goals than any team in the top 10.
Interestingly, Liverpool managed to beat Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, but it was their clashes against teams below them that caused problems. Defeats away from home against Bournemouth, Leeds United, Crystal Palace and West Ham United meant the Reds ended the season with the fourth-worst away record in the league, with most of their points being earned at Anfield.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2023 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is how the best Reds XI looked in 2022/23 according to FM23.
Full Liverpool best XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Henderson, Elliott, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Jota.
Jota made the Liverpool best XI from the 2022/23 season, with the forward a standout on his return from injury, while Diaz struggled to stay fit. Harvey Elliott and Jordan Henderson joined Thiago in midfield, while Konate and Van Dijk were the chosen duo at centre-back, despite the latter picking up three more injuries in the second half of the season.
The Reds managed to beat Real Madrid in their Champions League round-of-16 clash, with their 2-0 win at Anfield enough to advance, despite losing 1-0 in Spain. Klopp's side were drawn against Inter Milan in the quarter-finals, but two disappointing performances saw them lose 3-1 over the two legs.
Overall, FM23 predicts that Liverpool could continue to struggle in the second half of the season, with the Reds finishing eighth in the Premier League table. Not only would an eighth-place finish mean no European football for the first time since the 2016/17 season, but it could massively hinder the club's incomings in the summer transfer window, with players like Jude Bellingham almost guaranteed to want Champions League football.
How do you think Liverpool will perform in the second half of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign? Let us know in the comments below!
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