Liverpool players with a point to prove in the 2023/2024 season

Liverpool is coming off the back of their worst season since Jurgen Klopp came to the club, and they have to do better in this campaign.

Last term, we watched as they made a very slow start to the season despite winning the Community Shield.

Liverpool had bagged Darwin Nunez, who we expected to compete with Erling Haaland for goals in the Premier League.

Even though they lost the likes of Sadio Mane and Divock Origi, we mostly focused on how lethal Nunez was in the previous campaign.

But with time, we knew the Reds were up to no good as they struggled to win games and continued to show they were simply on a terrible run of form.

By the end of the campaign, the Reds had discovered their midfield was the problem and made drastic changes to it.

Liverpool offloaded the likes of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho.

These players were a key member of the Liverpool side that has made supporters by LFC tickets in the last few seasons.

The club achieved so much success with them in the group, but it was time for some of them to leave, while the likes of Henderson and Fabinho could not say no to the riches of Saudi Arabia.

Liverpool has now proven to be one of the smartest teams on the continent with their summer recruitment as they have bolstered their midfield.

That area lost the most quality in their squad in the last transfer window and they have made some exciting new additions.

Jurgen Klopp is a happy man now and we can all see that Liverpool’s rebuild has just started from its attack and midfield.

This term is a key one for the club’s fans, players and everyone linked to it as they attempt to make a return to the Premier League’s top four and win some trophies.

To achieve this, their players must be in their best form and in this article, we look at some individuals who have a point to prove in this 2023/2024 term.

Joe Gomez

Gomez has been at Liverpool since 2015 and remains one of the few players Jurgen Klopp met at the club.

He had joined the summer that the German would arrive under Brendan Rodgers and made an impression on Klopp.

There have been several times when it felt like he would reach his full potential and he was one of the first names on the team sheet.

However, Gomez has always fallen short at Anfield and he is one player the club needs to have a good look at this season.

Liverpool needed to sign one new defender in the last transfer window after bolstering their midfield. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are now considered the only good-enough defenders at the club.

However, after failing to bring in a new centre-back, Liverpool are banking on Gomez to prove he is a top player.

He did well in the games against Newcastle United and Aston Villa recently and needs to maintain a high standard to stop the club from signing a new defender in the January transfer window.

Virgil van Dijk

At 32, Van Dijk is entering the final phase of his career and has to prove he still has it to remain at Anfield.

Some defenders reach old age and still maintain a high level in the game, with the likes of Sergio Ramos and Pepe having proven that age is just a number if you can take good care of yourself and continue to do well.

VVD has been one of the world’s best and remains reliable whenever he steps on the pitch for club and country.

However, after some questionable defending in the last campaign, the Dutchman must prove he is still good enough.

He has at least two more seasons to run in his contract at the club. If he remains in top shape and his quality does not go down, Liverpool may not bother spending too much money on a new centre-back in the next summer transfer window.

Klopp might bring in a new defence leader if he falls short and gradually phase out the former Southampton man.

Stefan Bajcetic

Liverpool’s biggest problem last season was their midfield. As the established star struggled, the Reds turned to one of their academy products, Bajcetic.

The Spain youth international had done well in their junior ranks and broke into the team amidst their midfield crisis.

The youngster scored a goal and even benched Fabinho for several games before he was injured.

That injury has kept him out until now, but there is a feeling that Liverpool did not buy a new defensive midfielder in the last transfer window because they had him in their squad.

Bajcetic is back to fitness and will fight for his place, but the youngster has to prove he is the real deal and his performance last season was not a fluke.

He is clearly a talented boy, but it takes more than talent to break into Klopp’s team. He has to prove his worth to stand any chance of making it into the Red’s starting lineup again, considering all the new midfielders they have brought to Anfield this summer.

Wataru Endo

Endo was a surprised signing by Liverpool after they missed out on the likes of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

The Reds were desperate and made a move for Endo, one of the most reliable midfielders in the Bundesliga in the last few seasons.

He is the captain of Japan and Stuttgart before leaving to join Liverpool. His fitness record in the last few seasons is one good thing newspapers talked about him when he joined.

But he needs more than that to be considered a success at Liverpool, and their fans are already asking for more from the Japan star.

Endo has the support of Klopp, and he will have to repay that. Otherwise, the German will keep him on the bench and play other midfielders.

Ryan Gravenberch

Gravenberch is one of the exciting new signings in the Premier League this summer and arrives at Liverpool as one player who has so much to prove.

After breaking through at Ajax and earning a comparison with a teenage Paul Pogba, who shone at Juventus, he struggled at Bayern Munich.

The Germans won the race for his signature despite interest from the top clubs in the world at the time.

But Gravenberch could not break into Bayern’s midfield and struggle to be the player everyone expected him to be.

Liverpool followed him from the start of the last transfer window until the end when the Dutchman became available to move and they sealed the deal on deadline day.

Most people blame Bayern for his struggles at the club but now is the time for him to prove that he has the talent and needs the chances.

He will play more at Liverpool if he does well and meets their standard and it will be interesting to see how well he turns out.

Darwin Nunez

Nunez moved to Anfield last season as one of the deadliest strikers in Europe after his exploits for Benfica in the Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp fell in love with the striker when both clubs met in the previous campaign and the Reds signed him for their manager.

He came to Liverpool in the same summer that Erling Haaland came to Manchester City and both were expected to compete for the top scorer award.

However, Nunez struggled for goals last season, while Haaland scored loads for City.

The Uruguayan knows how to take the right position, but he is too good at missing goals, which is a problem.

Liverpool knows he needs time. He has started this season strongly, signalling this may be a much better campaign for him.

The striker knows eyes are on him to perform and we expect him to prove why Liverpool spent nearly 100m euros to add him to their squad in 2022.

This would be a key season for Liverpool, and if these players do well, the club will end the term with a league title or at least one trophy.