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Liverpool are heading into the new season after Bayern Munich have stolen their European crown, and they are looking to win it back.
In a special Blood Red Champions League preview podcast, sportswriter Fabrizio Romano gave ECHO the lowdown on the big club’s spending this summer in Europe, and what it all means for the Champions League.
Liverpool itself signed Thiago Alcantara, Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas, while the threat posed by other English clubs, notably Manchester City, who are still seeking their first Champions League title, is clear.
Romano believes that the acquisition of Thiago puts Liverpool ahead of Bayern Munich. But what about the outlook for the rest of the teams that currently make up the European elite? And who else should the Reds be careful of?
Real Madrid
The Spanish team was eliminated by Manchester City in the round of 16 last season. They made around € 80 million in player sales, but made no signings during the transfer window.
Listen to the full podcast of Fabrizio Romano from Blood Red by clicking HERE
Romano: “Real Madrid decided to stay with his team, to stay with his best players and Zinedine Zidane, considering he is strong at the moment.
“But the decision to sell Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Reguilon, in my opinion, is crazy! They needed money, so they decided to sell players.”
Barcelona
With little money for signings under new manager Ronald Koeman, and with the drama of Lionel Messi wanting to leave only to end up staying, it was a difficult summer for the Catalans.
Romano: “I think it is very difficult to see Barcelona fight for the Champions League because the night against Bayern Munich was something terrible.
“After this type of defeat, we expected a revolution, not only in the coach but also in the players. We expected a new era for Barcelona but it is not like that because they have just signed Sergino Dest.
“It was not a true revolution. They lost Arturo Vidal, Luis Suárez and Ivan Rakitic but they have no new stars at the moment.
“This season for Barcelona is like: ‘let’s start the change, sell players and prepare the revolution for next year with a new president and a new team.’ And we have to see without or without Lionel Messi.
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“Before, Barça thought to sell Philippe Coutinho and he was ready to sell, so his agents were working to offer him to Tottenham, Arsenal.
“Arsenal were very close and at the beginning of August, they were ready. But once Koeman arrived, he understood that it was difficult to sign other players, for example Memphis Depay.
“Ousmane Dembele [was not close to signing for Liverpool] why [Liverpool made] a simple loan without a purchase option. Barcelona were thinking of letting him play, but in September they changed positions because they needed money to sign Depay.
“Always, the player said no to Liverpool and Juventus; the player said it was not a question of money, that he wanted to stay. [at Barcelona]. “
Juventus
Knocked out by Lyon in the round of 16 last season, Juventus will be looking for dramatic improvement this time. After firing Maurizio Sarri, they have a new coach: Andrea Pirlo.
Romano: “With Juventus, the big question is Pirlo, because he never did anything, not even with the quarry.
“It is something new for Juventus. They have a good team and they are changing to become a younger team, it is the beginning of a revolution and you can see players like Gonzalo Higuaín leaving the club.”
“But they have signed one of the best players in the entire window, Dejan Kulusevski would say. They have signed a future star and in my opinion he will be the new star of the Champions League this season.”
“Nobody knows him outside of Italy, but believe me, borrowed from Parma, he was on another planet!”
PSG
PSG did not strengthen at the rear after losing Thiago Silva, so they are also a bit weaker, and coach Thomas Tuchel is not entirely happy with his employer’s moves in the market.
Romano: “I was expecting PSG to sign a high-level central defender, a play, for example, for Milan Skriniar or Kalidou Koulibaly. But they couldn’t sign this type of player due to the financial situation, a crazy and difficult summer.
“Thiago Silva was the captain, not just a player, but a leader. But when you have Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Mauro Icardi, you can have a fantastic season, so they will try to win the Champions League for sure.”
With questions to be asked of all the big clubs in Europe this season after different approaches in the transfer market, and with Liverpool weakening last season’s champion Bayern Munich by signing Thiago, the men Jurgen Klopp can be sure.
Even without the injured Virgil van Dijk for at least the knockout stages, if not more, the Reds will have plans to go all the way.
Winning the Champions League is never easy, but Liverpool are considered among those most likely to win it, which would mean seven European Cups for the club at the end of the season.
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