Didi Hamann’s place in Liverpool folklore will forever be cemented by his role in our 2005 Champions League triumph, along with the Gerard Houllier-led treble four years previously, but his predictions for the upcoming season won’t have pleased too many Reds supporters.
While the ex-Germany midfielder is hoping that Arne Slot can continue the exceptional work of his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, he fears that a bad start for the new head coach could put him under enormous pressure straight away.
The 50-year-old is also backing a Manchester one-two at the top of the Premier League table, with City just ahead of United, and he thinks his former club will slide one place to finish fourth.
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Hamann told TopOffshoreSportsBooks: “I would go for Manchester City, Manchester United – if they make the signings they are linked with – then Arsenal in third and Liverpool in fourth.
“I’ve got a feeling Man United will do okay next season. Obviously, Kobbie Mainoo has been a breath of fresh air in the Euros and he’ll play a major role.”
On Slot, the ex-Liverpool player said: “Things happen very quickly in football. Maybe Liverpool end up needing a new manager at Christmas? Stranger things have happened. You wish Arne Slot all the best but if you have a bad start then fans can get upset and really and you never know, but I hope he is at Liverpool for years to come.”
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As Liverpool enter a period of post-Klopp uncertainty, some fans might shake on a guarantee of a top-four finish if offered it now, especially given how the Reds tailed off so badly in 2022/23 that it cost us our Champions League place.
However, you’d be hard pressed to find an LFC supporter who’d settle for finishing two places behind United, especially when they were five positions and 22 points behind us in the final Premier League table last season.
As for Slot, it’d take an unforeseeably abysmal first half of the campaign for him to be given the boot by Christmas. Only once in recent memory have Liverpool sacked a manager after less than a year, and that was during an exceptionally miserable few months under Roy Hodgson in 2010/11.
Also, while the Dutchman may have a hugely difficult act to follow in Klopp, he conversely has the luxury of a very solid platform from which to build, unlike previous bosses who’ve come in when the club was at a low ebb (including the German himself in 2015).
It’d take a extraordinary job from the new head coach to win the Premier League title his first season, but hopefully he can at least have the Reds somewhat in contention at the top, and comfortably clear of any battle for Champions League qualification. That can be left to the likes of United instead!
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