Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard has predicted Liverpool to not immediately bounce back next season after enduring a rough year in the Premier League.
Speaking to the press via Football London, the former Everton boss made the prediction that the Merseyside giants might struggle to return to their former best like many are predicting, with Lampard claiming that clubs on the rise, such as Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United, could only get better.
Barring a miracle from Chelsea at Old Trafford and a Manchester United defeat on Sunday, Liverpool will end the season in fifth place and next year return to the UEFA Europa League, yet many pundits have already tipped Jurgen Klopp’s side to make a charge for the Premier League title in the new campaign.
Indeed, Liverpool are already making moves to overhaul their midfield and to bring in young blood into the squad, yet for Lampard, the Reds could find it hard to return to the top despite what many experts and fans are predicting for next season.
Lampard said on Liverpool’s hopes of returning to their best, as well as Chelsea’s: “I don’t know that because the Premier League moves on very fast. You see the emergence of Newcastle, Brighton, Aston Villa. If you switch it off, it’s not easy to switch it back on. I think that will be the test.”
Liverpool should listen to Lampard’s prediction for next season
With Liverpool heading into the final game of the season on a ten-match unbeaten run, there is perhaps a case to be made that Klopp’s side will be back for next year, yet Lampard’s warning could easily come true given the unpredictability of the new campaign.
Although Liverpool will spend big, the likes of Brighton and Newcastle will now also have funds to add to their squad, and with Arsenal expected to challenge again for the Premier League alongside United and Manchester City, next year could be harder than Klopp has anticipated.