THERE are conflicting emotions and varying assessments of Liverpool’s squad after the most recent transfer window.

This is partly due to the most powerful clubs in football having almost infinite resources to draw upon, thus moving the goalposts in terms of what a good squad looks like.

Looking at Liverpool, there is a strange feeling which combines an acknowledgement that the club have one of the best groups of players in their history, but also that they needed something extra which didn’t arrive in this transfer window.

Even fans who watched the club during their 1980s heyday have recognised that the team who won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League a year later are one of the best they have ever seen.

Much of that squad remains, and they have even been improved thanks to the arrivals of Diogo Jota, Thiago and Ibrahima Konate.

At this stage, it’s worth remembering that as recently as the 2016-17 season Liverpool were not even playing Champions League football. 

During that period between 2010 and 2017, Liverpool only qualified for the Champions League once and, on the occasion that they did, were knocked out in the group stage.

In 2015 came the arrival of Jurgen Klopp, who transformed the club and oversaw a revival of a winning mentality that had waned since the ’80s. 

The German immediately steered Liverpool to a Europa League final, in which they lost to Sevilla, and two seasons later they were not only back in the Champions League but reached the final, where they lost to Real Madrid.

The disappointment at those final defeats showed how Klopp had raised expectations once again. Liverpool didn’t just want to be there, they wanted to win, and that was the platform for the club’s sixth European Cup win in 2019 and their first league title in 30 years in 2020.

This new-found success has further increased the profile of a club who remained popular even throughout relatively barren years.

And this has put pressure on the owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), to match the ambition of the manager they hired, and build on this success.

Off the pitch, FSG’s actions have been well documented: positives such as expanding Anfield and the savvy acquisition of world-class players and a world-class staff; negatives including raised ticket prices, furloughing staff and their involvement in the infamous failed Super League earlier this year.

Many of their bad decisions were reversed on the back of fan protests, which could have been avoided by consulting with fans in the first place.

The type of involvement supporters want, and should have, in football is more related to matters off the pitch — the culture, ideals, philosophy and direction of the club — rather than sporting decisions such as team selection, transfers and tactics.

But some of the things that can make football, and sport in general, so appealing are the discussion, disagreement, and voicing of opinions on the sporting side of the game.

Occasionally these sporting discussions can cross over into those elements of club philosophy and direction. This is especially the case in the transfer market. It’s not necessarily to do with which specific players a club buy, but more to do with whether they buy or not, the types of players, and the general ambition.

In recent years Liverpool have signed an array of top-quality players. Going through the club’s starting XI there are not many outside the top ten in the world in their respective positions, and in Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk they have two of the best footballers in the world, full stop.

Where Liverpool can fall down is squad depth, as evidenced by their performance in domestic cup competitions and when they suffer injuries to some of those star starters.

Teams have taken to playing their second string in domestic cups, so it’s no surprise that the League Cup has been dominated in recent years by a team who have close to two world-class players in each position — Manchester City.

During the last season or so, Chelsea have joined City in having such depth across the pitch and it’s no surprise both are considered title contenders along with Liverpool this season.

Under Klopp, Liverpool have never even made the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and have only made it to the fifth round once.

Klopp likes a tight-knit squad and that, along with being a big reason behind their challenges for titles in the league and in Europe in recent times, may also be a reason for their lack of success in the cups.

This, combined with the owners’ apparent — some might say sensible — policy of spending what they earn in the transfer market, can contribute to the feeling that Liverpool’s squad is never quite complete.

In reality, there are few supporters of any club who will conclude that their squad has everything they need after a transfer window. 

But Liverpool’s potential — their world-class players and world-class coach — can make it all the more frustrating when they don’t sign the one or two extra players needed to complement what they already have and cover potential injury crises.

In many ways Liverpool’s refusal to hoard players and give chances to youth such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott is admirable.

The problem is, having a first XI combining youth and star signings may be the right way to operate, but it may not be enough to win any more. 

The entire football landscape, and as a result, the expectations of top clubs, has been distorted by the spending and squad building of clubs like City, Paris Saint-Germain and to a certain extent, Chelsea. Spending that is unrealistic for other clubs.

This is not just related to transfer fees but wages too, and such spending could eventually negatively affect most players if a wage cap is introduced.

The likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are already in financial trouble as a result of their attempts to keep up, hence their desperate Super League plans. 

At another English title contender, Manchester United, the owners continue to “manage” huge debts as much as they do the football team.

Liverpool may well be successful under Klopp this season, but it feels such success would be more likely if they added extra strength in depth.

The decision not to could either be seen as a sensible move to preserve the club’s stability, especially post-Covid, or a negligent move that fails to take full advantage of the quality of existing playing and coaching staff.

The balanced view probably concludes that they at least needed another attacking player and could have acquired one without disruption to their model, especially as Xherdan Shaqiri was sold.

Liverpool are one of the clubs best positioned to challenge the likes of City and PSG. That they are in this position is thanks to sensible spending, excellent recruitment and coaching, and a close-knit squad managed expertly by Klopp.

Despite this, perhaps because of it, there is always the feeling they need just that little bit more strength in depth, so it’s no surprise this feeling arose once again after this summer’s transfer window.