Liverpool

Liverpool are the most emotionally overwhelming club in world football, and they have been weaponising that emotion for the better part of a century. Nineteen league titles, six Champions League trophies, eight League Cups, and an anthem — “You’ll Never Walk Alone” — that reduces grown adults to tears before a ball has even been kicked. The atmosphere at Anfield on European nights is not merely impressive; it is a competitive advantage that has decided matches, destroyed opponents’ confidence, and turned improbable comebacks into the club’s defining characteristic. Barcelona, 2019. Istanbul, 2005. The Kop does not watch football. It wills results into existence.

Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of the 2023-24 season could have been catastrophic. Instead, Liverpool appointed Arne Slot and barely missed a step, which is either a testament to the Dutchman’s quality or proof that the structures Klopp built were more durable than the man himself. Slot’s meticulous tactical approach has maintained Liverpool’s status as genuine title contenders, and his refusal to be overwhelmed by the weight of following a legend has been one of the most impressive managerial performances the Premier League has seen. The expansion of the Anfield Road End to 61,276 capacity has made one of football’s great cathedrals even more imposing.

Liverpool’s Australian fanbase is enormous — supporter clubs in every major city, packed pubs at unconscionable hours of the morning — and the connection runs deep through Harry Kewell and Brad Jones, both of whom wore the red shirt with distinction.

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Liverpool’s 2025-26 campaign under Slot sees the Reds competing on all fronts with a squad that remains one of the strongest in Europe. The Dutchman has built on Klopp’s foundations while layering in his own tactical sophistication — less heavy metal, more orchestral, but no less effective. The expanded Anfield provides a home advantage that borders on the unfair, and the blend of experienced internationals with emerging young talent gives Liverpool genuine hope of adding to a trophy cabinet that is already bursting at the hinges. The Reds remain the Premier League’s standard-bearers for passionate, high-intensity football. The only thing that has changed is the accent in the dugout.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com