Last season was supposed to be the one where Liverpool kicked on. Champions going in, reinforced to the tune of over £100m with the arrivals of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, and widely regarded as the team to beat. What actually unfolded was a collective collapse that ended with Arne Slot losing his job and Liverpool scraping a fifth-place finish. For a club with those ambitions and that level of investment, fifth place wasn't a blip, it was an embarrassment.

Wirtz and Isak, the players brought in to be the difference makers, mustered just 11 goals between them across the entire campaign. That's a staggering shortfall for two players who cost that kind of money and arrived carrying that level of expectation. There were mitigating factors, Isak spent four months on the sidelines with a broken leg, whilst Wirtz took time to find his footing in a new league, but context only goes so far when the results are that stark.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has weighed in with his predictions for 2026/27, and he's gone for Liverpool to finish second, with Arsenal tipped to retain the title. He's also been quite direct about what he expects from the Reds' attacking pair. On Wirtz, he said: 'Liverpool's midfield wasn't great last year but I expect Florian Wirtz to have a better season, 100%. I thought it would take time for him to get settled in this league, but he's had a season now. If he doesn't get going this season, you start worrying.'

On Isak, Merson was a touch more cautious: 'Alexander Isak was so up and down with injury last season; they couldn't really get him on the pitch. I don't know if he's going to need to take a bit more time, so I don't know about his levels this season.' That uncertainty around the Swedish striker is understandable given what happened, but it also underlines why Andoni Iraola needs him firing from the off rather than easing his way through another stop-start campaign. Merson also acknowledged that squad depth remains a concern under Iraola, which is presumably part of why he stops short of tipping Liverpool to go all the way.

To be fair to both players, there have been encouraging glimpses during pre-season. The recent friendly against Monaco saw both Wirtz and Isak get on the scoresheet, and by the sounds of it there was a sharpness and understanding between them that was rarely visible during last season's miserable run. The subsequent match against Como was less eye-catching, though Wirtz did create a promising opportunity for Isak in the second half, which at least suggests the connection is being worked on.

That partnership is arguably the most important relationship on the pitch for Liverpool this coming season. If they can stay fit, build genuine chemistry, and start converting the chances that were squandered last term, Iraola's side become a very different proposition. The prospective arrival of Bradley Barcola could add another layer of attacking threat to complement them, should that move come to fruition.

A second-place finish, on the back of last season's disaster, would represent genuine progress and give Liverpool a platform to mount a proper title challenge the year after. Merson's prediction is neither outlandish nor particularly bold, it's grounded in the idea that this squad, with a full pre-season under Iraola and two key players returning to full fitness, ought to be significantly better than what we witnessed in 2025/26. The question is whether Wirtz and Isak can answer the challenge being put to them. If they can, second place is a floor, not a ceiling.