Can Liverpool defend its champion?

The sunshine in Anfield seems to be covered in a hint of gray. Diogo Jota's sudden death was like an indescribable tragedy, leaving an inhealthy hole in the heart of this champion.

When his teammates walked into the locker room and saw that the familiar locker 20 was always vacant; when the KOPs were in the stands and could no longer wait for the Portuguese who always brought surprises - sadness was the only language. Liverpool Club announced that it will retire Jota's No. 20 jersey to commemorate the beloved player, newly married husband and father of three children.

However, the giant wheel of the football world will not stop due to the departure of anyone. With this heavy pain, Liverpool must cheer up and embark on the difficult journey of defending the champion. Under such a cloud, can they use the next Premier League trophy as the best comfort to Paradise Jota?

The grief of gamble: spend 300 million yuan and rebuild the front line

In order to fill the vacancy left by Jota and to deal with the multi-line battle in the new season, Liverpool launched an unprecedented high-end purchase in the summer window. After politely asking Isaac, the team acted quickly and spent about £80 million to sign French fast horse Hugo Ekitic from Frankfurt. The genius who scored 22 goals last season is regarded as the answer to the forward line in the next decade. His arrival also means that Darwin Nunes may be allowed to leave the team if the right offer is received.

At the same time, the two Leverkusen champions - genius midfielder Florian Werz and "Flying Wings" Jeremy Flynnon, as well as Bournemouth's Hungarian left-back Milosh Kerkz, all arrived. It is rumored that the team is still chasing Crystal Palace central defender Mark Gey. The total cost has exceeded £300 million and may continue.

The troubles of the new array: sweet and painful choices

The huge investment brings happiness troubles. How will coach Slotte combine this brand new lineup? On the offensive end, the arrival of Wilz will greatly enrich the team's creativity. He has 10 goals and 14 assists in the Bundesliga last season and is the perfect No. 10 candidate. But this will directly threaten Sobosloy's main position. Slott may try to get Wilz to serve as the "Pseudo-Nine" and form a flexible attack group with Salah, Dias or Garkebo to reproduce the role of Firmino back then.

midfielder, after Alexander Arnold left Real Madrid, Gravenberg and McAllister's No. 6 and No. 8 teams formed at the end of last season have become increasingly mature and will be difficult to shake in the short term.

defensive end is full of question marks. Arnold's departure was a huge loss, and Robertson also declined. Flynnon and Kerkz are both "sharp blades" whose attack is stronger than defense. Their pressure will bring huge pressure to Van Dyke and Connate's central guarded by the middle. This may be the reason why the team chases Gee.

The success or failure of a season depends on countless details. But for Liverpool in the 2025/26 season, the biggest challenge may not come from tactics or opponents, but from their own hearts. Can they transform great grief into invincible fighting will?

Liverpool has never successfully defended its top league title since the 1980s. This time, they will fight for themselves, for the fans, and for the comrade No. 20 who is watching them in heaven.