Continued
Klopp’s midfield looks well-stocked. Captain Henderson recently turned 30 but there’s little sign of him slowing down after producing the best form of his professional career.
The rise of holding midfielder Fabinho, a man assistant boss Pep Lijnders refers to as “our lighthouse”, has freed up Henderson to operate further forward.
One issue that does need sorting out is Wijnaldum’s contract as he enters his final year. Liverpool retain hope that a compromise can still be reached. However, if the 29-year-old Dutchman doesn’t put pen to paper, they must decide whether to sell or run the risk of him leaving on a free in 2021.
Milner is in the twilight of his career. The 34-year-old continues to come out on top in the metrics when fitness levels are tested at Melwood, although his availability has dropped from 98 per cent in 2017-18, to 90 per cent last season, to just 75 per cent this season. He will still be a valuable option to Klopp but not someone Liverpool can rely on forever.
Liverpool, squad depth
As far as attacking midfield is concerned, there’s good reason to believe there’s more to come from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita. Both have had their injury woes but when fully fit and firing, they have given Liverpool’s midfield a new dimension.
Keita’s third season at Anfield will be huge in terms of proving he can live up to the hype on a consistent basis and be a regular fixture in a trophy-winning team.
Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara is a player who has been linked with the club in recent weeks and Klopp has spoken previously of his admiration for the Spaniard. However, he’s the type of player that Liverpool usually shy away from investing in. He’s fairly injury prone and, at 29, offers little in the way of a return in investment further down the line. Combine that with his high wages and how he’d block the path to the first team for Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita, and it makes the prospect of his signing a little less likely in reality.
Adam Lallana is leaving as a free agent but youngster Curtis Jones is viewed by Klopp as the perfect replacement. The Liverpool-born 19-year-old announced his arrival on the big stage with his stunning winner against Everton in the FA Cup.
In terms of those on the fringes, Pedro Chirivella has joined Nantes on a permanent deal while Marko Grujic will return to Liverpool at the start of pre-season following his loan at Hertha Berlin. What offers are forthcoming are likely to determine how long he stays back on Merseyside.
Midfield duo Jake Cain and Leighton Clarkson, two members of the club’s FA Youth Cup-winning team of 2019, will also be in contention, having caught Klopp’s eye over the course of this season.
Liverpool not only have one of the most potent front lines in Europe — but it’s also one of the most settled.
Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have all taken the leap into the world-class bracket during Klopp’s reign. Each has given the club a huge return on their investment.
What makes Liverpool so difficult to stop is their array of match-winners. They aren’t dependent on any one individual.
Over the past three seasons, Firmino has clocked up 148 appearances for the club in all competitions, with Salah (146) and Mane (135) not far behind. Salah has contributed 92 goals with Mane on 65 and Firmino on 54.
They are the perfect fit for Klopp’s 4-3-3 formation — giving Liverpool pace, energy, invention and firepower. They set the tone with their hunger to press and force mistakes.
As the team’s style has evolved and opponents have increasingly sat deep to try to starve them of space to operate in so they have had to adapt.
All three are 28 years of age. All three are operating at the peak of their powers. Their goalscoring figures may have fluctuated in the last few seasons — Firmino’s dearth of goals at Anfield and Salah’s excellent debut season come to mind — but Liverpool’s attacking trident have put up remarkably consistent Expected Goals (xG) numbers.
It doesn’t look like any of the front three have dropped off in quality recently, but more found an equilibrium when it comes to scoring. Salah and Firmino had differing fortunes back in 2017-18, with the latter making room for the former, but they’ve both come in line with Mane and all average between 0.45 and 0.55 xG per 90 each.
An understandable concern for some is the drop-off in quality between the established front three and those who provide cover. It’s the reason why there was such excitement surrounding Liverpool’s interest in Timo Werner before they walked away.
Bolstering that department was viewed as a priority given that Klopp faced losing Salah, Mane and Keita for up to six weeks in early 2021 to the Africa Cup of Nations. The fact that tournament has now been put back a year due to COVID-19 was a source of great relief for Liverpool. It gives them an extra 12 months to find a suitable solution.
They may not lose them due to international duty but the threat of injury is the main danger for Klopp’s front three. The three have also been lucky to avoid any lengthy lay-offs in the last few seasons, which is a testament to the attention to fitness and injury prevention by the staff at Melwood, but it’s unlikely that streak will continue in their late twenties and early thirties.
Salah and Firmino have each been available for a staggering 93 per cent of Liverpool’s games, ranking first in the squad, with Mane ranking seventh at 88 per cent. Liverpool haven’t needed to invest sizeable sums on back-up attackers due to this ever-presence but it’s certainly a factor to be wary of when planning for the future.
Given that finances dictated Liverpool didn’t press ahead with a deal for Werner, rumours linking them with a move for Borussia Dortmund’s £120 million-rated Jadon Sancho this summer are fanciful. If there is an addition at the top end of the field, it would be a more modest investment.
Again, it will be influenced to a certain degree by outgoings. Liverpool expect offers for Shaqiri, who has endured an injury-plagued season. However, it’s unlikely they will command anything close to the €30 million they were seeking prior to the pandemic.
Divock Origi hasn’t kicked on as hoped after his contribution to Liverpool’s Champions League triumph but the Belgian forward retains the faith of Klopp and is happy to stay put. The manager also sees Takumi Minamino blossoming in 2020-21. His performances so far have suggested he’s best suited to the Firmino role in the middle, dropping deep and linking play rather than operating out wide.
Harvey Elliott is likely to be the one to benefit most from Werner heading to Chelsea rather than Anfield. The 17-year-old winger has made a real impact since arriving from Fulham a year ago. Both the staff and the senior players are excited about his rich potential. Whatever the tribunal decides that Liverpool have to pay for him, it looks a wise investment.
Rhian Brewster’s development was halted by injury but he has provided a timely reminder of his ability with his performances on loan at Swansea City. Klopp must decide whether he’s ready to play a part in 2020-21 or would benefit more from another spell away. Academy striker Paul Glatzel is on the comeback trail after missing the entire season due to a ruptured ACL.
Harry Wilson, Ben Woodburn and Sheyi Ojo will also be among those returning from loans with uncertain futures. Wilson is the most valuable asset of that trio after his loan at Bournemouth — cash in or keep him as a squad option is the question.
If Liverpool are to keep him, the other head-scratcher is how to fit him into the team. Wilson has attempted plenty of shots for Bournemouth this season but it’s unlikely he’d be offered the same number of attempts in a Liverpool shirt if he were to play out wide in the front three.
From his pizza chart, there are question marks about his defensive play as he barely contributes out of possession. He has been tidy at retaining possession however, a crucial requirement needed to play in this Liverpool side. Wilson is also a threat from set pieces but it’s unlikely he’d get the nod over Alexander-Arnold anytime soon.
Klopp is expecting a second successive quiet summer for Liverpool in the transfer market.
It’s their rivals who have the much greater need to gamble in a bid to bridge the gap to the champions.
A couple of areas need reinforcing to provide more depth but there’s still plenty of room for growth. Liverpool look well placed to deliver once again.
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