The ManicaPost
The competition for this season’s Premier League title is hotter than ever, the margins for error smaller. So does Jurgen Klopp have the squad to make Liverpool champions for the first time since 1990?
With Chelsea winning every week, the pressure will be on Klopp’s men to d reduce the gap at the top to six points.
Longer-term, there will be questions asked about Liverpool’s strength in depth and whether they need to invest in January to last the distance until May.
Here, we break down what Klopp has available in different areas of the pitch, and where Liverpool are at their best and worst.
GOALKEEPERS
Liverpool had a steady turnover of players when they dominated English football in the 1970s and 80s but only two men, Ray Clemence and Bruce Grobbelaar, were trusted between the sticks. Both players are rightly regarded as club legends, and it’s fair to say the current custodians Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet have a lot to do before they are given the same respect.
Karius was signed by Klopp from Mainz last summer because his trust in Mignolet had dissipated. The Belgian is an excellent shot-stopper but lacks command in the box and Grobelaar says he was told by the club to stop criticising him.
But Karius has been equally vulnerable so far and an extraordinary media spat between him and pundit Gary Neville coincided with the German being left out of the team, Klopp sensing his confidence had gone. Mignolet has kept two clean sheets in a row since his recall but even that’s not been enough to satisfy many critics.
At the moment, Klopp is sticking by his idea to make sweeper-keeper Karius his long-term No 1 but the availability of England No 1 Joe Hart, unwanted by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and currently on loan in Italy with Torino, will not have gone unnoticed.
DEFENCE
Nathaniel Clyne has been a reliable and consistent performer at right back while on the other flank James Milner is preferred to the riskier Alberto Moreno despite spending most of his career in midfield. One suspects Klopp would like at some stage to have a specialist left-back in his ranks but Milner has been excellent in the meantime.
The German has frozen out Mamadou Sakho in the centre of defence putting more pressure on Dejan Lovren to justify his £20million price tag which the Croatian has done better this season. Alongside him, Joel Matip has settled into the Premier League extremely well after his Bosman move from Schalke.
At 25, Matip is already showing the leadership and reading of the game that marks him down as a first-choice centre half for the next five years. Liverpool haven’t lost any of the 14 matches in which Matip has played but Klopp will also have been encouraged by clean sheets when he’s missed games against Middlesbrough and Everton with an ankle injury.
Part of the reason is Ragnar Klavan’s form, a balding, no-nonsense centre-back from Estonia.
The derby win against Everton was based on the Klavan-Lovren axis. ‘They did a great job because Lukaku is one of the best in the league,’ said admiring team-mate Sadio Mane.
All in all, Klopp is maybe happier with his defence than the pundits, but ideally a specialist left-back and an extra covering centre-half might be required if Liverpool are to finish on top.
MIDFIELD
Klopp is a big fan of Emre Can and has been won over by club captain Jordan Henderson after having doubts about his composure on the ball last season. Joe Allen was sacrificed last summer so Liverpool could bring in Georginio Wijnaldum for £25million from relegated Newcastle United and the Dutchman has been a success although he’ll be disappointed to have scored only once.
Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ football means looking forward is a priority for the midfielders over protecting the defence. It’s partly why Liverpool kept only one Premier League clean sheet upto mid-November.
Creatively, there were fears Liverpool would suffer when No 10 Philippe Coutinho suffered a nasty ankle injury against Sunderland on November 26 but his absence coincided with the return of Adam Lallana whose energy and exuberance make him a natural Klopp player, as well as scoring three in his last three.
‘He can play different positions, he’s quick, he’s mentally strong, he’s a smart player,’ says an admiring Klopp.
Compared to other clubs in the top six, you fear for Liverpool should they suffer any more injuries and Klopp confesses he’s looking closely at the January transfer market in case, particularly if Lucas Leiva goes to Inter Milan.
FORWARDS
Klopp has an embarrassment of riches up front and it allows Liverpool to share the responsibility of goalscoring rather than rely on one individual, like their rivals Chelsea (Costa), Manchester City (Aguero), Manchester United (Ibrahimovic), Arsenal (Sanchez) and Tottenham (Kane).
Liverpool have only two orthodox No 9s, the mercurial Daniel Sturridge, and lightning quick Belgian Divock Origi who is still only 21-years-old and in a rich vein of form with five goals in six games since Coutinho’s injury forced a change of plan.
But Klopp has more tactical options than other managers at the top of the Premier League. For certain games, he can leave out both Origi and Sturridge and play with a false No 9 Roberto Firmino, partly because of the goalscoring sense of wide-man Sadio Mane.
The Senegal international has been a sensational summer buy from Southampton and his winner at Everton last week was his eighth of the season. He departs for the African Cup of Nations in January and could miss up to four games.
For any other club, it would be a devastating blow but with Coutinho expected back by then, Klopp may be able to cover adequately with another change in system and there might even be more cameo roles for 17-year-old Ben Woodburn who has already become the club’s youngest goalscorer this season. — Daily Mail
