Liverpool now have a wealth of midfield options after the summer transfer window – what is the best combination for Jürgen Klopp?For too long last season, the midfielder reportedly gave Jürgen Klopp countless sleepless nights.
However, given the options available to him in the engine room in the coming months, the Liverpool boss faces a very different set of issues.
The midfield overhaul, which saw the Reds spend over £150m on four new signings, means there is a feeling of the unknown in an area of the squad that was quite lacking in terms of personnel under Klopp when competing for the trophy.
the constant era has been accumulated.So what is the right combination for Liverpool in midfield? Our ECHO authors have their say…I expect Jurgen Klopp to take a ‘horses for the course’ approach to his midfielders over the next few months.
There will be times when the tenacious and defensive Wataru Endo will be needed at the base of midfield, while wider options will be needed to break up teams sitting behind the ball.
Moreover, Klopp has the tactical flexibility to use four or three players and the combinations are plentiful if you also take into account the likes of Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch, Harvey Elliott and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It appears to be a new midfielder whose most prized attribute is technical excellence and represents a departure from the pressure machines of yesteryear.
So while there isn’t necessarily a ‘first choice’ midfielder, if Liverpool were to go to the Champions League final with a full squad of in-form midfielders to choose from, this is the one I would pick…
Thiago Alcantara, despite all his injuries and fitness issues, remains to me Liverpool’s best midfielder, so Klopp can use him in the starting line-up alongside Alexis Mac Allister in a kind of technical quality two-man pivot.
Add in the tireless and elegant Dominik Szoboszlai and the result is a midfield full of balance and precision on the ball.So much so that a more traditional destroyer may not be as much needed.Bad news for anyone who believes Liverpool may have the best midfield right now.
There isn’t one. And it will be some time before that is revealed, even though Jürgen Klopp has always pursued a “horses for the course” approach in his engine room.He thinks about the next two games.
At Wolves on Saturday week it would come as no surprise to see Liverpool stick to the trio who started against Aston Villa last weekend, namely Alexis Mac Allister in defensive midfield, Curtis Jones on his left and Dominik Szoboszlai on his right.
However, the changes will come at the first Europa League match at LASK in Austria five days later.
Wataru Endo can expect to act as the six, with Harvey Elliott on his right. There is still one spot left, which will most likely go to newcomer Ryan Gravenberch.
And then we haven’t even mentioned the injured Thiago Alcantara, the up-and-coming Bobby Clark and of course the in-form Stefan Bajcetic, who can be back in action within minutes off the bench.
The bottom two will likely have to wait for the League Cup match against Leicester City next week for their first starts.
It is precisely the battle for positions that demonstrates why Klopp has rarely wanted a starting midfield.
The challenge for Liverpool will be to keep their key players fit.
The team has learned the hard way how difficult it can be to compete for the biggest prizes when key personnel are stuck on the sidelines.
Summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have made an immediate impression since joining the club and their performances so far make them Jurgen Klopp’s first choice.
Fabinho’s departure has left a vacancy at the number six position which has yet to be filled by any player, prompting Klopp to experiment with who can best fulfill the responsibility.
Curtis Jones was tested in this area with limited success in pre-season, and on the opening weekend at Chelsea it was Mac Allister’s turn to take on defensive duties.It may not be Mac Allister’s preferred position, although he may have to stay there for the time being while Liverpool prepare for the return of Thiago Alcantara.
The Spaniard’s qualities make him an individual who, if fit, should simply start.
Ryan Gpravenberch will be someone who will gradually work his way into the team; Jones, Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic can make their mark off the bench.
Keifer MacDonald: In less than two weeks Molineux will welcome Jurgen Klopp who will further strengthen his position in midfield.The arrival of Ryan Gravenberch on deadline day capped off a summer of change in the Anfield engine room, as the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister in early June were followed by those of Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo.
Now, with the addition of four new midfielders, along with the return of Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara after their extended couch spells, Klopp will surely be able to apply his ‘horses for the ride’ approach after the September break . But what constitutes Liverpool’s best midfielder when everyone is fit?Despite his injury-hit career on Merseyside, Thiago Alcantara remains Liverpool’s best and most technically capable player and will certainly feature in Liverpool’s biggest games this season, injuries permitting, as they look to challenge Manchester.
City, Manchester United and Arsenal challenge for the top of the league. Premier League.Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai’s startling performances early in his career at Anfield make him a sure Reds regular for now.
That leaves one last free spot at the base of the Reds’ midfield, where Endo, Mac Allister and Curtis Jones have all played there in recent months.
Bajcetic’s return from injury could see him catapulted into Klopp’s career if he can repeat the performances that made him one of the few prospects during a miserable year at Anfield last season at Anfield Let.
However, until Gravenberch and Bajcetic are established long-term, Mac Allister is likely to remain Liverpool’s makeshift six.What is certain, however, is that Klopp and Liverpool have plenty of options in the center of the park for the first time in a long time.
