James Milner showed a Liverpool depth problem, but Jürgen Klopp doesn’t need a transfer solution

James Milner showed a Liverpool depth problem, but Jürgen Klopp doesn’t need a transfer solution

Liverpool Echo Sports·2021-08-16 10:00

Jürgen Klopp is fed up of having to get creative. He spent much of last season deploying the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson at centre-back as a last-resort way of dealing with Liverpools defensive injury crisis. That now thankfully appears to have abated, but the manager instead faced a selection dilemma in midfield on the opening day. With Fabinho still not fully back up to speed following the Copa América, Klopp opted for James Milner: the closest thing to a positional like-for-like. This was far from an ideal fit, but if the boss can face the prospect of a bit more experimentation then Liverpool can fix the problem without having to turn to the transfer market.The solution stems from the unlikely overload that Klopp is now faced with at centre-back. A problem that could hardly have been envisaged during the last campaign, the Liverpool manager now has four elite centre-backs available to choose from and, barring a radical change of system, can only pick two of them in defence. Virgil van Dijk still needs time to get back to his imperious best, but for the most part looked reassuringly convincing against Norwich. Once he is fully up and running, the Dutchman becomes essentially undroppable. That leaves Joe Gomez, Joël Matip and Ibrahima Konaté, all of whom can make a strong case to start.Klopps selection will always cause disappointment for someone, but he can minimise the problem by recasting one of the trio as an additional option at defensive midfield. Like Van Dijk at the back, Fabinho is essentially a guaranteed starter in this role when available, but a rotation option never goes amiss. The Brazilian has already shown how the best players are able to perform at a high level both at centre-back and in the number six role; there are reasons to believe that at least two of Liverpools defenders could make the inverse move to Fabinho, moving forward from the back and into the base of midfield.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesOf the three, the most likely contenders seem to be Matip and Konaté. Perhaps it is harsh to exclude Gomez from the discussion he could no doubt do a job as well, but the question is whether he would be a significant upgrade on Milner in the number six role. For a centre-back, Gomez rarely enters the tackle, averaging just over one per game. He is less of a disruptive presence than someone like Matip, whose average is nearly double that of his teammate. Similarly, from a purely stylistic standpoint, the English defender is less known for his striding progressive runs than either of the other options.So then, Matip or Konaté? Its a tough one. There is a case to be made that it would be counterproductive to give Konaté minutes at defensive midfield, given that Klopp will no doubt want to embed him into life as a Liverpool centre-back in preparation for the long-term future of the team. However, this has not stopped him deploying Gomez at right-back before; Fabinho will still be the undisputed first choice in the number six role, so occasionally deploying the former RB Leipzig man there should not cause too much damage to his development as a defender. If anything, the odd cameo in other positions can often serve to improve players understanding of the game.Crucially, Konaté is in the 99th percentile of centre-backs in Europe for dribbles completed. While this can be a huge asset, it also led to a few hairy moments in pre-season for Liverpool: Klopp may well want some more coaching time with the 22-year-old before he entrusts him in the back line. In defensive midfield, however, the risk is slightly lower, and the ability to carry the ball forward adeptly provides a major benefit. Not insignificantly, picking Konaté as the backup defensive midfielder also allows Matip to remain in defence, where he is elite.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesThat being said, Matip may well also be the most natural candidate for the odd appearance at number six, not least because he has played that role 49 times already in his career. More than 20% of his appearances for Schalke came in defensive midfield: bearing in mind that the German side were a reasonable-level Bundesliga outfit at the time, this is valuable experience that would stand the Cameroonian in good stead were Klopp to call upon him in midfield.It is not only Matips experience that makes him a great fit: just from watching him play, it is apparent that he could do a job in midfield. His striding runs regularly cause teams problems, and he would have even more freedom to fulfil this role from a midfield base. He also has an eye for a pass, ranking in the 99th percentile of centre-backs for assists and expected assists per 90. Of course, even as a midfielder his primary role would still be defensive, but as mentioned earlier he has elite stats when it comes to winning tackles. A record of winning more than three aerial duels per game would also stand him in good stead slightly higher up the pitch.Ultimately, it all comes down to whether Klopp would be prepared to sacrifice Matip in defence in order to get him into midfield. Given the presence of Gomez and Konaté as alternative options to partner Van Dijk, it seems like the solution would be more than workable: particularly as it would only be required on the rare occasions when Fabinho is not available. Instigating this plan B could save Liverpool millions in the transfer market.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated Articles

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