Jurgen Klopp faces a midfield dilemma when Liverpool face Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, with his eventual selections proving vital.
When this Reds side is looked back on in years and decades to come, the midfield could be the least heralded area of the pitch.
In Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, they have two colossal figures who are among the best of their generation in their respective positions. Then there’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, who have been sensational at full-back over the past three seasons.
Alexander-Arnold has almost redefined the job of a right-back, while Robertson’s consistency and quality has set him apart from his left-back peers.
The front-three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino will also be remembered as a truly great attacking unit – one that dismantled opponents and often proved to be unplayable.
The midfield is the unfashionable element of this side, though. It is the supporting actor who deserves more credit in film, or the drummer that holds a band together without many realising.
Klopp has created a situation where he has six top players to call upon in the middle of the park: Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
With all six set to be fit for Wednesday’s all-or-nothing clash with Atletico, who does Klopp go with?
There are arguments to be made for any of them.
The key is picking a midfield that has the right balance of experience, defensive cover, guile and good form – the tricky thing is, there isn’t one player who ticks every one of those boxes at the moment.
Fabinho has been horribly out of nick since returning from injury in January, seemingly running in treacle at times and not possessing the same quality in possession as he did before. Wijnaldum, meanwhile, appears to have run out of steam a little after putting in such a huge shift this season.
Henderson was in the form of his life before injury, but starting him against Atletico has its risks, while 34-year-old Milner hasn’t started in midfield since January 2nd, against Sheffield United.
Keita continues to be hit-and-miss, but does have an ability to break the lines with subtly effective passes, as well as beat players, both of which also apply to Oxlade-Chamberlain.
It is a genuine conundrum for Klopp, but as a physical, well-drilled Atletico outfit await, he must pick the correct trio.
Wijnaldum is the only guaranteed starter, in my opinion, having done well against Bournemouth on Saturday and outlining his big-game pedigree so often in the past.
Klopp’s preference for having at least one of Henderson or Milner on the pitch also means it would be a major shock if neither started.
Given Henderson’s likely rustiness and Milner’s excellent display at the weekend, I would go with the latter, using his winning mentality to good use and perhaps replacing him with the skipper later on in proceedings.
As disappointing as Fabinho has been, I still believe the Brazilian is a key man in front of the defence, and the only way he will find his best form again is by playing. He is due a big performance and this could be it.
I don’t think Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain are quite reliable and in-form enough in their all-round game to justify coming in against such a savvy Atletico team, but like Henderson, their impact off the substitutes’ bench could be great when legs are tiring.
In truth, it is hard to have too many qualms about Klopp’s midfield selections, whatever he goes with. You can find an argument for playing any of the six, all of whom can dovetail with the rest of their midfield colleagues.
Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Milner is a solid, big-game midfield that looks the most ready to battle Atletico, however, with Henderson, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain ready to change the game, if required.
That trio lacks creativity, without question, but they can still produce class on the ball, while the full-backs and front-three will hopefully be firing on all cylinders, too.
QUIZ: HOW MANY OF THESE HIDDEN LFC STARS FROM EUROPEAN GAMES OF THE PAST CAN YOU RECOGNISE?
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