Imagine the transfer window has just shut unexpectedly and Liverpool have to make do with what they have.
Yes, that would mean horrors such as Alberto Moreno still chasing the ball around the pitch like a dog after its tail (I personally quite like him and think he will get better) or Martin Skrtel assaulting everything that moves within a 300-mile radius of Anfield.
Get over that if you can then settle down and look at our options in midfield, and one question becomes clear; who is going to partner Emre Can?
That’s a key question that Jurgen Klopp needs to find an answer for. Last season, Can emerged as the player Liverpool thought, and maybe more so hoped, that he would be.
He is certainly not the finished article but he had some outstanding performances for the Reds in the heart of the midfield last season. One of his finest performances was against a very well drilled Villarreal midfield, where he simply brushed them aside and set the tone for the team.
At one point it felt like there was more than one Emre Can marauding Anfield, stomping out any Spanish fires that threatened to be set alight. Of course, he is more than just a ball winner, much more. His run and pass for Divock Origi’s goal against Borussia Dortmund on that famous night has been lost in the chaos that unfolded, but it really was sublime.
But as well as he played, a huge bogey for Liverpool last season was being overrun in midfield, they simply could not cope with teams at times. Two examples of this are the Watford away game and the Europa League Final second half where Sevilla cut them in two.
Granted, that was a very very good Sevilla side, but it looked all too familiar for Liverpool fans. The Watford game was worse, I was at a mates house watching it and couldn’t get my head around how open Liverpool looked at times. I can remember screaming at the TV “IS THERE ANY CHANCE OF A MIDFIELDER HERE LADS!?”
It looked like Jurgen had told his lads to go out and play in a 4-6 formation, only for four of the six attackers to head off for a pint. This needs to be addressed if the Reds are to be serious contenders for major honours.
I think we can all agree that Can is the main man in midfield but who do Liverpool place alongside him in the middle and what shape should that midfield take up? Liverpool certainly have numbers already. They have James Milner, Marko Grujic, Joe Allen, Jordan Henderson, Kevin Stewart and Lucas Leiva to choose from. Mahmoud Dahoud is the big rumour at the minute to be joining the pre-season party at Melwood but I haven’t seen enough of him to comment and a YouTube video is no real indicator.
You could spend all day rhyming off centre midfielders in world football that you would absolutely love your team to have, but maybe the answer might already be within the squad.
Take James Milner; he is intelligent, reliable and you know if you put him in he would do a good job for you, plus he can deliver a ball, but he’s still not a title-challenging centre midfielder, is he really?
Milner’s best role, and he probably hates it, is being the English Dirk Kuyt or Park Ji Sung. The player you can call on to bust himself for the shirt out wide and who could pop up with a big moment, be it scoring a goal or having a hand in one. He can also be counted on to track a key opponent and take him out of the game.
Joe Allen is similar in a way as he does exactly as he is supposed to, however, he is also a little bit more possession-savvy, keeping the game ticking over. If you watch Allen closely, look at how his head swivels constantly whilst he is out of possession, always surveying the landscape and scanning for danger. It’s a superb trait to have as a footballer as it enables him to position his body to positively receive the ball and play forward. There is just something holding Allen back from a starring role at Liverpool and it looks like Jurgen and Liverpool might be looking to sell him when he gets back from France.
I haven’t seen much of Grujic. I would love to tell you in this piece that I believe he is the next great Eastern European football hope, the next Zvonimir Boban but until I see him play for the reds I can’t make that assumption.
The answer could be taking the captain’s armband off Jordan Henderson. Three seasons ago when Liverpool came agonisingly close to winning the title under Brendan Rodgers, Henderson was a vital part of the team. His pressing and tenacity in midfield were overwhelming for teams at times, plus he chipped in with a few goals, which every good team needs from midfield.
Since Rodgers made him captain, it hasn’t gone as well for Hendo. He certainly hasn’t looked like the same player that had so many fans boasting about him. In the title pushing season of 2013/14, he was involved in every big performance at some point, always in the thick of it, hunting the ball back and starting attacks. He looked unshackled at times, like he had been unleashed, but now he looks restrained and almost as if he is restricted or burdened…since when has the captain of a football club been so disregarded by a fan base?
It doesn’t seem right, does it?
He should be one of the first names to come out of fans mouths when discussing with their mates who they would line up with, but he just isn’t anymore. The heel injury he was suffering from has obviously held him back and he missed a chunk of last season, but I just wonder if relieving the stress of leading the club might help him find his old form and Liverpool could really do with him finding it.
A midfield three of Emre Can, Jordan Henderson and Phillipe Coutinho sitting in front of them would be a good base for Klopp to start this season on. It also adds to the average height for Liverpool during set pieces which are such a pivotal component in Premier League games. You certainly couldn’t see that midfield being overrun by other teams.
