---
title: "It’s time to give Sheyi Ojo a chance"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/articles/time-give-sheyi-ojo-chance/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Ste Hoare"
section: "Articles"
published: "2017-01-24T22:13:41Z"
modified: "2017-01-24T22:15:47Z"
---

# It’s time to give Sheyi Ojo a chance

Sadio Mane’s absence due to his AFCON duties have thrown a bit of a spanner in the works, albeit one that we all knew was coming for a long time.

Without the Senegalese star, Liverpool are yet to win a league game. It’s too simplistic to blame the current poor run solely on his absence, but there is no doubt that not having him available has made the Reds a weaker team.

So, Jurgen Klopp’s plan in recent weeks has been to move either Adam Lallana and/or Roberto Firmino out of their best roles to cover for the losses of not just Mane but also Philippe Coutihno.

However, that’s affected the performances of not just those individual players, but the team as a whole. Liverpool look much better with Lallana in midfield and Firmino as a central striker. Anyone who disagrees with that is, in my opinion, a bit bonkers.

In order to compensate, the Reds often end up with Daniel Sturridge or Divock Origi up front and usually with both Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum in the midfield.

![Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images Sport](https://cdn.readeverything.co/readliverpoolfc/2017/01/585577320.jpg)

Each of those four men are fine footballers, despite some of them being out of form. They aren’t useless and Liverpool can win, and indeed have won, games with them in the team, but it’s not quite the same.

They don’t offer what Lallana and Firmino do, quite simply because they aren’t Lallana and Firmino. As a result, Liverpool look a worse side.

For me, the solution is fairly simple; play Sheyi Ojo.

Now Coutinho is back to take his place on the left, Liverpool are already a stronger team. However, there’s still a big Sadio Mane shaped hole on the other side. That, for me, is where Ojo should be selected.

Now is he as good a player as Lallana or Firmino? Of course not, but picking him there keeps the balance of the side. Lallana can play in midfield instead of either Can or Wijnaldum and Firmino can take his place as the main central striker.

Ojo can play from the right and even if he offers just 50% of what Mane can, it’s still worth him playing. In fact, he could play poorly and Liverpool will still be better off because of the other players being in their natural roles.

For what it’s worth, I think Ojo is a very, very good player and whilst he won’t be Mane, I think he’d do well if given a run in the side. He has very good attacking instincts and his ability to beat his defender one-one-one and accelerate away from him is something Adam Lallana simply can’t do.

Think of Ojo as a Mane Lite. Rather than causing three other issues trying to replace Mane, picking Ojo just means you’ve gotten a bit weaker in one area, not in three or four.

At the minute it feels like Klopp, in trying to fix one problem, is causing three more. Picking Ojo, a man with experience of starting in the Premier League, could be the simplest solution whilst Mane is away.