Latest Thiago injury heaps pressure on Klopp’s midfield. Do Liverpool need to buy now?
By James Pearce
The debate about Liverpool’s midfield has rumbled on throughout the summer.
“The last thing that would have crossed my mind is that we have to do this. I really don’t understand the discussion,” said Jurgen Klopp on the eve of the pre-season tour of Asia last month when the conversation turned to whether he would be further strengthening that department of his squad.
The manager went on to eulogise the array of talent already at his disposal. Liverpool were adamant their business was complete in terms of incomings after the arrival of full-back Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen followed the signings of Fabio Carvalho and Darwin Nunez.
The message was clear: the midfield was sufficiently stacked until 2023 when trying to prise Jude Bellingham away from Borussia Dortmund would become a much more realistic ambition.
However, over the past month, the debate has gradually intensified. It was cranked up another level after Thiago limped off early in the second half at Craven Cottage on Saturday, clutching his left hamstring.
A scan will determine the full extent of the damage but the initial prognosis wasn’t positive. He’s facing another lay-off — the latest in a long line of agonising setbacks that have hampered the Spain international’s time at Liverpool.
His quality isn’t in doubt. He plays with a swagger. He was immense for periods of last season and was deservedly named in the PFA’s team of the year, but he still only featured in 25 out of 38 league matches after playing 24 in 2020-21. Durability isn’t one of his greatest strengths. Too often, he’s watching from afar.
The Thiago blow follows hot on the heels of injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) and Curtis Jones (calf), and Klopp’s midfield has been further depleted by Naby Keita’s illness. That meant that, as Liverpool twice came from behind in the second half to avoid an embarrassing defeat against promoted Fulham, they were without four of their eight senior midfielders.
Yes, they’ve been dogged by some cruel misfortune but it wasn’t entirely unpredictable, especially given the amount of football Thiago, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain have previously missed. Keita only clocked up 2,083 minutes in all competitions for Liverpool last season (Jordan Henderson led the way in terms of the midfielders with 3,869), and Oxlade-Chamberlain featured even less (1,524).
“We can’t solve problems we have for four weeks with a transfer. It makes no sense to us,” insisted Klopp at Kirkby on Friday. However, Klopp and sporting director Julian Ward will surely need to reassess if the worst fears about Thiago’s spell on the sidelines are confirmed.
“A transfer must make sense now and in the long term,” said Klopp post-game at Craven Cottage. “We still have enough midfielders. We have to see how we react on that, but for sure, not panic.”
It certainly didn’t help on Saturday that the starting midfield trio of Fabinho, Thiago and Henderson performed so poorly. In the first half alone, they lost possession 22 times between them.
There was no semblance of control as Fulham’s combative approach rattled Klopp’s side. The lack of composure shown was alarming and it became one of the rare occasions that the manager has publicly questioned his players’ attitude.
Henderson’s passing accuracy was just 74 per cent (66 per cent in the opponents’ half), while Thiago won a third of his nine duels. Fabinho, usually so reliable in the holding role, was so out of sorts that he was substituted before the hour mark.
Nunez deservedly took the plaudits for his impact as he belatedly gave Liverpool a threatening focal point in attack after an ineffective stint from Roberto Firmino. The Uruguay striker became just the third player (after Alvaro Morata and Sergio Aguero) to score a goal and register an assist off the bench on his Premier League debut.
However, the changes Klopp made in midfield were also key to triggering that second-half improvement as Harvey Elliott and James Milner both impressed. Mohamed Salah, who scored on the opening weekend for a record sixth time, had been anonymous before Elliott unlocked the supply line to him with some lovely touches. Milner provided the controlled aggression that had previously been lacking.
Elliott’s role should continue to grow as the season evolves but it would be wrong to expect too much from a teenager who is still learning that role. The same goes for relying too heavily on Liverpool’s talismanic vice-captain, who will turn 37 in January. You can’t just relentlessly defy Father Time. Gifted youngster Carvalho can also operate in the middle but currently, he’s viewed as more of an alternative to Luis Diaz on the left side of the attack.
Keita should be back available for next Monday’s visit from Crystal Palace but Klopp and Ward have plenty of food for thought as they ponder their options.
They certainly aren’t blind to what’s out there. Liverpool held a strong interest in Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni earlier this year but always feared that Real Madrid would win that race and so it proved. Similarly, Klopp’s admiration for Bellingham is crystal clear but Dortmund simply won’t sell the England international this summer.
Rather than sitting tight until 2023, you could make a strong case for Liverpool needing to sign one midfielder now and another in a year, rather than trying to do too much in the same window. After all, next summer, Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain are likely to depart as free agents. Keita could join them if his talks over an extension don’t reach a successful conclusion.
Saturday was a wake-up call for Liverpool. You can’t perform like that and expect to get away with it. Nunez simply has to start in future matches. The bar will get raised collectively but that heavily depleted midfield department is a growing cause for concern.
https://theathletic.com/3483504/2022/08/07/thiago-injury-liverpool-transfers-midfield/
Latest Thiago injury heaps pressure on Klopp’s midfield. Do Liverpool need to buy now?
By James Pearce
The debate about Liverpool’s midfield has rumbled on throughout the summer.
“The last thing that would have crossed my mind is that we have to do this. I really don’t understand the discussion,” said Jurgen Klopp on the eve of the pre-season tour of Asia last month when the conversation turned to whether he would be further strengthening that department of his squad.
The manager went on to eulogise the array of talent already at his disposal. Liverpool were adamant their business was complete in terms of incomings after the arrival of full-back Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen followed the signings of Fabio Carvalho and Darwin Nunez.
The message was clear: the midfield was sufficiently stacked until 2023 when trying to prise Jude Bellingham away from Borussia Dortmund would become a much more realistic ambition.
However, over the past month, the debate has gradually intensified. It was cranked up another level after Thiago limped off early in the second half at Craven Cottage on Saturday, clutching his left hamstring.
A scan will determine the full extent of the damage but the initial prognosis wasn’t positive. He’s facing another lay-off — the latest in a long line of agonising setbacks that have hampered the Spain international’s time at Liverpool.
His quality isn’t in doubt. He plays with a swagger. He was immense for periods of last season and was deservedly named in the PFA’s team of the year, but he still only featured in 25 out of 38 league matches after playing 24 in 2020-21. Durability isn’t one of his greatest strengths. Too often, he’s watching from afar.
The Thiago blow follows hot on the heels of injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) and Curtis Jones (calf), and Klopp’s midfield has been further depleted by Naby Keita’s illness. That meant that, as Liverpool twice came from behind in the second half to avoid an embarrassing defeat against promoted Fulham, they were without four of their eight senior midfielders.
Yes, they’ve been dogged by some cruel misfortune but it wasn’t entirely unpredictable, especially given the amount of football Thiago, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain have previously missed. Keita only clocked up 2,083 minutes in all competitions for Liverpool last season (Jordan Henderson led the way in terms of the midfielders with 3,869), and Oxlade-Chamberlain featured even less (1,524).
“We can’t solve problems we have for four weeks with a transfer. It makes no sense to us,” insisted Klopp at Kirkby on Friday. However, Klopp and sporting director Julian Ward will surely need to reassess if the worst fears about Thiago’s spell on the sidelines are confirmed.
“A transfer must make sense now and in the long term,” said Klopp post-game at Craven Cottage. “We still have enough midfielders. We have to see how we react on that, but for sure, not panic.”
It certainly didn’t help on Saturday that the starting midfield trio of Fabinho, Thiago and Henderson performed so poorly. In the first half alone, they lost possession 22 times between them.
There was no semblance of control as Fulham’s combative approach rattled Klopp’s side. The lack of composure shown was alarming and it became one of the rare occasions that the manager has publicly questioned his players’ attitude.
Henderson’s passing accuracy was just 74 per cent (66 per cent in the opponents’ half), while Thiago won a third of his nine duels. Fabinho, usually so reliable in the holding role, was so out of sorts that he was substituted before the hour mark.
Nunez deservedly took the plaudits for his impact as he belatedly gave Liverpool a threatening focal point in attack after an ineffective stint from Roberto Firmino. The Uruguay striker became just the third player (after Alvaro Morata and Sergio Aguero) to score a goal and register an assist off the bench on his Premier League debut.
However, the changes Klopp made in midfield were also key to triggering that second-half improvement as Harvey Elliott and James Milner both impressed. Mohamed Salah, who scored on the opening weekend for a record sixth time, had been anonymous before Elliott unlocked the supply line to him with some lovely touches. Milner provided the controlled aggression that had previously been lacking.
Elliott’s role should continue to grow as the season evolves but it would be wrong to expect too much from a teenager who is still learning that role. The same goes for relying too heavily on Liverpool’s talismanic vice-captain, who will turn 37 in January. You can’t just relentlessly defy Father Time. Gifted youngster Carvalho can also operate in the middle but currently, he’s viewed as more of an alternative to Luis Diaz on the left side of the attack.
Keita should be back available for next Monday’s visit from Crystal Palace but Klopp and Ward have plenty of food for thought as they ponder their options.
They certainly aren’t blind to what’s out there. Liverpool held a strong interest in Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni earlier this year but always feared that Real Madrid would win that race and so it proved. Similarly, Klopp’s admiration for Bellingham is crystal clear but Dortmund simply won’t sell the England international this summer.
Rather than sitting tight until 2023, you could make a strong case for Liverpool needing to sign one midfielder now and another in a year, rather than trying to do too much in the same window. After all, next summer, Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain are likely to depart as free agents. Keita could join them if his talks over an extension don’t reach a successful conclusion.
Saturday was a wake-up call for Liverpool. You can’t perform like that and expect to get away with it. Nunez simply has to start in future matches. The bar will get raised collectively but that heavily depleted midfield department is a growing cause for concern.
https://theathletic.com/3483504/2022/08/07/thiago-injury-liverpool-transfers-midfield/
