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It was a bold statement and Jürgen Klopp knew it.
“In Germany, there is a famous player who played in a similar way to him,” Klopp said of Leighton Clarkson. “You may have to back up a bit more, and I don’t want to push the boy, but he reminds me a lot of him.
“He is just a good footballer, a smart footballer. He is fast, physically strong. If you see him, his legs are not like the legs of a 19-year-old boy, they have already grown, so I am very happy to give him this opportunity because he deserves it ”.
The player Klopp was referring to was former Bayern Munich stalwart Philipp Lahm. The 37-year-old doesn’t need a big introduction for most soccer fans – eight Bundesliga titles and a world champion medal are proof enough of his quality.
One of the things that defined Lahm’s career was his versatility, along with his willingness to be consistently smart and simple with his game. That may seem like an easy feat, but ask yourself, how many times in 5 per side have you made an unnecessarily risky shot? How about trying a pass that you knew had a slim chance of getting out?
Risk takers are important in the game and require a certain kind of confidence to play that way, but just as important are players willing to be disinterested. It wasn’t that Lahm couldn’t always produce expansive play, but he often knew that the smartest decision on the ball was quick and easy.
Those same traits are most likely what Klopp appreciates in Clarkson. The 19-year-old was born in Blackburn and is a young and versatile player. He made his debut for the Reds just under a year ago in the EFL Cup against Aston Villa and signed a long-term contract with the club last summer.
While Lahm spent most of his career as a winger before moving to defensive midfield, Clarkson is believed to operate best as the number six.
With that in mind, we looked at Clarkson’s performance against FC Midtjylland in the middle of the week to further evaluate Klopp’s comparison.
Clarkson was operating as the deepest midfielder in the middle of the week. The modern number six is more of a defensive line bodyguard, trying to predict where danger will occur and quell it before something starts. There are still players who make a living off crunchy tackles and a more aggressive approach, but Claude Makelele is still the gold standard for the position.
To that end, Clarkson made three interceptions, according to Wyscout, and he certainly showed the ability to read the game and be in the right place at the right time. He wasn’t always around, but you could imagine that aspect of his game will improve with more experience and more exposure to the first team.
He also showed his willingness to carry the ball forward for Liverpool, but looked to pass it on to a more advanced teammate in both cases.
The other most important component of your game is passing. In possession, Clarkson posted a 75% pass rate. The player himself said that he felt like he performed better in the first half, and it’s hard to disagree.
The game had more pace during the opening period, allowing Clarkson to recycle the ball in front of the four behind and keep things simple and clean up loose balls when the opportunity presented itself. From time to time he opened his pass with some long balls forward, one of which was about to hit Diogo Jota in the 7th minute (he would find Jota back with a long ball in the 29th).
What may have also impressed Klopp is how he was constantly looking for the ball and positioning himself to receive it. Clarkson wanted to be a conduit for Liverpool possession, and showing such confidence at a young age is a bright sign.
In studying his incomplete passes, he shows a combination of ambitious long-ball attempts and the odd moment of carelessness.
The latter should soften in time, and in Thiago Alcantara, he has a tremendous mentor for the role he is training in. While player comparisons, like Lahm’s, seem like a recipe for disaster, it’s easy to see how Klopp came to that conclusion.
It’s still early, of course, and for that reason, the excitement around Clarkson should moderate. The player has shown the foundations of something promising, and if he continues to build it with smart and simple decisions, he could enjoy a fruitful football career.
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