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It’s been two months since Liverpool last kicked a ball, and there’s still no certainty as to exactly when Premier League football will return to action.
Discussions about the ‘project restart’ continue, with a possible best scenario to resume behind closed doors (in neutral stages) sometime in June, depending, of course, on how the overall public health situation evolves from time to time. when.
When soccer make However, eventually it will start again, there will be all sorts of intriguing stories to pay attention to as they unfold. How quickly will some players return to speed? Will some teams perform significantly better or worse than normal in empty stadiums? How will the 2019/20 result set the scene for the upcoming season and beyond?
There are all kinds of mysteries to delve into, and in the coming days our writers will discuss various topics of particular interest from a Liverpool perspective. First it was Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and the tactical puzzle around situation No.6.
Following: What does Jürgen Klopp do if Liverpool secures the title with several games to spare?
Okay, let’s suppose for now that the Premier League finally follows the Bundesliga leadership and sets concrete plans to complete the 2019/20 season when it is safe and appropriate to do so.
As it stands, Liverpool requires an absolute maximum of six points to mathematically secure the title, though that obviously comes down if Manchester City doesn’t win every remaining game, which seems highly unlikely given their erratic form this season.
In all probability, then, Yes Soccer resumes, Liverpool will be crowned champion with up to six, seven, or perhaps even eight games to play, raising the question: What strategy does Klopp follow?
On the one hand, there is a very strong argument to keep playing against your strongest team until the end and do your best to accumulate as many points as possible. Right now, Liverpool needs 19 points out of the last 27 offered to break the Premier League record of 100 set by Manchester City in 2017/18. That’s just six wins and a draw, with room to breathe for a couple of losses as well.
But not only that: the highest figure of all time in the history of Europe’s top five leagues is 102, set by Juventus in 2013/14. That is also within Liverpool’s reach, requiring 21 points from the last 27 available. Seven wins out of nine, or six wins and three draws. You can bet your last dollar on Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and company. he will bite himself completely to make that happen.
Liverpool was not only able to end the 30-year wait for the league’s 19th title, but it could become the best champions of england in history . Of course, nobody wanted it to happen in an empty stadium, but breaking the all-time record would certainly add some flavor to the occasion.
It is by no means a simple task, it should be said. As much as records can provide a source of motivation, there will inevitably be some degree of subconscious relaxation once the title is in the bag. This team and this manager take too much pride in what they do to become complacent, but maintaining the same level of intensity when the main goal has already been achieved is a totally different kind of challenge.
However, there is another school of thought, which is that Klopp uses the remaining games after the league is won to give more minutes to the young men who knock on the door of the first team, not an entire team of children as it happened against Shrewsbury Town. but a handful of them along with top-level professionals.
Under ordinary circumstances, facing a crowded Anfield, Klopp might feel compelled to choose a stronger team than is necessary for a dead rubber league game because more than 50,000 fans are on hand to watch the show, but that obligation is not entirely. yes The last games are being played behind closed doors on neutral ground and the title is already done. It is a totally unique scenario that no manager has faced before.
Now, there have been talks on social media this week about certain clubs harboring concerns if Liverpool take this approach, and therefore more damage the ‘integrity’ of the competition. In addition to the fact that Klopp can pick any lineup he likes as Liverpool’s manager, that attitude also underestimates (and disrespectful) how good some of Liverpool’s young men really are.
Recently, in January, an Everton team in full force approached Anfield in the third round of the FA Cup and was not only defeated, but was outmatched by a Liverpool team that contained Neco Williams, Nat Phillips, Yasser Larouci, Curtis Jones, Pedro Chirivella and Harvey. Elliott
If Klopp were to use a handful of the remaining matches as an opportunity to go to bed with some of these players and prove themselves at the Premier League level as part of a mixed Liverpool XI with numerous seasoned figures, that would absolutely be their right.
He could also use the time to bring Takumi Minamino up to speed with the system and identify his most effective position, or even turn to people like Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi, and Adam Lallana who have found his starting opportunities severely restricted this season.
Chasing as many records as possible, or treating it almost like a mini preseason, a moment to experiment without much about it? There are merits to all of these approaches, and Klopp will have his reasoning behind whichever he chooses.
Until then, it’s still about winning that title and worrying about the rest later.
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