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Liverpool are blessed with a wide range of attacking talents in their squad, but if you were to ponder what your best options are, the answer would always be the same. Over the past few years, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané have established themselves as one of the front lines of world football, if not the most feared, but it’s not just about them.
Last summer’s transfer window saw calls from various quarters demanding that Liverpool spend money and bring in attacking reinforcements to provide competition for the top three. While a forward was to be expected, Jürgen Klopp and his recruiting team do what they always do and go down left field for a player no one thought of Diogo Jota initially.
There were already players like Takumi Minamino and Xherdan Shaqiri at the club who have the ability to join the Liverpool squad and replace the aforementioned trio when called upon. But it’s not just up front that there’s squad depth too.
In midfield, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum and summer signing Thiago Alcântara will likely take the most spots in the middle of the park for major league games. However, there are several fringe players who will deserve a shot at some point in the season, namely Curtis Jones, Naby Keïta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
While most of the focus will be on mounting a Premier League challenge, the European stage is where this Liverpool team first made its mark on world football. The club has a longstanding link to the competition, Anfield on a Champions League night is unlike anything you will experience on any other sporting arena.
However, the question that needs to be answered is when do these players get their chance? When will we really get to see the full value of the depth of equipment that many have been asking for? There may be no better time than a Champions League night.
Liverpool have six games in the two and a half weeks before the next international break, and without the Carabao Cup, a Champions League night could be the perfect opportunity to give some of these players a chance. To be fair, it might be the only chance.
It all depends on how much or little focus Klopp puts into these early group games. If he shoots with all his might, then we can see people like Minamino and Jota with a shot in the league. However, it must be remembered that the Premier League has become very unpredictable and that uncertainty can keep Klopp keeping his main roster well rested and eager to play.
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In Minamino’s case, this was the season we all expected to see him break into the first team and become a regular starter. That hasn’t happened yet, despite a flashy performance or two in the Carabao Cup and Community Shield. We’ve seen more of Jota even though he arrived just a few weeks ago, but both will have vital roles to play in the future.
The number of games awaiting Liverpool is staggering, especially when you consider the list of injuries already piling up at Melwood. Klopp’s first priority will be keeping his players fit and healthy, and that may well mean that some players will miss a game to recover.
With Liverpool’s six games between now and the next international break, he would like to think that some of the more marginal players will start at least two of them. Be it the Champions League or the Premier League, who knows, but Klopp has a strong team at his disposal and it would be wise to make the most of it.
Klopp doesn’t just limit himself to using his tried and trusted 4-3-3 formation, which has proven to be one of the main reasons for the club’s success in recent seasons. Having players like Jota, Minamino and Jones on the team, who are all versatile and can operate in multiple roles, means that Liverpool can be unpredictable with the way it sets up.
Take Minamino as the perfect example. He is the type of player that Klopp loves to work with because he can play in a handful of different positions, and he makes it incredibly difficult for rival teams to stop Liverpool’s attack. Minamino can play as a forward, in the 10th role or on any wing, but just behind the main leader is probably where he gets the best of him.
For Jota, he’s also versatile, like Minamino, but he’s probably best suited for playing on the wing, particularly on the left side. Having players like these at Klopp’s disposal means he can afford to give his first-choice eleven a break from time to time, but that’s not the only reason.
Although the players we have talked about are outside the first team, there is an undeniable quality. Minamino and Jota could probably play for just about any other team in the Premier League, even in the top six.
The drop from the first-choice eleven to the rest of the team is no longer a gap the size of an abyss it once was, and is now simply a side step giving Klopp more options up his sleeve should he need them.
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