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It wasn’t the first year in Merseyside that Takumi Minamino had expected. In a season in which Liverpool have suffered a series of injuries, the Japanese international has appeared in just six Premier League and Champions League games, for a total of just 145 minutes.
Of the three starts he has made this season, two came in the Carabao Cup. It’s not exactly an enthusiastic endorsement of the midfielder-turned-forward, who would have expected to be building toward a regular starting job after a six-month acclimatization period.
And now, after returning from an international break in which he once again impressed the Japanese team, including a penalty in a 1-0 win over Panama, he faces a quietly crucial period early in his Liverpool career.
Jürgen Klopp is dealing with a series of injuries. Much has been made of the long absences of Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, but the Liverpool side have been devastated by problems throughout.
Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago Alcântara, Naby Keïta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are either set to miss out on the weekend’s game against Leicester City or have they been dealing with their respective issues and will not be complete fitness after the resumption of the Premier League.
Leaves Klopp scrambling to find solutions.
Recently, he switched to a 4-2-3-1 form to pressure Diogo Jota on the side. In this way, he only requires two holding midfielders. However, now, not only might he not have two midfielders available for selection; several may have to play on the baseline to cover other injuries.
Jota’s appearance after their summer move only puts Minamino’s struggles in a larger context. The fact that the Wolves winger has come to life on Merseyside as if it had been developed in the Klopp system for years must be concerning to those it has already gotten ahead of.
Even more pertinent is the work of Curtis Jones and Xherdan Shaqiri. Needing a goal against West Ham United and then against Manchester City, it was not Minamino that Klopp turned to, but Shaqiri, the Swiss international who provided a crucial assist for Jota’s goal against the Hammers.
His combination said who was absent. Minamino has only been more resigned to sitting on the bench, or even missing the day’s squad entirely as against City before the international break, than his inconsistent playing time from last season.
However, while Minamino has continually fought to impact matches as expected, and as his natural ability certainly indicates that it is possible, he has not been hit right on the whip either.
Klopp’s 4-3-3 form, which has largely dominated the proceedings since arriving at Anfield, and is the dominant system of Liverpool’s most recent success, does not suit Minamino’s more nuanced, subtle and creative instincts. .
Like Roberto Firmino before him, Klopp has tried to alter his game, turning him from a creative number 10 into a back-to-goal number nine who leaves center-backs, receives the ball with his back to goal and then looks. To feed the pacy wide players behind the rival defenses.
Firmino is a master in this role. It has the physical frame to repel defenders. He is a wonderful coach at receiving the ball, producing sumptuous movements and touches to spin in space or free those around him. While he is not a penalty area center forward or aerial giant, he is the ideal forward for Liverpool to play.
Minamino, however, is a different type of player. He’s lighter, a little faster and sharper, more dangerous when he can take the ball deeper and face goal, rather than having to dodge physically dominant center-backs.
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However, there is a possibility that the most desired paper from Minamino is available. Klopp has increasingly drifted into 4-2-3-1 form this season, and with Firmino struggling to stay fit, he may look to use a more creative midfielder behind a center forward.
Jota has made his quality clear and could steal one of the top three positions, but with Salah having the experience of playing in the middle, it could lead to Minamino shining in a facilitating role behind a trio consisting of the Egyptian international, Jota, and the omnipresent Sadio Mané.
Certainly if Klopp intends to put Minamino in the best position to be successful at Liverpool, this would be it. And with the current injuries you’re dealing with, you may not have a better chance at doing so.
Liverpool are forced to experiment, and that could lead to intriguing and unexpected results. Could one of those be a resurrection of Minamino? If you want to discover your place in the Liverpool team, you must start now. Minamino is running out of opportunities and Klopp could be losing his patience.
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