Here are the two things Liverpool need to do to win the Premier League title.
Liverpool fell short of one point in the last Premier League campaign. In defiance of 97 points, the Reds finished second in the league to Manchester City, who had one more point more to brag about their fourth English top-flight title in eight years.
In the face of bagging 198 points over the last two seasons, Pep Guardiola has signed Rodri and Angelinho, while a deal for Joao Cancelo looks imminent. On the other hand, Jurgen Klopp has only signed former West Ham shot-stopper Adrian as a backup goalkeeper to Alisson Becker following the departure of Simon Mignolet to Club Brugge.
The Anfield faithful are pinning their hopes on the stroke of luck in the upcoming season because of the lack of backups to Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson. The attacking and defensive stars of the left-hand side made 98 appearances combinedly last season.
The Champions League triumph ineluctably adds Super Cup and Club World Cup – accounting to three games. The prospect of taking part in the Club World Cup is a monumental task because of the fixtures piling up during the Christmas time. Henceforth, a backup would have done no harm, but Klopp is obstinate about what Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri bring to the table, alongside the young Rhian Brewster.
Every team needs the luck to win trophies and it is no different for the Citizens. There are no second thoughts about the fortune required for Liverpool to compete with Manchester City for the Premier League title once again. However, Jurgen Klopp could lead Liverpool to glory if he slightly mutates his persona in the upcoming season.
#1 Midfielders must lessen the burden of full-backs
Most of the team’s creativity is hingeing from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson through the flanks of either side. Jurgen Klopp has engraved his side in this process to unfasten the opponent’s defence. Majority of the sides – trying to diffuse full-backs creativity have successfully failed. They were part of the side which conceded the least in the Premier League and contributed 30 goals to the final third last season. Thereby, scepticism surrounding the manipulation of this talented duo should never be considered.
When the opponent forwards aim to suffocate Trent and Robertson, either James Milner or Georginio Wijnaldum tends to sit back alongside the centre-backs – providing insurance for the full-backs to roam around freely. When the Liverpool academy graduate was watching his side play from the sidelines for three weeks, defensive and attacking balance got hindered because of the scantiness of artistry from the midfield department – which had just 16 goals and 15 assists in between them.
With Naby Keita and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain in station, goals are anticipated from the middle of the park. The likes of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, and Georginio Wijnaldum should also upper their goal tally to ease the burden on the full-backs.
Liverpool’s system is a class of its own and incomparable from other sides implementing the different methodology. At one point of time, there will be obvious absentees – influencing Jurgen Klopp to forge a new strategy. The manager needs to procure points in some way or another and midfielders must be compelled driving forward and play a helping hand in goal tally.
#2 Dauntless frame of mind needs to bulge
Liverpool should not look at the games against Leicester City or West Ham United for their league title loss. The titanic schedule at the Etihad Stadium should have been obliged with a raring set of mind rather taking a step backwards with the unclasping conservative approach – helping the course of the Citizens, who were in a hunt for optimism following three loss in last four Premier League games.
The Reds were in the back of a poor run of results in January end, but the game against Manchester United should have been a racing certainty towards victory. Albeit the Red Devils being cursed with injuries, the fierce rivals failed to introduce Xherdan Shaqiri before 80th minute – failing to seize the moment. The crucial away trip to Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain told the same story.
On the other hand, Pep Guardiola preferred Leroy Sane coming off the bench against Manchester United at Old Trafford to put the game beyond the eyesight of the hosts. Since the Merseysiders are going head-to-head against the greatest Premier League side, Klopp must be prudent about the fear of losing every single point in the campaign.
Henceforth, Jurgen Klopp should untether the midfield three of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum combination, and rather adopt defensive midfielder Fabinho, who oozes elegance and no-nonsense scheme in the middle. While Naby Keita might have failed to live up to the belief last season, the Guinean being highly regarded, must demonstrate his ability in the forthcoming crucial campaign. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another option for the Reds.
A midfield trio of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson/Georginio Wijnaldum/James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain/Naby Keita would be the suitable option. This trio will contain one destroyer, one tireless worker, and a midfielder with attacking mindset – making sure that balance isn’t lost. The ideal balance would be available at stake should Jurgen Klopp deploy the above-mentioned midfield lineup.
Over and above to the preferred midfield selection, the German must not be unfazed by bringing the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain or Divock Origi into the game as they possess the knack of changing matches on their own, when required.
