Throughout Jürgen Klopp’s time at Liverpool, their success has been built around the output of one of the best attacking lines in world football.
One inherited, two signed: Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah became arguably the most-feared trio in football, scoring 338 goals over five years together combined.
By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
But in the space of 12 months, the long-standing front line at Anfield has been broken up and rebuilt, with Liverpool arguably now boasting even more wealth in their forward options.
Mané left for Bayern Munich last summer as Salah agreed a new three-year contract, while Firmino opted to depart on a free transfer in recognition of the new generation coming through.
Liverpool not only committed £54.6 million in wages over the course of Salah’s improved deal, but sanctioned a £217 million outlay on the signings of Diogo Jota from Wolves, Luis Díaz from Porto, Darwin Núñez from Benfica and Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.
Unlike their worryingly slack approach to the midfield rebuild, the rejuvenation of Klopp’s attack was deliberate and implemented over three years.
And unlike the iconic Salah-Mané-Firmino unit, it is now impossible to predict who stands as the manager’s first-choice trio.
So who should form Liverpool’s new-look attack for the campaign to come?
The guaranteed starter
As it stands, the only one of Liverpool’s five senior forwards who appears guaranteed to start the majority of games is Salah.
Of course, he is the only one of those five whose natural role is on the right – but suggesting that as why he keeps his place would be to undersell his importance to Liverpool.
Salah is a legendary figure in the history of the club, their current fifth-highest goalscorer of all time, and he is paid a record salary to reflect this.
But beyond his goals there is a creativity that is often overlooked, while his pace is essential to stretching defences, his durability allows him to play almost every game and he has stepped up as a leader in recent years.
Put simply, Salah is one of the first names on Klopp’s teamsheet and will remain that way.
The left side
Things become more complicated when considering the options on the opposite flank, particularly given all four of Jota, Díaz, Gakpo and Núñez are capable of performing there.
Liverpool’s preparations for the new campaign have hinted, however, that it will be a straight fight between Jota and Díaz for the starting spot on the left.
Therein lies a conundrum: Jota is a ridiculously proficient goalscorer, who is surprisingly effective out wide, but he lacks the pace and sheer unpredictability of Díaz as a natural winger.
Díaz spent much of his first full season at Liverpool recovering from a series of knee injuries, but his form throughout pre-season shows a player returning to peak sharpness and desperate to make up for lost time.
With Klopp starting Jota alongside Salah in both of Liverpool’s warmup friendlies in Singapore – meetings with Leicester and Bayern Munich which should, in theory, provide an indication of his plans for the trip to Chelsea on August 13 – it may be that the Portuguese is in favour as it stands.
The centre-forward
Just like with Jota and Díaz, Klopp boasts two wildly different options when it comes to his starting centre-forward – and personal preference will likely divide the fanbase.
A club-record signing from Benfica in 2022, Núñez was clearly brought in as the new marquee striker at Anfield, but a difficult six months then paved the way for Gakpo’s arrival from PSV Eindhoven.
While Núñez often looked at odds with Klopp’s system in his first season, Gakpo slotted in seamlessly from the off. More impressively, he did so as a career winger taking on Firmino’s mantle as all-consuming false nine – and, dare we say it, improving on it with even more physicality.
Pre-season has seen Núñez hit the ground running, with four goals in as many games at an average of one every 45 minutes, and the Uruguayan has shown signs of being more attuned to the demands up front.
But for the sake of Liverpool’s system and structural integrity, the starting spot looks to be Gakpo’s for now.
How Liverpool can thrive off unpredictability
Hurtling towards the Premier League opener at Chelsea, the smart money will be on Jota and Gakpo starting in attack alongside Salah.
But that there is a debate to be had can only be seen as a positive – and a marked change to fans and opponents alike knowing Salah, Mané and Firmino would start every game possible.
Now, Klopp can chop and change his attack to suit the tactical requirements of a specific game.
There could be a desire for more thrust in the No. 9 role as Núñez takes over from Gakpo; or the pace and skill to pin a full-back as Díaz assumes the left-sided spot; and there will also be times where Klopp deploys four forwards as Gakpo shifts into an advanced midfield role.
In certain games, the manager could even rely upon 17-year-old Ben Doak – an outstanding talent who has not looked out of place in pre-season – to dazzle on the right flank as an alternative to Salah.
This unpredictability can be key to Liverpool reviving their fortunes after a difficult spell – as it is hard to remember a time when the club had so much attacking quality in abundance.
(Images from IMAGO)
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