Jürgen Klopp may have assembled the strongest squad of his Liverpool reign so far, and the impact of his rotation and substitutes is proof of that.
By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
“To be successful,” Jurgen Klopp mused before Liverpool’s midweek trip to Sheffield United, “you need a strong squad. That’s clear.”
It was far from a groundbreaking statement from the manager, but it comes during a period in which the depth of his squad is not only being showcased – but also increasingly stretched.
With Liverpool dropping down into the Europa League this season, Klopp has employed a rotational approach throughout a perpetually busy fixture list so far, with 138 changes made to his starting lineup over 23 games – an average of six every game.
A total of 27 different players have already featured and 19 of those have made at least 10 appearances in all competitions – or just under half the number of games played to date; were it not for injury Andy Robertson would have also been in that group, while Caoimhin Kelleher is expected to join it in the coming weeks.
Throughout the entirely of the previous campaign, Klopp used 33 different players and only 16 featured in at least half of all games played. Even in the 2021/22 season, when Liverpool reached the finals of the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, therefore playing in every single game possible when the campaign began, Klopp used 37 different players but just 14 played in at least 50 percent of those fixtures.
The balancing act, between Premier League and Champions League, naturally dictated that less rotation could be made between starting XIs. But despite the drop in competition this time around, and a summer of major upheaval, there is a case to argue that Klopp has never had a stronger squad.
Over the past fortnight, the depth available to Klopp has been flexed with influential displays from the likes of Cody Gakpo, Wataru Endo, Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott. Both Gakpo and Endo were vital to victories over LASK and Fulham, while Quansah again filled a vital breach at centre-back against the latter in the Europa League, before starting in the Premier League trip to Crystal Palace that was decided by Elliott’s stunning long-range winner.
Gakpo, Endo and Elliott all started in a second-string lineup against LASK, with the Dutchman scoring twice and assisting once, the Japan captain making more recoveries (11) and passes into the final third (12) than any other player and the Englishman registering the joint-second most touches of any player (75) and the joint-most chances created (three).
Days later, Gakpo and Endo both came off the bench to help turn the tide as Liverpool were pegged back by Fulham, with Endo scoring his third goal for the club to make it 3-3 and Gakpo’s powerful shot parried back into danger to force the winner for 4-3. Elliott was unused in that clash but then came on against both Sheffield United and, more influentially, Crystal Palace.
None of those three players find themselves in Klopp’s most-used XI so far this season – based on minutes played, that would be Alisson, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez – but their roles are of similar importance.
“We start with three strikers and have one on the bench. I wouldn’t say that’s now the strongest bench in the world but the player who can come on is a really good one, that’s true,” Klopp explained after the win over Fulham.
“Same with Endo [as a midfield option], but we had other players [like] Curtis out, and yes, midfield, there are still opportunities.”
He added: “I think about who we have available and then we go and use them and try to use them all. It’s now [Wednesday] night and then Saturday 12.30pm and then Thursday. From that moment on we go again, until the New Year. It’s just tough. You need a strong bench to be successful – and yes the players were, the whole season through, the players from the bench were very, very impactful. That just speaks of the quality of the players.”
Whereas in the months immediately following his January move from PSV Eindhoven, Gakpo was first choice up front, he is now in direct competition with Núñez – while also providing an option in midfield and wide. Whereas last season’s most-used substitute was James Milner, Liverpool have now acquired, in Endo, a biting midfielder who is seven years his junior. Whereas last term Elliott was one of Klopp’s most frequent starters in a struggling midfield, the 20-year-old is now arguably the club’s most consistently useful substitute, deputising and blossoming in a variety of positions, in a role better fitting his experience at this stage.
Gomez’s ongoing availability has made him a staple at centre-back, right-back and even left-back; Diogo Jota has already contributed eight goals despite having yet to clock 1,000 minutes; Ryan Gravenberch has been able to gradually adjust to a new club, in a new country, as Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones both thrive in the advanced midfield roles; the rise of Quansah, too, has allowed Klopp to manage Ibrahima Konate’s minutes at the request of Liverpool’s medical staff.
All with little drop-off.
After Saturday’s 2-1 comeback at Crystal Palace the Reds sit top of the Premier League, a point above Arsenal and three clear of Manchester City. They have already sealed a spot in the last 16 of the Europa League by finishing top of Group E, avoiding a two-legged playoff being added to the schedule in February. They are also into the last 16 of the League Cup having made 18 changes over two fixtures against Leicester and Bournemouth in the previous rounds.
So far, so good, but with seven more games to play over 25 days before the winter break – or one every 3.6 days for almost a month – that consistency amid ongoing change to the starting XI will be tested further.
The injury list currently stands at six players, with Matip, Robertson, Jota, Mac Allister, Thiago and Stefan Bajčetić all sidelined, and any further absences will only stretch the depth of Klopp’s squad further. Klopp is well aware of this, though, and unlike previous seasons, he now has even more solutions to any problems that arise.
(Images from IMAGO)
To keep up to date with everything Liverpool, make sure you click follow on the team profile in the FotMob app. Download the free app here.