Off the back of Mo Salah’s contract extension, the mood is bright at Liverpool, but Paul Merson isn’t convinced all will be well at Anfield this season.
Writing for his column in the Daily Star, Merson noted a ‘big problem at the heart’ of the Liverpool team which could lead them to “fall too far behind Manchester City.”
Merson is referring to Jürgen Klopp’s midfield at Liverpool.
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The former Arsenal midfielder has revealed his concerns about the depth and quality in the Anfield club’s engine room and claims Liverpool are too ‘reliant on Fabinho.’
He also suggests depending on a midfield quartet of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, and Thiago Alcantara is ‘not really good enough for a club like Liverpool.’
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As for Klopp’s other central midfield options, Merson questions whether Curtis Jones is ‘ready to play big minutes’ for Klopp's side.
Meanwhile, he believes the Reds have ‘never been able to rely on Naby Keita.’
A scathing assessment from Merson.
The pundit fails to note further alternative options Klopp has within his midfield. Both Harvey Elliott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are more than capable of slotting in when required.
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The issue perhaps is that Liverpool’s midfield options are very lop-sided.
All 5 of Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Harvey Elliott prefer to play on the right-hand-side of Jürgen Klopp’s midfield 3.
On the other side, Klopp has just 2 players comfortable playing in the more withdrawn left-central-midfield role, Thiago and a 36-year-old James Milner.
And then, sitting deepest in the middle of the 3, he has Fabinho. Merson is right, if Fabinho were to get injured, it’d be a devastating blow for Liverpool.
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Jordan Henderson can play as the deepest lying midfielder for Liverpool, but it’s not his preferred role, and he doesn’t perform it anyway near as well as Fabinho.
Liverpool’s issue is not a lack of midfield options. There are plenty of them.
The issue is a lack of positional versatility within the engine room, and a lack of depth in quality.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Liverpool, Paul Merson, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours