Jurgen Klopp’s new look Liverpool side has had a fairly inconsistent opening first three games of the season. The Reds started their campaign on a high as new signing Sadio Mane and their talismanic playmaker Philippe Coutinho led their side to an inspiring 4-3 victory over Arsenal on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.
Everybody expected the club to do well in their next two games which were against Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool had impressively beaten Barcelona 4-0 at Wembley in a pre-season friendly which had given their fans confidence ahead of the new season. However, a 2-0 loss at Burnley and a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane has seen the Liverpool faithful doubt their side’s credentials for the umpteenth time.
But manager Jurgen Klopp remains confident that his players can rejuvenate themselves after the international break to stitch a string of victories as they finally play their first home game of the season this weekend as they host the champions. The German has, however, put his faith in some of the unestablished players at the club and these players need to repay Klopp’s faith in them.
Here are the five players in the Liverpool team who will have to work hard in the near future:
#1 Emre Can
In July 2014, Emre Can had joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen after the Reds had activated his release clause of £9.75 million. Then manager Brendan Rodgers had described the German as an “inspirational young talent”. But as soon as the manager was sacked by the club last year, Jurgen Klopp took over and this German player has been his favourite since. Maybe it is because of their same nationality, but Klopp definitely seems to like Can as a player.
The manager has been seen playing the German international in many important games for Liverpool ahead of other central midfielders that the Reds have. But the 22-year old has not been able to make the most of his opportunities. Can has made a total of 91 appearances for the Anfield side in which he has only ever scored three goals. A player with the capability of Can should be giving his side something extra in the heart of midfield.
Liverpool’s number 23 will be under pressure to perform this season given the faith that his manager has put in him. Klopp has always praised Can since he took over the reigns of the English club and continues to play the German in the big games ahead of the experienced Lucas Leiva. Klopp will be hoping that the midfielder can shrug off his ankle injury to feature this weekend against champions Leicester City.
It is high time for the German to live up to the expectations and repay his manager’s faith in him.
#2 Divock Origi
Divock Origi is another of the players that Brendan Rodgers had signed in the summer of 2014 but the Belgian striker was immediately sent back to his former club Lille on loan for the entire season. The 21-year old returned to Liverpool for the following season where he made a total of 33 appearances in his debut season, scoring 10 goals in the process under new manager Jurgen Klopp.
The German also had the likes of Christian Benteke and Mario Balotelli at his disposal but chose to stick with the youngster. However, as Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino started most of the games for the Anfield side, Origi was mostly used as a substitute to make an impression in the dying stages of the matches. Klopp has sold both Benteke and Balotelli but has decided to keep Origi which indicates how highly he rates the striker.
But it is now time for the 21-year old to show why his manager has been sticking with him. With the addition of Sadio Mane, things might get a bit difficult for the Belgian as he will get and he has to earn a starting XI spot through his limited time.
#3 Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson came to the Red side of Merseyside back in June 2011 from Sunderland. The England international was rated very highly at that time as he was one of the most attractive English players with pundits dubbing him to be the next Steven Gerrard. But five years and 216 appearances later, Henderson is considered as an on-and-off player who needs to add consistency and composure to his game.
The 26-year old plays as a box-to-box midfielder for the Reds but he has been seen lacking in defence more often than not. Most recently, Henderson had been poor in the first two games against Arsenal and Burnley defensively but Klopp has shown faith in the Liverpool skipper. The manager has always defended the players he likes and Henderson is certainly one of them.
Going into his sixth season at Anfield, Henderson still needs to establish himself as the player who brings the ‘calm’ to his team’s play. Klopp will also be hoping that the England international can repay the faith he has put in the midfielder in the coming season. With the likes of Emre Can, Lucas Leiva and now Georginio Wijnaldum in the side, it is Henderson who will need to step up his game and deliver defensively and with goals and assists too.
#4 Dejan Lovren
Dejan Lovren was bought by Liverpool in the summer of 2014 following two other Southampton players, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, to Anfield. The defender was signed for a fee close to £20 million and was dubbed to be the solution to the defensive problems of the Anfield side. There is no doubt that the Croatian defender has been a strong force in the defense for the Reds but is prone to errors.
Jurgen Klopp has chosen Lovren as his first choice central defender along with new signing Ragnar Klavan to begin the season. The 27-year old defender has seen himself miss a fair chunk of the games in the two seasons at Anfield but will be hoping he can become a mainstay at the back this season. Having made a total of 81 appearances for Liverpool in the two previous seasons, this season is going to be the one where he has to come off age.
Klopp has instilled his faith time and again in the Croatian and it might finally be a make or break season for Lovren at Anfield with the fans not expected to be okay with the excuse of ‘transition phase’ at the start of the next season. With the addition of Joel Matip also, it might be a difficult phase for the Reds’ number 6 if he fails to repay Klopp’s faith in him.
#5 Alberto Moreno
It has been more than two years since Alberto Moreno joined Liverpool from Sevilla for a fee of £12 million but the Spaniard has been unable to convince Liverpool fans that he is the right choice for the position. The 24-year old plays as a left-back for the Reds but his performances in the two seasons he has played for the Anfield club have not been fruitful.
The left-back was seen as the worrying cog in Liverpool’s defence when they started the new season and the former Sevilla man did not disappoint his critics. Moreno gave away a penalty as he brought down Theo Walcott inside the box at the Emirates and looked very nervy throughout the game. The Spaniard was then dropped from the starting XI in the second game against Burnley where James Milner was played as his replacement. But Klopp brought the defender on after the hour mark to add attacking impetus.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has always given his backing to the Spanish full-back and did not sign any players in the position this transfer window. Klopp made several signings again in this transfer window but did not sign any player as a back-up or replacement for Alberto Moreno. Therefore, it is high time that the Spaniard repays his manager’s faith in him by pulling up his socks in the season ahead.
