5 signings who could have won Liverpool the League this year

#4 Mahmoud Dahoud

Mahmoud Dahoud would have been an able deputy for Adam Lallana

Liverpool shifted to a midfield 3 this season with captain Jordan Henderson adapting to the holding role and attackers Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana learning to play the box-to-box midfield role which suited their strengths better. Emre Can was the primary backup in midfield followed by Lucas. However, Emre Can’s best position is the holding midfield position as seen in recent weeks and yet he had to play in the advanced midfield role when Lallana was injured.

(Video Courtesy: Home of Football YouTube Channel)

While Can did well in terms of pressing and work-rate, he lacks the attacking impetus needed for the role and as a result, Liverpool struggled against defensive sides in particular and the lack of a box-to-box option on the bench led to Liverpool dropping points. As can be seen so far, Liverpool definitely identified the right players but failed to secure their signature due to various reasons and Mahmoud Dahoud is another player in the same category.

The 21-year old Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder is highly admired by Klopp and was linked with the Merseyside club but the departure of midfielders, Granit Xhaka to Arsenal, and Havard Nordtveit to West Ham, coupled with the lack of Champions League football ensured Dahoud stayed back.

Dahoud’s box-to-box ability is just as good if not better than the Liverpool midfielders. (Comparison data from Squawka.com)

Dahoud is that rare player whose box-to-box abilities are good enough to play for any top team as can be evidenced above. Further, his ability to play as a deep-lying playmaker would have made him a versatile option as well.

He would have been a perfect back-up for Adam Lallana and played instead of Can in the No. 8 role and helped the team break stubborn defences while helping the team defensively as well. Similar to Lallana, Dahoud is a relentless runner and is known to run an impressive 13 kms on an average every game.

Dahoud would have been a perfect fit for Liverpool owners FSG’s policy of buying quality youngsters and also has the attributes to suit Klopp’s style of play. His experience in the Champions League and Bundesliga with Gladbach would have made him ready to step up when required and play a vital part in Liverpool’s title challenge this season. Instead, he has agreed to join Borussia Dortmund in this summer to become a part of an exciting young team under Thomas Tuchel.