'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Liverpool have suffered a dramatic drop-off in form, going from 7 points clear of Manchester City to 1 point behind. The Reds have dropped 11 points from their last 9 games, in contrast, they dropped a mere 6 points in their first 20 games. Jurgen Klopp's men have drawn 5 of their last 7 games in all competitions, with 0-0's against Everton, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. They also recorded back to back 1-1 draws with Leicester City and West Ham. These draws are clear signs of goalscoring problems, Liverpool are heavily reliant on their front 3, Mane, Salah and Firmino, to not only score all the goals but to create their own chances as well.
Liverpool's midfield isn't simply putting up shocking creative numbers. None of the midfield three that started against Everton are producing a single key pass per game. Wijnaldum and Fabinho have the joint highest of the three, but only an unimpressive 0.7 key passes per game for both players. Henderson produces an even worse average of just 0.3 key passes per game. Even more worryingly, the trio have produced just 2 assists between the three of them, over the course of the entire Premier League season to date. Wijnaldum has 2 premier league goals and 0 assists, Fabinho has a single goal and 2 assists, and Jordan Henderson has neither assisted nor scored a single goal.
This problem extends to Liverpool's back up midfielders as well. Adam Lallana came off the bench against Everton, to little effect. After an injury-riddled few seasons, Lallana has struggled to find any sort of form. He has also failed to register a single goal involvement this season, and only averages 0.5 key passes per game. Perhaps most disappointingly for Liverpool fans, has been the form of big summer signing Naby Keita. Arriving from RB Leipzig for around £52m, Keita has failed to hit the heights expected of him. Scoring 0 and assisting just once. Keita has failed to produce the creativity Liverpool clearly need. Keita carries on the worrying trend of the other Liverpool midfielders, averaging a mere 0.5 key passes per game.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is reported to be nearing a return as per Skysports. His return will no doubt be a boost for Liverpool. His stats last season were slightly better than the other Liverpool midfielders. He had 3 goals, and 7 assists before his injury. He was also averaging more key passes per game than the other Liverpool midfielders, with 1.1.
It's obvious Liverpool desperately need to recruit a creative midfielder in the summer, so here are 3 potential options:
#1 Suso
Starting his career at Liverpool, Suso has come a long way since joining A.C Milan. Now in his 5th season at Milan, the midfielder is perhaps having his best season so far. He already has 7 goals and 8 assists in all competitions. His average of 2.8 key passes per game is complemented by 2.9 shots per game and he's likely to carry on scoring and assisting at a similar rate.
Suso can also play on the left, right, or behind the striker, meaning he can also offer a good rotation option. The playmaker reportedly has a £40m buyout clause, which should be easily affordable for Liverpool.
#2 James Rodríguez
Bayern Munich are reportedly unwilling to activate their option to buy James Rodríguez, which means Liverpool could potentially pull off an incredible bargain. With Madrid likely to spend big in the summer, they will likely be looking to offload several players. Given James is on loan at the Allianz Arena, he would seem a likely candidate.
Bayern's unwillingness to take up the option seems to be more about them prioritizing other areas of the team, rather than them not rating James. Their chairman appears to be a fan of the Colombian but it seems James isn't getting on well with his manager, Niko Kovac, with neither seemingly interested in making the loan permanent.
James' time in Germany has still been productive, scoring 7 goals and picking up 11 assists in just 19 Bundesliga games last season, the Colombian also averaging 2.8 key passes per game. James would likely play as the most advanced of the midfield 3, just behind the striker. His main job will be to playing the final ball, and creating chances for the front three.
#3 Isco
Having won 3 Champions League titles in a row and starting in the 2017 final victory over Juventus, it's hard to believe the situation Isco is facing at Real Madrid this season, regularly failing to make the squad, let alone the starting 11.
It's hard to see the playmaker not pushing for a move this summer as he seems to have a terrible relationship with current manager Santiago Solari, making just 5 La Liga starts. Isco failed to even make the squad for recent losses to Ajax and Barcelona and has seemingly had enough, publicly saying:
" when you don't enjoy the same opportunities as your team-mates, things change."
Competing against the likes of Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos, Isco has never been an undisputed starter and as such he has never been able to put up huge numbers. Last season, he did score 7 and made 7 assists in just 21 league starts, showing the quality is there. He also has a very impressive 12 goals in 34 games for Spain, where he has played a more prominent role.
At this stage of his career, Isco is likely to be fed up with his rotation role and would relish being an undisputed starter at Liverpool
. Playing week in, week out, a tally of double digits for both goals and assists seems very possible, with him only narrowly missing out on this feat, playing a rotation role.
Madrid look likely to spend big in the summer, having been knocked out of Europe by Ajax and being 12 points of Barca in La Liga. Isco may be sold to raise funds for the rebuild. Liverpool have an opportunity to sign a player, who has regularly shown glimpses of being world-class, for a cut-price fee. Isco would be likely to operate as a number 10, playing behind the front 3. His role in Klopp's system would mainly be linking midfield to attack and creating goalscoring chances.
Stats - Whoscored.com
