Liverpool's midfield options and choices for the 2018-19 season

Liverpool kicked off their season with a handsome 4-0 victory over West Ham with goals from Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Daniel Sturridge to secure their first win of the season. While much focus is on the front three to continue their exploits, huge expectations are also laid on the midfield which has strengthened over the course of the summer transfer window.

Last season saw the Merseyside outfit end with a depleted midfield, losing 1-3 to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Liverpool suffered a massive blow as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sustained a serious knee injury in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal against AS Roma, which Liverpool won 5-2. They were only left with three recognized midfielders in Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner, the likes of Adam Lallana and Emre Can partially fit following their injuries.

A top-four finish in the league guaranteed direct progress to the 2018/19 Champions League season, but the loss in Kiev set the alarm bells ringing which resulted in head coach Jurgen Klopp, sporting director Michael Edwards and chief scout, Barry Hunter act swiftly to bolster the midfield.

Just two days after the heartbreaking loss in the Champions League final at Kiev, RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi reported about Liverpool having agreed a deal to sign AS Monaco’s Fabinho for a reported €50 million. The announcement was greeted with positive reviews from fans around the globe as Liverpool’s search for a traditional holding midfielder came to an end.

The first of July saw RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita officially join his new club, as a deal for the Guinean international was agreed upon during the previous summer transfer window, with a fee of £48 million paid for his services.

Securing the services of Fabinho and Keita would infuse some much-needed quality in Liverpool’s midfield, which was criticized for being too static and lacking adventure in certain games. Fabinho came in as a replacement for the outgoing Emre Can and Keita was roped in to function as a number 8 and function in a more advanced role.

The addition of Keita and Fabinho offer depth which will be required by Liverpool to challenge on all fronts in the 2018/19 campaign. Now, a problem arises for Liverpool’s coach Jurgen Klopp, who faces a much-welcomed selection-headache as to whom to pick in his preferred midfield trio.

Having a full pre-season to their names, Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner have shown enough quality which has forced Klopp into rethinking about the combination he would proceed with in the upcoming season. Another challenge for Klopp is the manner in which he will phase in club captain Jordan Henderson, who returned late after reaching the World Cup semifinals with England.

Wijnaldum and Milner: Liverpool’s midfield lynchpins

Milner and Wijnaldum prove their worth after a superb display against The Hammers

Jurgen Klopp usually sets up a three-man midfield with one of them stationed as a number 6, one operating as a box to box midfielder and one positioned higher up the pitch, with the advanced midfielder helping the front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino wreak havoc in the opposition half.

Liverpool’s opener against West Ham at Anfield saw the hosts line up with the midfield trio of Wijanldum, Milner and Keita with Wijanldum stationed as the Regista or deep-lying midfielder, Milner acting as the box to box midfielder and Keita operating in a more advanced role.

Against West Ham, Wijnaldum (number 5) took up a deeper position as compared to Milner (number 7) and Keita, whose main task was to run in between the channels left by West Ham’s midfield while Liverpool were on the attack. Eventually, both Wijanldum and Milner had really tidy games with the Dutchman finishing with an outstanding pass accuracy of 92% and Milner ending with a pass accuracy of 93% and an assist for Sadio Mane.

Milner, an experienced campaigner, has played in a number of positions throughout his career, functioning as a left winger during Manuel Pellegrini’s stint at Manchester City and also as a left-back during the 2016/17 Premier League season. But, his preferred role is that of a central midfielder.

Last season saw Milner score a solitary goal, although his lack of goals offset by his impressive tally of 8 assists in the Champions League, the highest in the 2018/19 edition. Overall, the former Aston Villa midfielder finished the season with a goal and 11 assists. Yet, his quality lies in his simple and effective style of play.

Meanwhile, Dutch international Gini Wijnaldum has been criticized for not turning up in some important games. Majority of the viewers fail to realize that Wijanldum is deployed in a deeper role by Klopp, as opposed to the advanced roles in which he played under Stephen Mclaren and Dick Advocaat at Newcastle United and PSV Eindhoven respectively.

Under Klopp, Wijnaldum’s main task is to maintain the flow of the game, recycling possession from deeper positions. In other words, Wijnaldum is the engine that keeps Liverpool moving.

Along with this attribute, Wijnaldum also has a knack for scoring important goals in big games which was seen when he scored against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in his debut season. The Dutchman also broke the deadlock against a stubborn Middlesbrough defence in a must-win game for Liverpool to secure a top-four finish.

The previous season saw Wijnaldum break his away goal duck in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final clash against Roma which effectively sealed Liverpool’s progress to the final.

Last season’s injury crisis in midfield saw the Dutchman slotted into the number 6 position against Everton and Manchester City (quarter-final, 2nd leg). In these games, Wijnaldum’s neatness in possession and an impressive ability to station himself at the right place was on display which is a testament to Gini’s tactical nous and ability to adapt to various positions.

On the whole, a strong start to the season has seen Milner and Wijnaldum stake their claim for a starting spot which has certainly given Klopp a selection dilemma. Milner and Wijnaldum are valuable assets to this Liverpool side and can play various positions. Their versatility and tenacity will be key if Liverpool is to mount a serious challenge for their maiden Premier League title.

Statistical observations and the projected impact of Liverpool's new signings

Keita has shown his quality in the pre-season fixtures and in the league against West Ham

Liverpool bolstered their midfield with the signing of Naby Keita from Leipzig and Fabinho from Monaco. These signings have come with hefty price tags and valuable experience in some of Europe’s best leagues.

Fabinho was signed to shield the back four, while Keita was signed to add more flair in the midfield. Keita is an adventurous midfielder who loves driving at the heart of the opposition midfield and defence. This was seen in the build-up to Liverpool’s first goal of the current season where Keita’s drive opened up space for Robertson on the left-hand side to put in a cross for Salah to finish.

Coming to the numbers, Fabinho played 31 league games compared to Henderson, who played 27. The Brazilian completed 87% of his attempted passes in comparison to Henderson’s 83%. Fabinho has made 582 back passes, 27 key passes and 46 interceptions in comparison to Henderson’s 597 back passes, 19 key passes and 26 interceptions. Liverpool’s latest acquisition has scored six goals from a deep position in comparison to Henderson’s one goal.

Fabinho's discipline, robustness will be vital during Liverpool's ties against Europe's elite

Both of them have fairly decent numbers for a defensive midfielder, but an in-depth analysis of the statistics show Fabinho to be the more attacking of the two. The Brazilian will prove to be a very influential player for his side once he gets used to the tactical and physical demands of the Premier League.

On comparing Naby Keita with the likes of Milner and Wijanldum, we observe that Keita is more proficient in attack, albeit playing lesser games than both Milner and Wijnaldum. The previous season saw Keita end the Bundesliga campaign with six goals and five assists from 25 games, compared to Milner’s two assists from 32 games and Wijnaldum’s one goal and two assists for in 32 games in the Premier League.

The former Leipzig man had successfully completed 32 key passes in comparison with Milner’s 29 key passes and Wijnaldum’s 19 key passes. Keita outshines Milner and Wijnaldum in terms of tackles and interceptions with Keita winning 84 tackles and interceptions compared to Milner’s 54 and Wijnaldum’s 46.

These stats bring to notice Keita’s main strength which is regaining possession in key areas of the pitch. Liverpool’s new arrivals are more dynamic than Henderson, Milner and Wijnaldum and their arrival will certainly add the necessary bite, aggression and innovation that Liverpool’s midfield lacked during the preceding season.

The various combinations that Klopp could use in midfield

The youngster's impressive displays during pre-season could see him feature in the Cup games

With the return of Adam Lallana from injury, Marko Grujic from loan spell and the performance of Curtis Jones during pre-season, Klopp has a variety of midfielders to choose from, and their arrivals have added to the overall squad depth.

Klopp generally prefers a three-man midfield and went with the trio of Henderson, Can and Wijnaldum during the start of the previous season. However, we could also see some tactical tweaks from the charismatic German this season.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s loss to injury could be offset by the arrival of Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri. While Shaqiri has been brought in as a back up for the front three, the Swiss international could also be utilized as a number 10 playing behind the striker.

Moreover, Wijnaldum could also start chipping in with more goals and assists if he is played in an advanced role. His effectiveness from an advanced position was seen in the pre-season games against Napoli and Torino.

In the cup games, we could see the likes of Adam Lallana, Curtis Jones and Marko Grujic start in midfield as it would not only provide exposure and game time against some fairly decent opposition for Jones and Grujic, but could also help ease Lallana after a lengthy absence from the first team due to injury. Along with them, Klopp could throw experienced personnel such as Henderson and Milner into the fray to add the necessary balance in the middle.

For clashes against the big boys, the German could also set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Fabinho and Henderson acting as the anchormen and Keita deployed further up the field. This approach would help Klopp strike the right balance between attack and defence and also bring Henderson’s leadership, Fabinho’s composure against the counter press to the fore.

Klopp's selection dilemma and overall review of the midfield

Compared to the previous season, Liverpool currently have sufficient depth in all areas across the park. A phased summer activity has not only injected quality into this Liverpool side but has also seen the coaching and recruitment staff address issues the team had over the course of the previous season.

The midfield has been bolstered with the arrival of Fabinho and Keita, increased competition for places and has given added incentive for the likes of Milner and Wijnaldum to stake their claim for a spot in the starting lineup, displaying some much improved sturdy performances during the pre-season and season opener against West Ham.

With some really meticulous planning and most background work done during the beginning of last season, Jurgen Klopp could have a number of options come on from the bench and bring some positive influence during tightly contested fixtures which is expected during the season.

The outcomes of most high profile clashes are decided by the midfield battle. Usually, the team that dominates the midfield go on to win the tie and Klopp has the required ammunition in midfield to influence the outcome in Liverpool’s favour. It will interesting to see how the former Borussia Dortmund manager manages quality as he will certainly face a headache while selecting his favoured midfield trio.