The 2-2 draw at Old Trafford was beyond frustrating. The 3-0 loss to Atalanta was numbing. The 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace felt final.

Thankfully, Arsenal went and lost to Aston Villa, which is good news, even though it almost adds to the exasperation of our missed opportunity.

Liverpool are still in the title race, although Manchester City are heavy, heavy favourites. They’ll probably win their remaining six, the bastards.

But what’s happened to Liverpool?

Against United and Palace, the Reds racked up over 6xG, but only scored two goals, both of which were from set-pieces last weekend. They haven’t scored a single goal from open play despite a plethora of chances and a handful of sitters.

Liverpool’s 2.87xG was the most xG without scoring by any side in the competition since Brighton v Norwich in April 2022. 

Obviously, the finishing recently has been a massive issue. We’ve lacked a little luck, but a lot of composure. There has been no clinical element to it. Nobody has stepped up when it really mattered in front of goal.

Dom Szoboszlai missed two at Old Trafford. Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah and Luis Diaz were also guilty of missing the target when they should have at the very least tested Andre Onana.

Against Palace though, it was farcical. Luis Diaz, Wataru Endo, Nunez, Diogo Jota and Salah all missed from inside eight yards. Curtis Jones also missed a sitter of a one-on-one when the keeper had already sat down and simply presented him a free net.

If we’d have taken our chances, or even half of them, in both matches, we’d be top of the Premier League by three points with six to play. That hurts.

But it’s not just the finishing that’s been off.

It’s the intensity, especially at Anfield against Atalanta in the midweek horror-show and Palace on Sunday.  Why do we let our opponents take the lead so easily? We do it again and again and again.

The best iteration of Klopp’s Liverpool teams used to make the first 20 minutes for opponents complete hell. They outfought them everywhere – to a man. Now, the lackadaisical start to matches allows our opponents chances, often goals and leaves Liverpool chasing the game. You can’t get away with that for an entire season. The most insane stat that proves as much is that Liverpool have conceded the first goal in 21 of our 32 Premier League matches so far. Yes, we’ve done well to win most of these, but it’s not sustainable. And the past week has proven as much.

Alexis Mac Allister was absolutely flying, but has had two poor games. Wataru Endo looks like he did away to Newcastle United earlier in the season. Darwin Nunez has been atrocious since his goals dried up. He hasn’t scored in three games and has just one in our past six. Jota, who to be fair hasn’t found the net since his return either, should probably come in for the Uruguayan based on recent form.

Salah is another player who has not been very good. He’s played nine matches since his return from injury. You’d have hoped he back up and running. But he looks tired, slow and like he’s out of ideas. The Egyptian finishes seasons worse than he starts them, usually. But we need our world-class players to step up in big moments. And he couldn’t have complained if he was subbed yesterday.

It’s funny. We’ve finally got an almost full squad with an elite bench, but the players look more tired than ever. Perhaps the effort of carrying on and winning throughout January and February with a threadbare squad is now taking its toll.

Liverpool are giving up way too many big chances to opponents. You can’t expect the attack to bail out the rest of the side in every match when even very average sides get lots of good sights of our goal.

It feels like it’s done, but football changes quickly. Maybe we’ll pull off a miracle in Bergamo on Thursday and the vibes around the run-in will change.

Let’s hope so. We’re the underdogs now in both competitions. Maybe that’ll help. But quite a lot needs to change, now.

The post Editor’s Column: It’s not just the bad finishing, you know… appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Jurgen Klopp is maybe having his best season in terms of managerial input. He is a humungous difference maker for Liverpool.

The manner in which he’s improved players, trusted youngsters, inspired comebacks and made tactical changes within matches has been the primary reason Liverpool are joint-top of the table and still in Europe with one cup already won.

That’s before mentioning his insanely progressive use of substitutes and how he regularly uses game-changers from the bench.

So, this isn’t really a criticism of the manager. He’s been incredible. He’s the best. And I think he might well ride off into the sunset with another Premier League winner’s medal.

But I do find the games in which he’s picked Ibrahima Konate and Jarrell Quansah over the past month quite strange.

Let’s take a closer look.

Liverpool 3-0 Southampton (FA Cup) – Quansah full game (Virg and Konate half-each)

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool (PL) – Konate full game

Sparta Prague 1-5 Liverpool (EL) Quansah and Konate share minutes (Konate gets injured)

Liverpool 1-1 Manchester City (PL) Quansah full game

Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague (EL) Quansah full game

Manchester United 4-3 Liverpool (FA Cup) Quansah full game

–Konate plays game for France in international break–

LIverpool 2-1 Brighton (PL) Quansah plays full game

LIverpool 3-1 Sheffield United (PL) Konate plays full game

Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool (PL) Quansah plays full game

The way I look at it is, this: you want your best players available and fresh for the biggest, hardest games.

Konate is part of Liverpool’s best XI. He is one of the top defenders on the planet when fit. In fact, the only criticism you can have of him is his availability. So, it’s obvious the manner in which Klopp rotates him in and out of the side is to look after his fitness. After all, Virgil van Dijk plays every game and is looked after much differently.

But since the end of February, Liverpool have failed to win three games, two in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup. Quansah has started in all of them and Konate has not.

Let’s go through it. Against City in the Premier League, Quansah had to play because Konate got 50 minutes on the Thursday night against Sparta Prague and picked up an issue. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but did we really need Konate on the pitch for that game?

He missed the FA Cup game with United due to that same injury, but he still went away with France right after that game and played well over the international break…

But upon his return, Klopp picked Quansah against Brighton and left the on-paper easier Sheffield United game for Konate, meaning he then had to pick Quansah at Old Trafford again as Konate is seemingly not going to play two games in three or four days.

If it were me, I’d have gone Konate versus Brighton and Quansah against Sheffield United, meaning Konate would be fresh for the Old Trafford tie, and Quansah can come in for the Europa League tie this Thursday with Atalanta… This would then mean Konate would be ready for the more important Crystal Palace tie next weekend, and so on.

It’s possible now that Konate plays Atalanta and Quansah gets Palace, which just seems the wrong way round given the priority should be the Premier League.

It’s important to note that Quansah has been exceptional. His mistake against United last time out aside, the 21-year-old has way outperformed expectations. He’s composed and physical and does well alongside van Dijk whenever called upon.

United target our right-side though, as do most big teams, for a few obvious reasons. Firstly. van Dijk is on the left and they want to avoid him. Secondly, there is often space left at right-back when either Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez or Conor Bradley are playing that role inverted or just as a natural attacking fullback.

If I had one criticism of Klopp in this season and perhaps a few that have gone beforehand, it’s an insistence on picking strong teams in dead-rubbers or less important ones before more important ones.

One of Jota’s big injuries a few years back came in a Champions League tie with nothing riding on it. And we’d have beaten Sparta Prague without Konate.

Who knows if we’d have fared better than two draws and one win against United and City if Konate had played. We never will.

But hopefully the Frenchman will at least be fully fit for our most crucial upcoming fixtures. As City and Arsenal will only lose or draw one of their seven games left by my reckoning which means we have to finish perfectly. Old Trafford was the slip-up. No more room for another.

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“There was never anything serious with Real Madrid or Atlético [in 2022],” Luis Diaz’s father Mane Diaz told Cadena Ser (via the Mirror) this week.

“Liverpool were always more determined and concrete to sign Luis.

” But we haven’t lost our hope yet…” he added.

“Luis is playing well and Spanish clubs are always active in the market.”

This is the kind of unhelpful, ungrateful comment you occasionally hear during international breaks. It wasn’t made by Diaz, but his father, who has earned himself a cult-like status this season.

He was kidnapped in Colombia last year, which made headlines world-wide. Thankfully he was returned unharmed – and has mostly been in England following Liverpool and his son since. Papa Diaz, as he has become affectionately known, has sat with the away fans, shared drinks on trains and posed for thousands of photos on his tour of England. Good for him. It looks like he’s having a great time and why shouldn’t he?

But it should perhaps be no surprise that deep down his motivation is for his son is to play at one of Spain’s biggest clubs. And if he’s saying things like that, you can be sure Luis Diaz feels it too, even if he wouldn’t declare it publicly. It’s the same for most South American players. We all remember Coutinho and Luis Suarez. Liverpool was a stepping stone for them, although with the former, it had a catastrophic effect on his career.

Spain’s hot. Diaz speaks the language. Liverpool is a beautiful and brilliant city but you cannot be surprised to hear a Colombian would rather live and play in Barcelona.

I’m not offended by this. And perhaps I can deal with it because I think Diaz is ultimately replaceable.

Aged 27, he’s at an age where we’d still get a huge sum for him. In a few seasons’ time, that figure will diminish as his pace goes. Look at what happened to Sadio Mane. He hit 30 and declined to such a point he’s now doing not very much in Saudi Arabia. Every player is different but elite performances over 30 are not a guarantee. Diaz obviously has a few top years left in him but now is the time to cash in if the opportunity arises – as a theoretic £65-70m fee would surely be attainable.

I actually have loved his performances recently. He’s been borderline heroic the past few months with the manner in which he’s dragged the Reds up the field with his lung-busting dribbling. He runs and runs and runs. Diaz’s fitness levels are otherworldly.

The caveat though is that he still isn’t delivering big numbers of goals and assists. He has 40 appearances, 12 goals and three assists. Most tellingly, he’s created only two big chances for team-mates. That shows that while his dribbling into the box is excellent, his final ball is not. This number should be far higher for someone so technically capable.

Darwin Nunez is supposedly so much less composed but has way more assists and chances created. The stats sometimes don’t match the narrative.

Liverpool are in no rush to sell as Diaz is still contracted until 2027. So we won’t be bullied into it. Real Madrid will sign Kylian Mbappe, which fills their left-wing spot, so they won’t be in the running. Papa Diaz including Atletico in his list of dream clubs felt a little disrespectful though, given how much smaller and worse they are than Liverpool, as well as the fact Diego Simeone’s tactics would stifle his flair and creativity.

Johan Bakayoko seems a mighty fine potential left-winger we could replace Diaz with, but really, that’s a job for Richard Hughes, MIchael Edwards and the new manager.

We don’t know yet what style, tactics or formation we’ll play. When new managers come in, things change. People and playing staff do, too. The squad’s obviously a very good one already and with the youngsters coming through, we don’t need an overhaul. But if Diaz wants out, we probably shouldn’t stand in his way.

There’ll be no hard feelings. He’s a quality player. So fun to watch. If he can maintain his form, effort and hopefully start being a little more clinical in the box, he’ll play an enormous role in what could still be a monumental season.

Essentially, what will be will be. We have a much bigger summer issue to contend with Mo Salah’s deal expiring in 12 months.

The post Editor’s Column: What to make of Papa Diaz’s untimely comments… appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Cody Gakpo has come in for some serious criticism since Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup.

Jamie Carragher unhelpfully tweeted that the Dutchman plays football like it’s in slow-motion during Gakpo’s dire cameo that saw Liverpool lose control of the game.

There can be no debate: he was bad. Most of the criticism has revolved around him messing up a five on two counter-attack when Liverpool were 2-1 up and cruising. He played the ball slightly behind Harvey Elliott who had to check his run, but to be fair, if Conor Bradley had overlapped on the right-hand side he’d have been able to square it for a tap-in.

"Surely Gakpo was the bad one " fuvk y'all ffs pic.twitter.com/pq0orLW26p

— •Aviero LFC🥷 (@aviero_lfc) March 18, 2024

Gakpo just lacked any bite or running, which is the opposite of what Jurgen Klopp expects from his attackers. This is probably why the manager spent much of the second-half berating Gakpo from the sidelines.

One of the issues is that he’s the antithesis of Darwin Nunez when it comes to perceived effort.

The Uruguayan often does silly things. He makes bad decisions, his touch can let him down and as his giving of the ball away in Extra Time for Manchester United’s equaliser proved, he’s more than capable of a big error in big moments. (In fairness, he’s also capable of huge goals in big moments, too). 

But fans, especially those watching Nunez live, forgive him his mistakes because of the frenetic energy he inserts into the team. He undeniably makes football exciting, even when he’s playing badly; and he makes it absolute box-office when he’s on-song. Nunez is often described as chaos, but this is a lazy word. It’s more that he’s always involved and does things at breakneck speed. The accusation of ‘going missing’ can never be directed his way, even if criticism of his game-intelligence certainly can be.

There’s also the element of Nunez overcoming his early problems and overt media scrutiny. Only Mo Salah, Erling Haaland and Ollie Watkins have more goals/assists than him this season in all competitions. He’s come good, which tugs at the heartstrings a little more as he’s so openly emotional. You can see what it means to him. You can see the running. His celebrations are better than anybody else’s.

Gakpo is so different. He’s cool, calm and composed. He doesn’t rush things. His touch is usually excellent and his technique is effortless and natural. He doesn’t miss the sitters Nunez does, but he doesn’t make the runs to get in those positions either. Gakpo is, to put it unsubtly, more boring than Nunez – so when he actually has a shocker – it feels like a bigger crime, because there’s a misconception that he hasn’t tried.

Of course he has. He’s a top-class professional footballer. He’s just so different in style to our other forwards. Like Nunez, Luis Diaz runs and works insanely hard. Also like his fellow South American, Diaz struggles with easy finishes, which for some reason makes him more endearing after the effort he’s put in to get there. Diogo Jota is a killer and a fighter and his finishing ability means he’s always respected even when he has a nothing-game. The reality is though, Jota is extremely injury prone. There’s no getting away from that. Mo Salah is Mo Salah. It’s almost unfair on the rest of our attackers to be compared to the Egyptian.

Gakpo is not having a bad season. Not by a long stretch. He’s been used up top, on the right, on his favoured left or as a no.8 in midfield. He often comes off the bench in one of these positions and is expected to have read and adjusted to the game-state. Despite playing in different positions, he’s scored 13 goals and got four assists in all competitions. Considering he’s our fifth choice forward, this is an unbelievable return. In Sadio Mane’s first full season at Liverpool, when everyone was wowed by his ability, he scored 13 goals in total, one year older than Gakpo is now.

A lot of Gakpo’s tidy work goes unnoticed, as it’s the stuff just outside of the box, or in the buildup to the final pass. He’s a very, very good player. He just had a stinker at Old Trafford in a game where his team-mates also lost their heads. If Klopp really wanted to get the best out of him, he’d play him on the left-wing every week and he’d build confidence and rhythm.

It’s not Klopp’s job from now until the end of the season to develop Gakpo though; it’s to win games for Liverpool – and there can be no complaints that he’s choosing Diaz on that flank. Gakpo’s versatility, but also the strengths of his team-mates have made it harder for him to secure the same spot in the side.

The irony is that a combination of Gakpo and Nunez’s best traits would make the perfect striker. Nunez’s unbelievable pace, runs, energy and intensity. Gakpo’s touch, deftness, ability to drop into space and shooting. What a player! Sadly, each has things they’re not very good at and it’s personal preference which set of traits frustrate more.

I’m drawn towards forgiving Nunez more readily because I love the emotion and excitement he provides, but I feel the hate Gakpo has received for essentially one bad match is absurd.

Let’s back them both. Back them all. There’s a Premier League to be won, and both will be crucial in getting it done.

The post Editor’s Column: Why are Liverpool fans kinder to Nunez than Gakpo? appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

In an 18 day period, Harvey Elliott has played 90 minutes against Luton, Sparta Prague and Manchester City, 76 minutes against Southampton and Nottingham Forest and 120 minutes in the Carabao Cup Final.

He’s barely put a foot wrong in this intense, immense run of games for the Reds and has helped hold us together in the absence of various midfielders and attackers, as his position has changed not only from game to game, but during them as well.

Elliott has played over 100 matches for Liverpool, but he’s younger than Conor Bradley, Jarrell Quansah; and only slightly older than James McConnell and Bobby Clark. He made his Premier League debut back in 2018/19, when nobody had heard of Covid-19 and Theresa May was Prime Minister.

He has a wealth of footballing experience and running in his legs and he’s still not allowed to drink alcohol in America.

The sight of Elliott collapsing on the turf after most of our matches this past month has become common. He runs himself into the ground for Jurgen Klopp, his team-mates and the club he supports. You can never prove a player works harder if they truly love a club, but the manner in which Elliott sweats blood for Liverpool suggests they might.

Klopp uses Elliott wherever he needs him. He either plays on the right-wing, but as an inverted playmaker; someone who cuts in from the wing and looks to play passes and one-twos, or on the right of the midfield three; where he finds pockets of space and drives with the ball.

Interestingly, regardless of his starting spot, he usually fills the same areas of the pitch, somewhere halfway between the wing and midfield on the right-side.

Part of the reason he’s been difficult to define and often misunderstood is that he doesn’t have an obvious position. He floats. He’s versatile and he changes tact depending on the ebb and flow of the game. For a 20-year-old, Elliott has sublime football intelligence and this is part of the reason why Klopp has used him from the bench on 18 occasions in the Premier League this term. Elliott can read a game and insert himself into the areas which are free and from which Liverpool can profit.

Is he perfect? Of course not. His shooting isn’t good enough yet and he can make bad decisions in the final third. He also lacks any pace whatsoever which is a huge factor in modern football. He doesn’t get nudged off the ball much anymore, however. Defensively, he’s improving all the time.

It’s great to see how flair players like Elliott and Jones have adapted under Klopp. Both understand the lengths they’ll have to go to if they want minutes. And from basically scratch, they’ve learned defensive positioning, tackling and how to scrap.

Elliott is a fighter. He’s an animal, with talent to boot. He reminds me of a younger Phil Foden when nobody really knew where to play him, but it was obvious there was a proper player in there. Now, many (incorrectly) label Foden as the best player in the country, and when Elliott is 23 or 24, he could be in similar conversations.

He still doesn’t get in Liverpool’s best starting XI when everyone is fit. That’s probably Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dom Szoboszlai, but Jones and Elliott are seriously knocking on the door to take the spot of Szoboszlai (who himself is utterly brilliant).

Elliott may have started more games in other seasons, but it appears this is the year in which he’s truly proven his value to the team.

Playmaker, warrior, prodigal talent and marathon runner for the quadruple chasers.

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It might be finally clicking, you know…

“He’s got quality coming out of his ears!” said Jurgen Klopp after Darwin Nunez’s brace last night against Sparta Prague in the Europa League Last 16. The Uruguayan scored two superb goals. One with his instep from range that swerved so much it made the keeper look stupid, and an even better second; smashing a bouncing ball across his body into the corner of the net.

Liverpool battered the Czech outfit 5-1 to all but secure passage in the quarterfinals.

Considering we have Manchester City on Sunday, it might have been more prudent to rest more players on Thursday night and secure an easy win next week at Anfield instead, given Ibou Konate is now a doubt for the vital weekend clash, but I guess we shouldn’t moan after European thrashings.

Nunez is in the best form of his Liverpool career right now. In 2024, he has 12 goal involvements, which is the joint most of any Premier League player across all competitions alongside Kevin de Bruyne. He’s averaging either a goal or assist every 64 minutes since Christmas.

Nunez has eight goals and three assists in his past ten games. His habit of way underperforming his xG has changed. The 24-year-old has scored eight goals from his past 32 shots. His first eight goals of the season came from 87 shots. His most recent eight goals have come from just 5.5xG, and interestingly, his xG-per-game has remained around 0.9 the entire season. He’s simply started finishing some of the plethora of opportunities he forges for himself and it’s telling. Nunez has 16 goals for the season and 11 assists. Remember, he’s hit the post nine times in the PL alone this term – so while his numbers are decent – they could be off the charts had he been slightly more precise or had slightly more luck.

The thing about the Uruguayan is, he’ll always miss chances. But every good striker does. Erling Haaland, with 26, has missed more big chances than Nunez (21) this term. What’s important is that he never lets a miss get him down and that he continues to make the runs and put himself in the right positions.

His scooped goal away to Brentford in February hints at a more composed attitude to one-on-ones, while his header at Nottingham Forest confirms that he can be the man for the biggest moments. That goal and his brace at Newcastle are up there with the most important we’ve scored all season.

Nunez is also forming better on-pitch relationships with his team-mates. He’s always linked up nicely with Mo Salah, who enjoys his pace and running, but Alexis Mac Allister’s deftness and creativity in a more advanced role is also benefiting the forward. Now Wataru Endo is holding, Mac Allister is playing slightly further forward and plays extremely clever chipped passes behind the defensive line for his friend to chase. It’s noticeable that when Mac Allister gets the ball, he looks for Nunez immediately, and the Argentine getting his head up becomes the trigger for Nunez to make a run. Luis Diaz has also had an upturn in form and those two are passing to each other and playing one-twos. It’s Mac who’s really pulling the strings though and benefiting everyone.

Nunez’s runs are his biggest strength, undoubtedly. They’re at breakneck speed, consistent and drag defenders out of position. It’s clear how much easier it is for our opponents when he isn’t on the field, even when his touch is off or he makes poor decisions. Nunez is always involved, always asking questions. It’s important for his naysayers to remember that the best players in the world consistently give the ball away because they are given licence to make things happen. In January, De Bruyne gave the ball away 31 times in a single game. City beat Burnley 3-1 and he was named Man of the Match. Don’t put pressure on players like Nunez to retain possession. It doesn’t feel like Klopp does, thankfully.

Nunez thrives with space to run into and City will surely give him that on Sunday. They might keep the ball, but we’ll provide threat on the transition. No side has conceded more counter-attack goals than City all season, believe it or not. Fast, direct balls into Nunez running the channels might work wonders, especially with Mo Salah hopefully back in the side on the right-wing. The Egyptian got 20 minutes last night and scored a perfectly legitimate goal which was absurdly ruled out for offside. Diaz, Nunez and Salah is a frightening front-three, now the first two are on-song.

The best thing about Nunez is that he’s fought through difficult times and insane levels of criticism and attention to get to this point. He’s obviously an emotional guy. It got to him. But now he’s flying. Not every player would come back from that so impressively. I think he’ll hit 25 goals in all competitions this term. And plenty more next.

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Does giving Jayden Danns the moniker of the next Harry Kane pile unnecessary pressure onto his shoulders?

I considered this before writing the headline, but this is a young lad who’s just come on in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley and thrived in the situation. Danns is a kid who’s bagged a brace on his Anfield debut with two of the calmest finishes you’ll see all season….

I reckon he quite likes the pressure, actually.

And besides, I’m not the only one saying it!

The son of former Crystal Palace midfielder Neil Danns was practically unknown just a few weeks ago, but he’s the latest Academy Graduate to announce himself loudly and brashly.

Already this term, Jarrell Quansah and Conor Bradley have become first-team footballers, with Bobby Clark and James McConnell increasingly trusted by Jurgen Klopp in midfield.

Quansah has been quietly exceptional. He’s strong, positionally aware and is composed on the ball like Virgil van Dijk, his mentor. Bradley is our right-footed Andy Robertson. Feisty and quick with lethal end product.

There’s always something slightly more exciting about a youngster coming through when they’re an attacker, though, rightly or wrongly.

And Danns is just that. A Scouser who’s just turned 18, with two goals versus Southampton, a very-nearly-assist against Luton and a League Cup win over Chelsea to his name; having played just over an hour of professional football so far.

Most of the time when a player gets compared to someone who went before him, it’s fairly lazy analysis. Any Argentine under the height of 6ft’ is compared to Messi and Maradona before they turn 20. Bruno Cheyrou was dubbed the next Zinedine Zidane, remember.

But with Danns, the resemblance is uncanny. He runs like Harry Kane. They have the same gait and are faster than they actually look. They sprint powerfully over a few metres and show superb anticipation to where balls will drop. Danns is a no.9 who likes to drop deep and link-up play, too. His finishing is clearly a strong point, with over 20 goals for our youth sides this season, adding to his Anfield FA Cup brace.

His first goal last night showed composure and technical proficiency; chipping the ball over the onrushing keeper without having to even look. Darwin Nunez would have scored 40 goals this season if he had that one in his locker. (The ridiculous scoop versus Brentford is not repeatable and shouldn’t count as evidence of better finishing!)

Danns’ second last night is just as impressive. He shows great awareness and striker’s instincts to get ahead of the defender and slams home with a powerful instep finish. Without wanting to ram the point home too much, it’s exactly how Kane would have taken both goals.

In all three appearances he’s earned himself headed chances in the box, too. This isn’t a fluke. It’s great movement and the timing of his leaps have been great. A real no.9 can score aerially or from the floor.

You can see the stylistic similarities in this video below, showing some of Danns’ youth goals this season. Squint and it’s Kane…

Jayden Danns play football tomorrow pic.twitter.com/CjtLxDOL1L

— Zakz (@LFC_Zakz) February 27, 2024

Unlike the England captain, Danns already has a trophy to his name, of course – and hopefully will add to it this season.

Now, the job for Danns is more minutes and to keep knocking on Klopp’s door for opportunities. I’m pretty sure he’ll feature against Sparta Prague in the Europa League and I cannot wait to see him again. Then, he has to impress a new manager in the summer. One of the saddest things about Klopp leaving is that he won’t see the journey of these Academy lads, but he’ll always be the boss who was brave enough to give them their start.

At the beginning of the season I was convinced Liverpool needed a new right-back, centre-back, holding midfielder and another winger – even after the transfer window shut.

Bradley and Quansah are our new defenders though, and the collection of Clark, McConnell and even the prodigal Trey Nyoni provide enough depth in the middle, even with the most ridiculous of injury crises. Danns is the wildcard. Nobody was even touting him at Christmas so to have an exciting finisher coming through the ranks – someone who can learn off our already world-class attackers – is brilliant.

Perhaps Klopp will see what he has to offer versus Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The post Editor’s Column: He definitely, definitely plays like Harry Kane… appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

There was a beautiful moment at the end of the 4-1 victory over Luton last night, where Harvey Elliott lay on the Anfield turf, completely exhausted from his effort in the thrilling comeback victory.

Fellow youngster Conor Bradley came and hugged him back to life. It’s this kind of spirit and togetherness that will keep this group together once Jurgen Klopp, who taught them the value of the hug, is gone next season.

Elliott finished the game with seven key passes, three big chances created, four tackles won and a goal. This is a 20-year-old who’s standing in for Mo Salah on the right-wing and the fact is: he delivered. No player has made more chances (7) from open play in the Premier League this season. It was 100th appearance for the Reds.

And he still managed to deliver despite being on the receiving end of groans and complaints from an expectant and slightly spoilt Anfield first-half. Elliott was grafting. It wasn’t his fault his beautiful lofted pass to Luis Diaz wasn’t converted early on, or that Cody Gakpo’s overhead-kick from his clever cross went straight at the keeper. Despite the setbacks, he continually wanted the ball, cutting inside and dribbling through the middle at the opposition defence. A few of his passes as the first-half wore on became wayward, but Klopp berated the Main Stand for their disappointment. The boss wanted unwavering support and saw the promising situations as evidence a goal would eventually come. He was right.

In the second-half, the stodgy crowd turned exceptional. It was actually perhaps the best Anfield has been all season. What a turnaround – and the team fed off it. Elliott stayed wider in the second, as Bradley cut inside and played an inverted role. Luton couldn’t handle either of them. The energy and frenetic pressing; as well as the speed in which Liverpool were countering Luton was even more impressive considering there were no senior midfielders or attackers on the bench. Elliott went for 90 minutes and he should be immensely proud of his contribution, which was topped off late on with the curling effort that sealed the win.

20 – Aged 20, Harvey Elliott tonight was the youngest player on record (from 2008-09) to score, have 5+ shots (5), create 5+ chances (7), have 10+ touches in the opposition's box (17) and make 25+ passes ending in the final 1/3 (27) in a Premier League game. Everywhere. pic.twitter.com/FSBemDhuid

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 21, 2024

Elliott will never play like Salah. Sadly for the Englishman, he doesn’t possess the same physical attributes. He’s not as strong, but more importantly, has no devilish pace, which means he can never make runs in-behind a defensive line or knock it past a defender and get round the other side before him. He has to do it the harder, cleverer way, with jinks and twists and timing.

Liverpool need Elliott to be our Bernardo Silva. A magician with wonderful feet who can play in multiple positions but really just look for pockets of space from which he can create. Off the ball, Elliott is bullish and works hard and this shouldn’t be forgotten. It’s not his natural game to tackle and intercept, but like of all the youngsters featuring in Klopp’s Last Dance, he knows it’s the only way into the team.

Fans need to remember there are only a handful of players under the age of 20 in world football who can legitimately claim to be better than Elliott.

Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Gavi, Florian Wirtz. Then Elliott is very much in the next bracket, with Alejandro Garnacho, Evan Ferguson, Mathys Tel and Warren Zaire-Emery. That’s elite company, but because he’s English and has been in and around the team for a good few years, we forget his age and potential.

Whoever the next manager is has a jaw-dropping array of young talent to work with. Elliott, Ryan Gravenberch (21), Conor Bradley (20), Stefan Bajcetic (19), Ben Doak (18), Bobby Clark (19), James McConnell (19), Jarell Quansah (21) are all touted for big things. And then there’s the likes of Trey Nyoni (16) and Jayden Danns (18) following them through. This is before mentioning the array of world-class starters currently doing the business of course…

Liverpool’s big squad has proven completely essential this term. Injuries have been regular and seemingly crucial, but the reality is we’ve largely kept on winning through adversity.

It’s the squad players who can come in at a whim and perform to an almost similar level to the starters who will win us this title.

Elliott is a huge part of that. His ability to come off the bench and contribute and step up when it matters, even at the age of 20, shows he could be one of the best players in the Premier League by the time he’s 24.

The post Editor’s Column: Harvey Elliott is one of World’s Best U21s and Liverpool fans should appreciate this more appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Conor Bradley is currently grieving the death of his father. The Northern Irishman is only 20-years-old, which is far too young to lose a dad and our thoughts are of course with him.

It’s quite poignant that one of his dad’s last memories would have been watching Bradley’s sublime performance in the 4-1 victory over Chelsea; a game in which the fullback notified the world of his talent with a goal and two assists. Joe Bradley would have died a very proud man.

His son did however return to training this week which suggests he may be available for the tricky away tie with Brentford on Saturday lunchtime.

Trent Alexander-Arnold hasn’t trained, so Jurgen Klopp will pick either Bradley, Joe Gomez (who himself has been absent with flu but should be fine) or the wildcard option of Curtis Jones at right-back.

Jones played there versus Burnley in the second-half after Trent left the field injured and did a surprisingly good job linking play and overlapping Harvey Elliott.

Bradley though would be my choice…

His breakthrough game came in the 2-1 home victory over Fulham in the EFL Cup semi-final first-leg on January 10th, and after that Man of the Match performance, he went from strength to strength. Brilliant against Bournemouth, Fulham again and Norwich, Bradley put the cherry on top of his meteoric rise with the iconic outing v Chelsea. It wasn’t just one of the performances of the season; it was one of the best right-back performances I’ve ever seen.

He’s very, very fast. Bradley can hug the touchline, overlap, dribble and even run beyond opposition backlines, as he did for his goal v Chelsea. The lazy analysis has called him a Trent-regen, but he’s much more like a right-footed and younger Andy Robertson. Quick, feisty, never-say-die and smart in tight situations, with a wicked cross from deep.

Nobody was very good against Arsenal, but we genuinely missed his speed. Trent is obviously wonderful, but he’s not someone who’ll ever get on the end of the pass – he’s the one playing it. He cuts in from right-back and performs as a deep-lying playmaker. Trent is a magician on the ball and occasionally not good enough of of it – like many midfielders who possess his world-class technical qualities.

When Trent is back, he’s not going to want to be a rotation player, and fair enough. Before his injury, he was arguably the Premier League Player of the Season, saving us against Fulham and Manchester City to name but a few standout performances. But it would be a mistake to use Bradley only as a substitute when he was impacting games from the start so brilliantly.

The obvious answer is to allow Trent to play in midfield and use Bradley as a more traditional, running fullback – not the quarterback Trent is.

Trent though shouldn’t play as a no.6 without a defensively-minded player alongside him. This would be too risky on turnovers and in stopping counter-attacks, where Trent is weak. But he could thrive in a double-pivot with Wataru Endo or Alexis Mac Allister, enabling Curtis Jones or Dom Szoboszlai more freedom ahead of them.

If Trent is to anchor the midfield on his own, he’ll need his no.8s either side to play very narrow and non-expansively. There would be just too many empty spaces otherwise.

In fact, it’s probably a conundrum for the next manager (Xabi Alonso?) more than Klopp, who is unlikely to make drastic changes before the end of the season – and will focus on a game by game basis.

His replacement though has the best years of both Bradley and Trent ahead of them.

Alonso currently plays a 3-4-2-1 formation with running wing-backs more akin to Bradley than Trent. There’s no doubt though that Trent could slip into the centre of the midfield in a double-pivot, with a partner beside him, knowing there are three defenders behind him, should the Spaniard take the helm.

This would also suit Gomez, who could perfectly play on the right of the back-three.

But that’s probably looking too far ahead considering we’ve got a quadruple to win and three must-win-points to secure on Saturday.

Bradley will have all the support and love of his team-mates and the fanbase following his horrible news and I fully back him to hit the ground running, although if the player himself decides he needs more time, then he obviously won’t be rushed by the management.

My team for Brentford on Saturday: Alisson; Bradley, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Jota.

The post Editor’s Column: Will Conor Bradley’s brilliance change Trent’s role? appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Ryan Gravenberch is an immense talent. He’s been blessed by the footballing Gods in that he’s 6ft’ 3′, rangy, fast and possesses immense technical ability. He can beat a man from a stand-still via his skills or zoom straight past them because of his speed.

Remember that goal we scored at the Etihad earlier this season? Gravenberch ran past Rodri in the buildup. That just doesn’t happen very often.

It’s not an exaggeration to say he has the same kind of ability as Paul Pogba or Yaya Toure in central midfield. Someone whose huge frame simply doesn’t match up with their insane technical qualities.

But this combination only matters if a player accepts the physical is as important as the technical – and just as crucially – that the off the ball is as important as the on the ball.

Gravenberch’s pressure off the ball is at the moment, not good enough. He closes down because he’s been told to, not because he truly wants to. What’s more, he loses 50/50s against players who don’t have legs as long as his and shouldn’t have his strength. He’s lightweight. Wataru Endo is diminutive in size but brave and tireless off the ball and the difference between the two summer signings is noticeable.

There is no hiding in a Jurgen Klopp team, especially in midfield. When opponents have the ball, his midfielders need to be insanely disciplined, physical, hard-working and tactically smart. You cannot drift into positions in the hope your team-mates will cover for you. Not against good sides who break quickly, especially given our fullbacks are often out of defensive position further up the field.

Taki Minamino used to have this annoying habit of standing in a position where he couldn’t be passed to with the Reds in possession, and Gravenberch shares it.

You can see in the video below how angry Klopp was at the Dutchman for his lazy defensive work in the buildup to Arsenal’s goal on Sunday. It’s very lackadaisical. 

Jurgen Klopp fuming at Ryan Gravenberch due to his lack of pressing in the lead up to Arsenal’s 1st goal.

Don’t blame Klopp, almost like we had non-existent pressing in periods of the 1st half. #LFC pic.twitter.com/3Q8jbAauAp

— Charlie (@CharlieeLFC) February 6, 2024

Not only is Gravenberch not causing opponents problems with his pressing, but his on-the-ball work is less exciting than maybe we should expect.

Andy Jones, in the Athletic, writes:

“The biggest difference between Gravenberch and his team-mates lies in possession. Compared to the other midfielders, Gravenberch’s successful passes per 90 (33.1) is over 13 fewer than the second-lowest (Harvey Elliott, 47), with the rest above 50. Unsurprisingly, his successful passes in the opposition half are also the lowest (22.4), seven fewer than Endo (29.6).” 

To put simply, he doesn’t get on the ball as much as the others, which has led to suggestions he hides in games, but he also isn’t getting on it in the right areas. He does have three goals, although none in the Premier League.

In fairness, this is a 21-year-old kid we’re analysing. And it’s his first season in England having signed on deadline day back in the summer, therefore missing the summer to adapt to Klopp’s methods.

He was better in his early games, but this often happens to Klopp’s technical midfielders. At first they play naturally, but once they try to learn all his tactical demands they lose their spark for a bit. The same happened to Naby Keita and to some extent, Dom Szoboszlai.

“Sometimes he looks brilliant but he doesn’t get involved enough in the games. But that’ll come, he’s only young. He’ll get nurtured into that with coaching,” John Aldridge told the Echo, and he’s right.

It’ll be interesting to see how Gravenberch adapts to a new manager. The player has importantly had Klopp’s trust and the German is loyal to players – giving them lots of time to settle and establish themselves. There’s an argument to suggests it’s been to his detriment, at points.

But a new boss might not appreciate the midfielder’s traits, especially when we have a plethora of young, talented players competing for three of maybe even two spots.

Xabi Alonso plays short-passing, possession football. Gravenberch might suit this, given the quickness of his feet and his ability in tight areas.

The Spaniard is the main candidate right now so it would be silly to hypothesise too much on others.

Gravenberch though needs to improve until the end of the season if he’s to get regular chances. Klopp will keep using him in the cups as we’re in four competitions, but if he’s to be a Premier League player, we need more contributions on the ball and off it. Up the physicality, up the intensity and up the concentration.

He’s by no means a write-off, however. His talent is huge and his mistakes are explainable.

We’re still backing him to come good. But right now, a step-up is required.

The post Editor’s Column: Klopp right to be angry at Gravenberch’s poor off the ball work appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

We’re probably all guilty of taking Joe Gomez for granted.

Liverpool’s longest serving player, Gomez was not someone fans or pundits put in any potential starting XIs back in the summer…

Instead, he was touted for an exit and supporters would bicker about which new centre-back they’d never really seen play would be an appropriate replacement. Gomez was regarded as injury prone and a liability at the back, due to mistakes over the past two seasons which saw him drop down the pecking order – behind Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip at centre-back.

In 2023/24 though, he’s well and truly turned it around and is a crucial part of Liverpool 2.0.

What kind of money would it take to replace Gomez; a defender who can play all right-back, left-back and centre-back to an exceptionally high standard?

There isn’t a player on the market who can switch between the fullback positions and their favoured centre-back spot with so little fuss.

This season, Gomez has been pretty much flawless. He’s started at right-back seven times, left-back seven times, centre-back twice, but also come off the bench in all three of those positions a further 12 occasions. He’s unbelievably versatile and the perfect player for Jurgen Klopp in a year in which he’s having to rotate and rest to navigate four competitions and injuries across the board.

Following the 1-1 draw with Fulham last night, which confirmed Liverpool’s progression into the EFL Cup Final, the manager was quick to praise Gomez, who was again, outstanding.

‘Without Joe nothing would’ve happened in the last pretty much 13, 14 weeks since Robbo is out,’ Klopp told the Metro.

The post Editor’s Column: Joe Gomez – one of Liverpool’s most important players this season appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

It would be a big, big surprise if Liverpool buy big this January transfer window. Really, all Jurgen Klopp wants is for the multitude of injured players to return to first-team action.

Currently, Mo Salah and Wataru Endo are away with their countries, while Dom Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas, Joel Matip, Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic are all injured.

The only time Klopp entered the transfer market to cover for injured players, it really hasn’t worked. Remember Ben Davies, Ozan Kabak and Arthur…?

In the summer though, the club must continue to strengthen.

Here’s a run down of what is required.

Contracts:

Three of Liverpool’s very best players will have only one year left on their deals come the end of this season. Trent, Virgil van Dijk and Salah all have deals which run out in 2025.

It will be costly, but obviously we need to renew them. Trent is a no-brainer. Pay him what he wants. He’ll stay at Liverpool for life. Van Dijk too could end his career at Anfield. He’s easily got four to five very good years left in him based on his performances this season.

Salah is the tricky one. Do we pay the monstrous fee to renew his deal, or try to sell him to Saudi Arabia for £100m and reinvest that money into the team? Salah will be 32-years-old in the summer. Surely the thought of cashing in will tempt FSG, given his age, but Salah is an alien.

He’s not a normal 31-year-old. He doesn’t get injured. The Egyptian King isn’t as fast as he once was but his creativity from the right-wing is still phenomenal and his goal tally the same as it ever was. Is he replaceable? Not really. So maybe giving him a new deal on similar money (he’s on £350k/week, give or take) will be the financially best option, given the transfer fee required to sign someone new…

What’s more, we have seen the situation of Jordan Henderson leaving Saudi and the likes of Roberto Firmino and Fabinho not having especially enjoyable times either. Salah is simply too good from a footballing perspective to make that move yet.

This brings up the possibility of him simply running down his deal and leaving in 2025 for free, which is maybe the worst option for us all things considered but something we might not have any say in.

Goalkeeper

Alisson stays. For as long as he’s still a goalkeeper! We might have to bring in a high-level backup, however. Caoimhín Kelleher is 25-years-old and obviously needs to leave for first-team football. We could get half-decent money for him although in truth, he’s not looked great this term and an upgrade is required anyway.

Defenders

Here’s where it gets interesting. Matip looks likely to leave, so we need a new centre-back to take his place. The emergence of Connor Bradley and how comfortable Joe Gomez is in either fullback position means we might get away with not doing anything in these areas, but really, we need a right-back so Trent can play in midfield whenever required.

So a right-back and a centre-back should be high on the list of priorities.

Midfielders

We still need a young, potentially elite destroyer at no.6. We have Endo, who’s done brilliantly, but he’s in his thirties and another player to compete for minutes in this spot will help massively. After all, we bid over £110m for Moises Caicedo in the summer. Bajcetic will return, of course, and there are huge hopes for him – but it’s important to not put too much pressure on the Spaniard’s shoulders. He’s still a teenager. Personally, I think the Reds were silly to miss out on Manuel Ugarte last summer. The Uruguayan joined PSG and has excelled.

Forwards

Even if Salah stays, we need a right-sided attacker. Michael Olise seems the favourite, although I’d prefer someone faster who can run in-behind and offer a bigger goal threat. Olise is young and definitely has a high ceiling, though – with Premier League experience. It’s an option, but maybe the transfer team will have something more exciting up their sleeves.

Kylian Mbappe will never happen. It’s annoying the rumours have even sprung up again. We simply will not and cannot pay him the wages he requires. He’ll end up at Real Madrid or stay at PSG on something absurd.

Elsewhere, we’re happy with the options. Let’s keep Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. Good players at a good age.

In conclusion, that’s a backup keeper, a right-back, a centre-back, a holding midfielder and a right-winger. JW Henry – do your worst!

The post Editor’s Column: Where Liverpool need to strengthen in the transfer market appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Curtis Jones is now good enough to be a fully-fledged England international, although that is of course under the incorrect assumption that the national side has a capable manager.

If Kalvin Phillips and Jordan henderson go ahead of Jones, there should be uproar.

Gareth Southgate has barely used Trent Alexander-Arnold, however, who is one of the best footballers on the planet, so there are no guarantees.

But the point stands. Anyone who has watched Jones properly since he got himself into the side back in April 2023 will recognise his monumental improvement.

I’ll be honest; I didn’t think Jones would develop into a player who walked into our best XI. He was obviously technically impressive, but consistently injured and didn’t make things happen. He held onto the ball for too long and wasn’t tenacious enough off it.

But Jurgen Klopp and his coaches have clearly worked tirelessly to harness Jones’ potential and we’re now looking at arguably Liverpool’s best midfielder.

Last night against Fulham he was named Man of the Match after a pretty faultless performance. He only misplaced one of his 48 passes, while providing a creative, probing influence at the same time. Jones scored a goal with a deflected effort, but was crucially involved in Liverpool’s second, playing a clever wide pass to Cody Gakpo, who eventually got into the box and scored.

He’s moulded himself into Gini Wijnaldum. Brilliant in tight-spaces, Jones recycles possession and sets the defensive tone with his press. Liverpool’s energy off the ball is tenfold better than last season with Fabinho and Henderson in midfield. They were so flat. So slow. So past it. Jones is at the start of his career though and it looks like very big things are to come.

What he does better than Wijnaldum is run with the ball through midfield. In our Youth Teams, he was a winger, so his ability to dribble is being utilised when he finds some space in the middle on transitions. He’s actually surprisingly fast with the ball at his feet.

What he’s doing most differently is using it faster. He used to slow the game down for no reason. Now, he makes quick decisions which enables us to find spaces before the opposition is in position. When he was slow to make decisions, often our opponents were just in two banks of four and were too hard to break down. That seems to have changed.

For me, Jones is a starter when everyone is fit. I like Wataru Endo as our no.6 as he is the only defensively-minded player we have there. Jones must start on the left of the three and then there is one space for Alexis Mac Allister, Dom Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Harvey Elliott. Obviously there is the caveat of Thiago’s potential, eventual return, but for now – it’s not sensible to consider the Spaniard an option.

On paper, Endo and Jones seem like less exciting options than some of the others named, but you can only go on what you’ve seen this season – and Liverpool are a better team when they’re in the side.

What’s going on with Ryan Gravenberch?

While Jones is flying, Gravenberch is struggling. The Dutchman was poor last night, in the first-half especially, losing 10 of his 11 duels. For a midfielder standing at 6ft 3′, he gets bullied off the ball far too easily and needs to be braver in the 50/50 and more committed to winning second-balls.

Interestingly, Gravenberch was much better at the start off this season, especially in the Europa League. There’s a few possible reasons for this. Firstly, European sides are usually less physical and aggressive off the ball, which fits in with the first point. Secondly, there has been a pattern at Liverpool under Klopp of talented, technical midfielders looking good early on and then tailing off a bit. Look at Naby Keita, even Szoboszlai. There’s a suggestion that they curtail their early freedom to try and adapt to Klopp’s tactical and off-the-ball demands and initially find this development difficult.

Maybe this is what’s happening with Gravenberch.

The main thing to say though is he’s 21-years-old. He is essentially a youngster and shouldn’t be judged on this season at all. Clearly, there is a player in there. It’s just for Klopp and his coaches to bring out the best in him, like they are now with a 22-year-old Jones.

The post Editor’s Column: Curtis Jones will go to the Euros with England appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Should there even be any debate?

Not amongst Liverpool fans, who’ve known about Mo Salah’s greatness since a few weeks into his Anfield tenure.

It started in 2017 when we secured the Egyptian from AS Roma for £34m. At the time, many pundits considered this an expensive fee for a Chelsea reject without elite pedigree.

204 goals and 82 assists so far suggest it may in fact have been quite good value for money!

Against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day, Salah looked at his very, very best. In that kind of mood, there’s only a handful of players who’ve competed this century who are his equal.

Two goals, two assists. Countless big chances created. The manner in which he picked the ball up on the right touchline and immediately dribbled towards goal was scintillating. There were no cutbacks. It was direct, non-stop action. Liverpool ended up winning 4-2 which sent us three points clear at the top of the table, but the result could have been 7-0 or 8-0, easily.

The performance was the highest xG racked up by any Premier League side – EVER.

And yet much of the discussion afterwards has regarded the awarding of a penalty… Odd.

So far this season in the Premier League, Salah is easily the standout performer, aged 31.

He leads the goal-scoring charts with 14 and the assists chart with eight. He has the most shots on target. He’s created the most big chances and has the most touches in the opposition box. That’s incredible, it really is.

But the ridiculous thing is he’s been this good since his arrival. He has only missed ten Premier League games since 2017/18 and nearly all of those are due to him participating at the AFCON. His availability and ludicrous fitness plays a huge part in his greatness.

If you’re picking an all-time Premier League XI, there is no possible way someone could select anybody else on the right-wing. There’ll be some who want Cristiano Ronaldo there or maybe even David Beckham. Nonsense. Neither of them come close to what Salah has achieved in England in terms of the numbers or the performances.

Let’s take Ronaldo, for example. He played 236 PL matches, scoring 103 goals and registering 37 assists. He was jaw-droppingly brilliant. But in just 15 more games played, Salah has 50 more goals (153) and 30 more assists (67).

Salah has three Golden Boots and on track to get another this season. The only player with more is Thierry Henry, with four. Right now, he’s favourite to win another Premier League Player of the Season award – which would make it three.

Henry does get in all-time PL XI, probably on the left of the attack, with Salah on the right. Up top, it’s between Alan Shearer, who scored the most goals, but at a worse goal:minute ratio than many, or Sergio Aguero or Harry Kane.

The brilliance of Curtis Jones

If every single Liverpool player was fit and available and we had a Champions League Final tomorrow, Curtis Jones would and should start.

The Scouser has been that integral recently and we’d likely be further ahead of the top of table had he been fit the entire season.

Jones got himself into the team at the end of 2022/23 when we went on a winning run that almost saw us clinch top four, but this term an injury meant he was initially in and out of the side.

Now fully fit, he’s showing why he’s completely integral to our tactical setup. He presses manically and his dynamism off the ball simply makes us a better team. Jones sets the tone with his energy and the way he closes down space and opponents. He never turns off defensively, which is quite impressive considering in the youth sides he was often a luxury inside forward.

Against Newcastle, Jones once again shone, but he’s barely had a bad game since April, when he got himself in the team. He ticks things over, he probes spaces and he’s finding a knack of getting into the box and scoring. Last term he scored four from open play and has three already this.

He’s rightly ahead of Ryan Gravenberch in the pecking order right now. The Dutchman is clearly very talented, but he’s experiencing a dip since the early promise he showed after arriving from Bayern Munich.

You can see Jones against Newcastle, below:

Curtis Jones is playing some of his best football of late for Liverpool, one of the star players last night. I'm so happy for the young lad. I really want him to succeed at @LFC pic.twitter.com/6BzwLoS4Af

— Jay-LFC (@JasonLFC1979) January 2, 2024

Well done Joe Gomez

Be honest – who wrote Joe Gomez off last season? Many of us did, anyway.

He had a mistake in him. He lacked confidence. You didn’t trust him in central defence. Maybe that’s because he was a fullback all along!

Brilliant at right-back when deputising for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gomez has stepped it up again in place of natural left-backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas – both of whom are long-term absentees.

Gomez actually drives towards the box from this position like an inside-forward. He’s so good on the ball and defensively hasn’t put a foot wrong. We’d be lost without him right now.

What a turnaround. Gareth Southgate would be mad not to pick him and Jones in his England squad.

The post Editor’s Column: Mo Salah walks into All-Time Premier League XI appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool are enjoying what is so far an undeniably very good season.

We are top of the Premier League table ahead of the New Year’s Day fixture with Newcastle United, in the knockout rounds of the Europa League after winning our group and in the semis of the EFL Cup. Really, we’re flying. We would have been unbeaten in the Premier League if it wasn’t for the robbery at the Tottenham Stadium, too.

Jurgen Klopp has rotated heavily and used his squad smartly. Players like Jarrell Quansah have come to the fore, all of the midfielders have featured in the continued absence of Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic, while all five of the attackers play in basically every game when fit, either from the beginning or off the bench.

Klopp uses his five subs more often than any manager in the top flight and it’s working; perhaps why we’ve managed to score so many late goals to turn matches around.

There’s a big upcoming issue that will cause the boss headaches, though. The irritatingly scheduled African Cup of Nations and the Asia Cup will see Mo Salah and Wataru Endo out of action for potentially the duration of January and well into February, too.

Both Egypt and Japan are among the favourites in their respective competitions so Klopp can expect to be without the pair for both EFL Semi-Final legs with Fulham, the FA Cup 3rd Round with Arsenal and PL matches with Bournemouth, and more worryingly, Chelsea and Arsenal again…

Here’s a look at some of the options the boss might have at his disposal.

Replacing Wataru Endo

How good has Endo been? It looked for some time that he might actually end up as a figure of fun at Liverpool; a confusing transfer from Stuttgart who simply wasn’t up to scratch. But he is. Despite arriving at 30-years-old, Endo has shown a hunger, a humility and a tenacity at no.6 that has provided us tenacity and solidity in midfield. He holds his position, passes quickly and smartly and is making an increasing number of clever defensive actions that then help us counter.

Thankfully for Klopp, Alexis Mac Allister is back in full training and is the natural choice to slot back into the side in place of Endo. The Argentine has been out for three weeks but was Klopp’s first-choice no.6 before his injury. He plays the position differently to Endo, though. Mac Allister has much better vision and is technically braver, so takes balls in tighter areas and looks for more ambitious passes. This can however lead to us losing possession and it’s good if he could maintain the ball in the manner Endo does, even if it means taking longer to try and pick the right pass.

Another option is to use Trent Alexander-Arnold as the deep-lying playmaker and start Joe Gomez at right-back. However, with injuries to Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas, Gomez is needed at left-back, so we’re unlikely to see Trent switch into his clearly favoured position full-time for a little while yet.

Curtis Jones has played as a no.6 for England’s youth teams, while Klopp could also change things up tactically and deploy a double-pivot, with perhaps Jones and Mac Allister deep, with Dominik Szoboszlai afforded a freer, more creative role.

Replacing Mo Salah

The truth is, you can’t replace Mo Salah. 16 goals and seven assists in all competitions so far and the most big chances created of any player in the top flight. If Darwin Nunez could finish, his assists would be well into the double figures. While Mac Allister seems the obvious choice to replace Endo, the options to stand in for Salah are less clear, especially as whoever comes in, our frontline will weaken.

Harvey Elliott deserves more minutes. He’s been sublime from the bench this season, but only Quansah, Ben Doak and James McConnell have played less minutes than him in the Premier League. The youngster doesn’t have Salah’s pace or ability in behind, but in truth, Mo is losing that anyway and his game is based much more on his creative genius nowadays. This makes Elliott more of a natural replacement than previously. Harvey can shoot when he’s inside the box and also play intricate through-balls, especially if a pace-merchant like Nunez is central.

Luis Diaz is not enjoying his best season but has been used briefly by Klopp on the right in the past. His problem on the left is that he always cuts in and has stopped beating his man on the outside, so perhaps a positional switch will invigorate the Colombian. We can sacrifice him on the left as Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Nunez are all comfortable out there.

Jota too has played on the right, although this could keep him out of the box and without Salah, we’ll desperately need his finishing ability. Let’s keep Diogo central.

The wildcard option is Szoboszlai. He’s two-footed, very fast and has played on the right flank in the past. A position which gets him closer to the goal and enables him to unleash his jaw-dropping shooting potential might just work. There are numbers in midfield that allow this to happen, and he’s experienced a drop-off recently so like Diaz, this must boost him.

The Transfer Window

Klopp won’t buy a new winger or a new midfielder just to cover. But we might need another defender, especially a left-footed one. Gomez is currently the backup right-back, starting left-back and backup centre-back. If he gets injured we’re in big trouble.

Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio would be a brilliant addition. He has an affordable release-clause, but there is no concrete word the Reds are keen.

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