Liverpool were ridiculed after transfer saga but £60m snub has been blessing in disguise
When Liverpool started the Premier League season at Chelsea back in August, their midfield overhaul was far from complete.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister both made their Reds debuts in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, but the pair were unleashed in unfamiliar positions with the Hungarian at number eight and the Argentine at number six.
While Szoboszlai was always set up to make such a transition following his £60m switch from RB Leipzig, Mac Allister’s change of role was more through necessity after the unexpected exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho following big-money interest from Saudi Arabia.
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Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo completed the engine-room trio as he was forced to play in a deeper role as opposed to his favourite position in the front three. Unsurprisingly, it ended up being a far from convincing display from Klopp’s men.
Trent-Alexander Arnold and Curtis Jones had both played at number six throughout pre-season, but a back injury suffered by Conor Bradley prompted the former to be needed back at right-back. Meanwhile, the latter headed into the season carrying an ankle injury, while Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic were still sidelined after long-term absences.
Consequently, Jurgen Klopp ultimately had very few alternatives other than his makeshift selection as Liverpool started the campaign lacking midfield numbers. And ahead of facing Chelsea, he had admitted any solutions would only be short-term.
“In the next six days we have to find a formation for Chelsea and not for the whole season,” he said
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