Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s new talisman, completed his anniversary with the club and a glance at the squad’s performances from this time last season shows how far the German has managed to get the Anfield outfit. From a team that lacked ideas and creativity in front of goal, Liverpool have gone on to become a team that scored more goals than any other Premier League club in that year and have now made themselves title contenders for the Premier League title this season. With 4 back to back wins leading into the international break, Klopp will be happy with his team’s run of form but a break in the schedule is sure to rupture a few of the combinations before the restart. With games against Manchester United and Tottenham looming large over the month of October, here are three things Jurgen Klopp has to do at the club to keep them at the top of the table:
Give fringe players a chance:
Though the Reds ended the summer transfer window with a positive net spend, they have one of the strongest squads in the league this season. The full-back and defensive midfield areas are a bit of a concern but the depth in other areas is more than impressive. The likes of Danny Ings in attack, Mamadou Sakho in defense and Kevin Stewart in midfield have not even got a chance to prove themselves this season and it might be the time for Klopp to give them an outing. Though fiddling with the team combination can be dangerous, Klopp will have to give enough game time to every player in the squad to keep them fit for emergencies. Surely, he will be thinking about giving a couple of the players a chance to influence games after the break
Sort out goalkeeper situation:
The Liverpool fans were furious with the returns the club goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was giving them for a couple of years now. The Belgian has been the most error-prone keeper in the league and Klopp decided to spend on Loris Karius from the Bundesliga to replace him in the first team. The German was one of the best keepers in Bundesliga but he has not looked confident in the recent outing against Swansea City in the Premier League. One game may not be enough to judge a player but with crunch ties coming up, it may not be easy for Klopp to trust the debutant. This leaves the manager with a decision to make and make quickly with the race for the title already heating up.
Midfield combination:
Though Liverpool lacks a genuine defensive midfielder who can dictate the game in front of the back four, the likes of Jordan Henderson and Emre Can can do a decent job in that position. This has restricted the options for the manager early this season. However, with Lallana set to be back midway through October and Can already fit to start, Klopp will have a huge decision to make with the best part of the season still in front of him. It will not be easy for the manager to decide on a combination but he will have to settle into one quickly to genuinely challenge for the title this season.