How Alberto Moreno Has Found His Way Back Into Klopp’s Plans
After spending last season in isolation, Alberto Moreno has been the one bright spark about an otherwise lacklustre Liverpool defence. He has been named in almost every matchday squad so far, and it is safe to say that Moreno has returned to prominence under Jurgen Klopp. Despite the arrival of Andrew Robertson from Hull City, the Spaniard has fought hard and has established himself as Klopp’s first-choice left-back once again.
Not only has he been defensively solid, Moreno has also showcased a more mature approach when it comes to going forward. Many may not have expected this but we all got to see a vastly improved end product from the former Sevilla left-back, which only goes to show the true extent of his commitment to the Merseyside club.
Moreno has certainly been one of Klopp’s most consistent performers so far this season, despite the Reds’ defensive issues. Keeping the impressive Robertson out of the side is a considerable feat, and Moreno is honing the ability he possessed when he made the move from Sevilla in 2014.
Let’s take a look at some of his stats provided by Squawka. Moreno was quite influential in Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Maribor. He was the Reds’ best passer with a 97% accuracy. In fact, he attempted 5 crosses, and one of them led to a key chance which helped Sturridge score a goal.
Cut a little forward and Moreno continues to go from strength-to-strength. He helped Liverpool maintain consecutive clean sheets to bounce back after the devastating 4-1 loss to Spurs at Wembley. The Reds recorded back-to-back 3-0 wins against Huddersfield and Maribor, and on both occasions, the result pointed towards promising signs from the Liverpool defender.
Looking at the bigger picture, Moreno is responsible for the joint-most chances created in Europe (8) and has won 9/18 of his tackles and 5/7 of his headers – all this while keeping a whopping 90% overall average pass accuracy. Moreno has been one of Klopp’s best defenders and it is truly astounding to watch him perform so well even though the Reds have been struggling defensively.
He might not receive enough credit for all the work he has done so far, but if he continues this upward trajectory, there is no reason why he can’t continue as the first-choice left-back at the club for the years to come.
From seeming destined to leave the club last summer to establishing himself in the first-team, Moreno has certainly come a long way. Moreno’s next big test will come when he travels for Liverpool’s next European assignment, which is against his hometown club Sevilla later this month, and it remains to be seen how far he goes for the Reds this season.