‘We could start’: Klopp comments suggest a quick-fix to Liverpool’s midfield problem is on the way

Add as preferred source on Google

A fix for Liverpool’s midfield problem could be on the way. That’s if Jurgen Klopp’s comments are what they seem.

There were already calls for Liverpool to address their midfield problem before their trip to Old Trafford. The performance against Manchester United has only exacerbated them – the Reds were that bad.

Liverpool failed to get much of anything going through the middle. They also struggled to stop anything United did on the counter-attack and looked vulnerable.

There were missing players, of course. Fabinho didn’t start, for instance, while Thiago has been out since the opening day. Naby Keita put himself back on the absentee list, too, with an injury.

But will Liverpool sign someone? We’re not sure that’s particularly likely, especially with the numbers in midfield right now. It also seems that Jurgen Klopp has a different kind of fix in mind – he just couldn’t use it on Monday.

Fix for Liverpool’s midfield problem

“We have, in the moment, five senior midfielders, and we have to start with three,” Klopp told a press conference after the game.

“We could start with two if we had more attackers but we only have three attackers, so it means we have to start with three and change during the game.

“How we want to start and how we want to change, we have to think before the game. That’s the only reason for it.”

It sounds as though Klopp is open to playing with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-4 to add more dynamism to midfield. The fact he couldn’t call on either Diogo Jota or Darwin Nunez took that option away against United, though.

Roberto Firmino could drop into the no.10 role, or even Fabio Carvalho – but there needs to be a proper striker up top. You can’t ask both Firmino and Carvalho to play the central forward roles, given they largely do the same thing. Someone needs to push up against the centre-backs and Liverpool lack that player right now.

Maybe the return of Jota or Nunez changes things again and Klopp switches his system a little. That seems like the quick-fix for the problem, at least until Thiago returns. Maybe Mohamed Salah could play as a striker until then? Harvey Elliott could play wide-right, with a no.10 behind the Egyptian.

That’s one option if Liverpool aren’t entering the market. It’s not perfect but it’s clear that the Reds need to try something.