‘It’s always impossible’: Pep Guardiola comments show why Liverpool should cast aside 3 players

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Some comments Pep Guardiola made in 2021 show why Liverpool should cast aside three players next year. The Reds need change.

Pep Guardiola talked to Rio Ferdinand and BT Sport ahead of the Champions League final in 2021. He made some interesting comments on longevity, too, that could explain decisions at Liverpool next year.

“How many Premier League’s did you win?” he asked Ferdinand. “Six? Did you have the same squad with the first Premier League as the sixth one? You have to shake. You have to move.

“With the same guys, it’s always impossible. We change; after a defeat or a win, we change. In the beginning, you accept things but when you win you accept less.”

It’s a way of looking at things that Liverpool haven’t always agreed with. The Reds notably signed zero first-team players in 2019 after winning the Champions League.

That was a decision that worked out. Liverpool’s continuity led to a rampant Premier League title win the following year. Two years on, however, and the Reds’ can put out largely the same side as 2019 and call it their best XI.

Only two players have changed. Thiago is in there after Gini Wijnaldum’s contract expired and Luis Diaz operates on the left flank instead of Sadio Mané. Other than that, we’re looking at the same Liverpool team.

And that will likely change in 2023.

Pep Guardiola comments apply to Liverpool

One thing Liverpool can’t help is the fact that their players age. Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Thiago, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah are now all beyond 30 but still make the best XI.

Van Dijk and Salah will be in there for years to come, of course. Matip, though, has a successor in the squad as Ibrahima Konaté continues to impress. Firmino, too, will hopefully make way for Darwin Nunez this season.

Midfield, though, requires change and we see it coming in 2023. Henderson and Thiago will remain at the club but their roles should reduce over the coming years.

And that means signing midfielders, with players moving out to make way. As it happens, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner are all out of contract next year. Letting that trio leave and replacing them with first-team players is the way forward.

As Guardiola says, teams require change to stay on top and this is how Liverpool can do it. It’s also a case of ‘accepting’ less. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injuries have made him a near non-entity in recent season. Keita simply hasn’t lived up to his potential and injuries continue to plague him. As for Milner, he’s now 36 and can’t go on forever.

This is how Liverpool bring about their change, then. Maybe it’s by signing Jude Bellingham, maybe it isn’t. Either way, the club should move on from this trio and find the players who can finally push Henderson and Thiago for starts.