Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that only three players have their places secured in his starting XI.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports News, the German mentioned his squad’s situation ahead of the Reds’s clash against Chelsea tonight.
He suggested that only a few players’ spots are safe in his line-up – meaning everyone else could be subject to change.
Asked if it feels weird that Chelsea and Liverpool are facing each other from 11th and eighth place respectively, Klopp says: “Yes it is, but it’s the reality as well. We both deserve where we are.
“We have opportunities to change and we have to change and we cannot just close our eyes and say ‘the same again and again’.
“We have to change and now the door is miles open for everybody to get into the team because there’s only two or three who have their spot safe. The boys know, that’s one thing I told them.
“We have to fight through this, that’s the only way. You cannot play a little bit of here and there, or play with a backheel five times in a row and hoping something will happen.
“You have to really open your eyes, put everything straight and go. That’s what we will do.”
With Klopp having said this, here are the three Liverpool players we think he is talking about.
Alisson Becker
Perhaps the only consistent performer in the side, Alisson has by far been the Reds’s most important player of the campaign.
Without the Brazilian in goal, the Merseyside outfit would be nowhere near eighth in the Premier League table.
Despite a number of horrific defensive displays, Liverpool have a +15 goal difference.
This wouldn’t have been possible without Alisson’s heroics, which have saved the side on numerous occasions this season.
Mohamed Salah
Despite a slow start to the campaign, Mo Salah has once again taken the weight of Liverpool’s attack on his shoulders.
Across 40 games this term, the 30-year-old has bagged 23 goals and 11 assists – making him the side’s top scorer by nine strikes.
When the Reds have needed a goal, Klopp has been able to rely on the ‘Egyptian king’ to get his attack going.
Without him, the front-line would look somewhat inexperienced, as both Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo only arrived over the past year.
Ibrahima Konate
In a season where Virgil van Dijk has been below his best, Konate has been a bright spark in Liverpool’s defence.
The 23-year-old has only made 44 appearances for the Reds, but he has established himself as the Dutchman’s long-term partner at centre-back.
As a huge threat in the air due to his physical presence, the Frenchman has demonstrated why he is known as one of the best defensive prospects in world football.
While his teammates have sometimes lacked, Konate has been reliable for Klopp at the back – making him the third player to have his spot guaranteed in the manager’s starting XI.
