What Liverpool’s current best XI would look like if Jurgen Klopp was still Reds manager

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Jurgen Klopp has shot immediately back into Liverpool fans’ collective consciousness after conducting a revealing interview on Monday.

As one of the Reds’ most legendary managers, the German is never far from the minds of those who watched him win everything at Anfield.

Nevertheless, with Klopp speaking about a potential return to Liverpool on the back of Arne Slot taking the team on a terrible run of form, supporters are daydreaming of the recent past.

“I said I will never coach another team, a different team, in England. So that means if then it’s Liverpool … yeah. Theoretically it’s possible,” Klopp told Diary of a CEO.

Although Liverpool are unlikely to relieve Slot of his duties, it is clear that the current boss needs to get a grip on his best XI. If not, who knows what could happen.

That got us thinking at Rousing The Kop, that if Klopp was handed the Liverpool squad in its current state, what would his starting line-up look like?

Defence – Flying full-backs return

One of the biggest features of Liverpool under Klopp was the German’s use of his full-backs. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were an unstoppable duo.

With Alexander-Arnold out the door and Robertson on the decline, we could see Klopp utilising Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez as his brand new full-back pair.

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp may have accidentally just dug Arne Slot even deeper into a hole at Liverpool

Klopp was a fan of Bradley, while Kerkez very much feels like a left-back in the same mould as Robertson. The Hungarian has seemingly been asked to curtail his attacking ambitions, but the former Liverpool manager would be having none of that.

Centre-back and goalkeeper leave little debate to be had, with Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk certain to start. However, Klopp was always a big fan of Joe Gomez, and perhaps the 10-year Anfield veteran would have a chance of starting over Ibrahima Konate.

Midfield – Wataru Endo still the main man

The one big difference from Slot’s midfield to Klopp’s midfield at Liverpool is the use of a fully fledged, out and out defensive midfielder.

Klopp loved Wataru Endo, and while Ryan Gravenberch may have still flourished under the old manager, for one reason or another, the Dutchman was not fancied.

It feels unlikely that Klopp would ever have tried Gravenberch in the ‘destroyer’ role he favoured in the lone six, and while we think he’d have ultimately upgraded on this position, Endo is still the player who best fits that description in Slot’s current squad.

Although there may be some nervousness from fans about the Japan captain starting week-in-week-out, Klopp would mitigate that by having two much more complete midfielders alongside him: Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.

Attack – Florian Wirtz takes Roberto Firmino’s crown

RTK wrote that Florian Wirtz should replace Roberto Firmino at Liverpool all the way back in 2022. Three years later, and we still think that could work.

Klopp loved the way Firmino dropped deep to make way for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane on either wing, and we believe he would potentially look to do the same with Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike.

Klopp and Salah were not seeing eye to eye by the time the manager left in 2024, and with his output on the wane, the 58-year-old would possibly see a way to edge the Egyptian out.

Mane and Salah were nominally centre-forwards who simply started from wide positions during Klopp’s peak years at Liverpool. The potential of seeing Isak and Ekitike do the same while Wirtz finds the deeper pockets sounds like one which could wreak havoc.