FanPost

Over exuberance: Klopp is coming, so who goes?

My mind gets excited sometimes, and it likes to organize things when that happens. It's weird, cause I'm weird. Which can be a blessing and a curse, since I waste time writing things like below, and you waste time reading them, which is sometimes fun and some folks think I carry on too much and have poor grammar and run on sentences, and go off on bad, boring tangents.

Where were we? Oh yeah, a squad. For Klopp. So a 4-2-3-1, and how the current pieces may fit into it plus what we may need come January or next summer to actually do it. Starting at the front and going back:

ST - Sturridge/Benteke/Ings/Origi/Sinclair Provided Ings is fine as the squad rotation option, I'm thinking it shakes out like so. Sinclair is near ready, but who knows how he fits Klopp or his contract situation, but the kid has the goods to possibly be great. Origi is the same sort of super tools still needing to develop player. If Origi (or Sinclair) emerge as a star, that pushes out Studge or Benteke. Otherwise it kind of makes sense to have those two alternating (particularly with their injury history) in front of the line, with Ings around if one is out hurt and the other needs a rest. So no real need to sign here, particularly considering we have 4 quality players for 1 spot, but Klopp will need to figure out who works best for him up front likely meaning someone is expendable between Sturridge, Benteke, and Origi come next summer.

AM/Wingers - Coutinho/Firmino/Lallana/Milner/Ibe/kids We all assume/hope Lazar comes back in January and is a perfect fit for one of the wing roles flanking our #10. I'm thinking Milner becomes kind of like Kuba was at Dortmund as a hustling RW. Ibe is learning and developing there somewhere. Firmino, Coutinho, and Lallana all work for the #10 spot, or a LW role. And we've got loads of kids who can fit somewhere here with Teixeira around, and kids like Sheyi Ojo, Ryan Kent, Bobby Adekanye, Sergi Cano, Harry Wilson, and others in the academy or on loan possibly able to emerge here. It'll be interesting to see who emerges from this large mix to demand spots, and who ends up moving on.

CM - Henderson/Lucas/Can/Allen/Rossiter/Chirivella Tex could also perhaps slot here? Or Coutinho/Lallana, in a score all the goals type quick counter philosophy. But Henderson seems ideal for one of the 2 CM spots in the 4-2-3-1. Can has the physical tools, but it remains to be seen if he has the head for it. Lucas hopefully stays in this rotation, but seems to be on the wrong end of the aging curve. I think Rossiter could be an excellent fit here, making Allen expendable. Chirivella has impressed me in his cameos, but remains to be seen like all the other kids how he develops and adapts to the new system. So I'd think unless Can steps up soon, one of the main priorities for the upcoming windows along with a top, top winger is the right CM partner for Henderson, while Lucas, Rossiter, and others provide differing deputies behind them.

CB - Sakho/Skrtel/Gomez/Lovren/Kolo Sakho and Gomez seem like an awesome future pairing for a long, long time. And Lovren more than young enough to be a solid, and talented, 3rd CB behind them. That is if he fits Klopp better than Rodgers so the massive seemingly mental errors are eliminated. Otherwise, a CB is likely on the shopping list. Skrtel's more than capable of being that 3rd member of the group, but he's also nearing the wrong end of the aging curve ala Lucas, and could be more valuable to a Champions League club desperate for defensive solidity in January than to LFC with an emerging star at RCB in Gomez. Kolo seems fine for depth, since how good is the 4th CB for a Europa team that doesn't pay crazy wages gonna be? And as we've seen, it's a bad spot for a kid needing to grow since they get so little game time.

FB - Clyne, Moreno, Flanagan, Enrique I don't know what the future holds for a guy like Connor Randall now forced into the bench due to depth issues, or the double barrel kid who debuted on the preseason tour. Or for Flanagan's health in the future as suspect as that's been and the repeated leg injuries that can take a toll. I'm hoping Flanagan is healthy enough, and affordable enough, to stay as a squad member for years filling a 4th choice FB role so he's not a must have available but still able to help when needed. Clyne is clearly our must have available FB, and seems a pretty good fit for Klopp at his preferred RB. So that takes care of the #1 spot, and the 4 hole. Who is 2 and 3? Enrique is just riding out the contract until he moves on, even if Klopp fancies him, considering his knee issues, age, and continued decline. Moreno could be that second though his defensive acumen can be questioned. He's got the speed and offensive abilities to be a great LB if he improves in defending, or perhaps switch to an attacking winger role and provided the needed quality and depth increase there. Only time will tell. So if Moreno is the answer at LB, then I'd say he and Clyne need that 3rd option to reliably be able to rotate in with them (since Flanno's legs can't be relied on if they even heal in the first place). If Moreno isn't, then we need both a starting LB (/stareslustilyatErikDurm), AND that 3rd option to rotate in.

K - Simon/Bogdan Like with Kolo, for a Europa team that doesn't pay crazy wages, or even a CL team that doesn't pay crazy wages, we aren't likely to have a legit starter as our #2 keeper like Bayern had Pepe, Chelsea have Begovic, etc. So Bogdan makes sense there unless Mat Ryan wants to sign on. Keep searching and signing promising kids to loan and work with the u21s developing underneath, although if we can have a Doni or Brad Jones relatively cheap but experienced 3rd keeper it's not a bad idea. But Simon proves worth starting for us, or he's sold and a replacement is sought. But I can't see Waffles as the #2.

Summation - We have some redundancy in the squad, so some key guys are likely to be sold and funds used to fill other roles for better balance and fit to the new scheme. We definitely need a FB, starting and/or to rotate in depending on Moreno's future role. We almost certainly need a winger (again depending on Moreno, as well as developing kids and a hopefully recalled and now flourishing while played in his natural role Lazar). We may or may not need a CB to pair with Sakho (Gomez?), may or may not need a CM to pair with Hendo (Can?), and may or may not need a keeper (Migs?). We seem pretty well set for Klopp at ST and the #10 roles, so that's nice considering how expensive the top, top players are for those roles. But the transition between Rodgers and Klopp may be swifter and smoother than some, like myself, originally thought.

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