Liverpool were well-aware that their decision not to strengthen their midfield last summer was both a controversial and an unpopular one.
Having nearly won an unprecedented quadruple the year before, Jurgen Klopp kept faith with his ranks despite outside outcry. The German would even regularly defend such a stance publicly once the season got underway.
Yet, boasting an ageing squad, this is where the Reds’ campaign fell apart. Last summer, club sources would admit that results would ultimately dictate whether such a transfer strategy was right or not. Failure to qualify for the Champions League speaks for itself.
With Thiago Alcantara remaining the Reds’ last senior midfield signing in 2020, and the only engine-room arrival since 2018, Liverpool failed to address a gaping hole in their squad.
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At the time, having missed out on Aurelien Tchouameni, they could point to being forced to wait for Jude Bellingham as the reason for such delay. Yet, come April, they were left with egg on their faces after they were left with no choice but to withdraw from the race to sign the England international.
With their eyes now open to just how much surgery their squad required, and unable to rely on Champions League riches, the Reds conceded they needed a number of quality new arrivals rather than just one marquee addition. It was clear their gamble had not paid off, with Klopp, the club’s recruitment team, and owners FSG all culpable.
Liverpool called upon the services of 11 different senior midfielders this season, with such a total rising to 15 if we wish to include Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cody Gakpo, Roberto Firmino, and youngster Bobby Clark. Quantity does not always mean quality at Anfield.
In truth, no-one could have foreseen Fabinho’s swift fall from grace, and, to a lesser extent, Jordan Henderson’s. But the injuries suffered by other stars, that left the Reds playing catch-up before the season even began, was far more predictable.
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They would lose Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Thiago, Naby Keita, and Henderson before the transfer window had even closed. Looking back, this should have preempted a change of tactic long before the desperate loan signing of Arthur Melo on transfer deadline day.
Klopp would rue such absences as the campaign wore on, as injuries became the chief suspect of Liverpool’s demise. Lengthy lay-offs for Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Firmino would then leave the Reds further devoid of all identity and intensity, as their limping side were left lacking legs and chasing shadows.
Where a plethora of options fuelled their quadruple charge, depleted numbers resulted in their downfall. Short on numbers, available players were forced to go again and again, despite fatigue or loss of form.
Insanity is doing the same thing again and again, and expecting different results. Yet when Liverpool were at their lowest, Klopp had no other choice.
But despite such mitigating circumstances, injuries don’t write away their campaign. They don’t act as an asterisk against the Reds’ fifth-place finish and lack of major silverware.
This season, Liverpool failed. Many saw it coming, though perhaps not quite to such an extent, and it was entirely avoidable. Blinded by the Reds’ success year after year, the club ultimately weren’t ruthless enough when it came to revamping an ageing, declining, and injury-prone squad.
At least, Klopp found positives to build on heading into next season. Stefan Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott, and Curtis Jones have offered hope for the future, while the gap between declining talent and raw potential should soon be eradicated.
Meanwhile, an 11-game unbeaten run, put together around the reinvention of Alexander-Arnold as an inverted full-back in a 3-2-2-3 formation, has offered the German food for thought. And now, they are closing in on a long-awaited midfield signing.
Alexis Mac Allister is set to become Liverpool’s first signing of the summer. Joining from Brighton, he essentially offers everything the Reds’ midfield has been lacking, with his peak years still ahead of him, his availability record superb, a playing style that suits Klopp’s own demands, and versatility ensuring he is comfortable playing every midfield role.
It would be simplistic to suggest that if Liverpool had had Mac Allister this season, they would not have struggled to the extent that they did. But the Argentine won’t be the only new arrival at Anfield and is just the start of the Reds’ summer surgery.
While it was so clear what went wrong for Liverpool in 2022/23, it also makes it obvious what the Reds need to do to address it. And now, less than two weeks after the end of the most disappointing season of Klopp’s reign, they have moved early to give themselves the best chance of ensuring this unwanted transitional period lasts only one season.
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