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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Liverpool private talks and new face are on way after telling Jurgen Klopp admission

Having regularly flitted between the sublime and the ridiculous across the last nine months, it was only fitting Liverpool did it one last time here at Southampton.

A remarkable game that ebbed and flowed until the very last seconds ended in a 4-4 draw that, despite its ultimately meaningless nature, acted as a microcosm for much of what has been a difficult campaign at Anfield, but one that was still spliced with enough memorable moments to sustain plenty of optimism in the coming months.

It was the season of Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United and of defeats at Brentford and Brighton and Wolves; a season of Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth and of losses to Leeds United and Nottingham Forest; a season where Manchester City were slain at Anfield and one that saw Brighton run amok at the Amex.

AS IT HAPPENED: Southampton vs Liverpool final score, goals and match recap

READ MORE: Nine-goal forward who Liverpool failed to sign now available for just £50k

Such wildly fluctuating fortunes make it a hard task to properly analyse it all but that the sum of their efforts is qualification to the Europa League surely gives you the definitive answer.

In what was a great advertisement for last-day games with nothing riding on them, those at St Mary's were treated to eight goals in total with both teams fighting back from two-goal deficits in each half.

First, Diogo Jota scored when Romeo Lavia underhit a pass inside his own six-yard box to give the Portugal international a tap-in. It was the Reds' 100th goal of the campaign and surely none had been gifted to them as easily as that one.

Roberto Firmino gave the travelling fans what they craved with a goal on his final appearance shortly after Jota's effort. It was the Brazilian's 111th as a Liverpool player and marked an ideal way to sign off after eight decorated years on Merseyside.

James Ward-Prowse reduced arrears with a measured finish after excellent work from Carlos Alcaraz before Kamaldeen Sulemana made it 2-2 in sloppy circumstances from Liverpool's perspective. With the Reds threatening to counter on the halfway line, Firmino's hesitation on the ball allowed the Saints to win it back and immediately carve open their visitors to make it even at half time.

It was all enjoyable end-of-term fare in the south coast sunshine, even if Klopp will have been disgruntled at the manner of the goals his side shipped. His brow no doubt furrowed further when Sulemana made it 3-2 shortly after the restart having escaped the attention of Fabinho before carrying it to a shooting position from about 20 yards.

Adam Armstrong then punished a slack pass from substitute Jordan Henderson as the Saints threatened to really pull away from the Reds after the hour mark. In-keeping with a particularly bonkers afternoon, though, Klopp's men were level thanks to two goals in as many minutes, first from substitute Cody Gakpo and then Jota, whose powerful finish showcased his predatory skills further.

Liverpool searched high and wide for their fifth with Mohamed Salah in particular giving his all as he tried to secure his 20th of the Premier League campaign. It was not to be, however, and they would be forced to settle for a draw that did not impact their already-secure fifth-place finish.

There are few real conclusions to be drawn after this game, the Reds' Europa League fate was sealed by the 37 that had preceded it. It was one of those rare occasions that gave the fans in the away end the chance to merely lap up the afternoon's entertainment and in truth much of the post-match analysis should instead be focused on the longer-term, because it's what comes next that will be more instructive to Liverpool's future under Klopp.

The final whistle marked the end of an era for a team that has lifted every top-level trophy since 2019. As the Reds now prepare to sign off from a campaign that has yielded their lowest-ever finish in a full term on their current manager's watch, there will be much to pick through when the post-season discussions get underway.

To call them inquests or post-mortems might be a little unfair but there will be a lot to dissect and assess during those private talks between manager and players before they are sent on their summer holidays. An 11-game unbeaten stretch that has seen them take 25 from the last 33 points on offer does at least point towards a team with its house in order once more.

The shedding of four first-team members in Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - as well as Arthur Melo, whose season-long loan saw him feature for just 13 minutes at Napoli in September - means that from a purely squad-numbers point of view, there is work to be done to redress to balance.

That much is already known to Klopp and his recruitment staff as they approach a critical rebuild that will have a sizable say on how quickly the club are able to get back into the Champions League.

If Liverpool have established themselves as some of the shrewdest operators in the business with regards to transfers in recent years, it is something they will have to prove all over again in the coming weeks.

A new sporting director is on his way in Jorg Schmadtke and a big-spending window is needed to properly rejuvenate a squad of players who have given so much to their manager and supporters in recent years. The Anfield Road development is now also into its final weeks and if the stars align over the summer, there is still much to eagerly anticipate as a fresh chapter prepares to be written.

There's a new era rapidly approaching, Klopp's assertion that he and his staff can now "start preparing the future" was an admission that he knows it as well as anyone and what happens between June and August - both on and off the field - will be imperative to seeing Liverpool hit the ground running when it is here. A massive close-season period now awaits.

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