Liverpool Blog
It’s December and we are almost half way through the season. The winter transfer window opens in January and there are managers who cannot wait for January to come. They will be hoping to get some players who could improve their teams and achieve their goals.
The January transfer window will be Jurgen Klopp’s first transfer window with Liverpool. There are lots of rumours going around. Media has linked some Borussia Dortmund players with Liverpool just because of their connection with Klopp. Klopp has already said that he is free to sign players from Dortmund, but he has also said that he will only buy players according to the necessity. Media has also linked Liverpool with other Bundesliga players. Other big names like Isco has also been linked with Liverpool.
Liverpool were not in a good condition when Klopp took over, but he has helped Liverpool to slowly revive. They are currently sixth on the points table and are just six points away from league leaders, Manchester City. Jurgen Klopp will be targeting a top 4 finish in his debut season with Liverpool.
With the transfer window in our sights and considering that Klopp will be at least targeting a top 4 finish, a few questions come to our minds. Will Klopp bring some big names to Liverpool in January? Can Liverpool finish in the top 4 without any big money signings?
In my opinion, Liverpool do not need any big summer signings in the January transfer window in order to challenge for the top four spot. If we look at Liverpool’s defense, it has been a lot better under Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool have only kept two clean sheets after Klopp’s arrival, but still they have not conceded much. They have only conceded one goal in three of their six league matches under Klopp. And they conceded two against Crystal Palace. Simon Mignolet’s save rate after Klopp’s arrival is below two and that shows how the back four has improved. Nathaniel Clyne has been Liverpool’s most consistent player while Moreno who was criticized for his poor defensive skills has also improved a lot defensively (He is good at attacking too and he is always a threat on the left flank). The experienced Skrtel gives solid performances for Liverpool and Sakho is turning out to be a fan favorite. Even Dejan Lovren has started giving fine performances for Liverpool.
Now if we look at Liverpool’s midfield, we don’t see any problem there too. Captain Jordan Henderson has returned from injury. James Milner is starting to find his form. Lucas Leiva has turned out to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the league this season. Emre Can has gained a lot of confidence after Klopp’s arrival. Firmino has found his mojo. Coutinho has already scored as many goals he scored last season. Adam Lallana is looking great under Klopp. What more do you want, to hold down a top 4 spot. And oh yeah, Jordon Ibe is looking amazing and he could soon become a starter for Liverpool.
Even though Christian Benteke has limitations, he is still a beast. And Daniel Sturridge has returned from injury, which is a huge boost for Liverpool.
Liverpool have a quality squad and this team is good enough to finish in the top 4. But, there will be problems if players like Clyne, Coutinho, Firmino, etc get injured. So Liverpool should ensure that there is enough depth to cope up with the never-ending injury problems. They should ensure that they don’t drop points even if few of their key players are absent.
We have analyzed if Liverpool have a good enough squad to finish in the top 4. Now let us see how the condition of other teams in the league would favour Liverpool’s pursuit for the top 4 finish. Sergio Aguero is Manchester City’s key player. The league table leaders received a setback on Saturday when Aguero hobbled off the pitch. Aguero is very injury prone and Manchester City could drop points in his absence because they find it difficult to score without him. The same happened to Arsenal. Their key player Alexis Sanchez hobbled off the pitch on Sunday against Norwich. Arsenal, like always, have a long injury list and that could ruin their season and their hopes. Manchester United is getting far more than they deserve. Even Manchester United fans agree that they are not playing good football. LVG’s luck could end at any time. Leicester is the surprise team fighting for a top 4 finish (they are currently second and just one point away from Manchester City), but their wheels could fall off at any moment. Tottenham Hotspurs are in good form now. Pochettino’s Spurs and Klopp’s Liverpool have the best opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Liverpool could easily finish in the top 4 with their current squad (if they don’t receive any serious injury setbacks). All they need to do is get a backup for either the right back or left back position (even though Jon Flanagan will be returning soon). Jurgen Klopp might bring in a new goalkeeper and replace Mignolet in January. And if at all Klopp makes a big money signing then that means only one thing – He is going for the title.
Liverpool might have a good enough team to finish in the top 4, but if Liverpool need to perform well in the champions league next season then they might need a couple of big money signings. Jurgen Klopp will handle that in the summer transfer window.
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