The honeymoon period of Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Liverpool was brought to an abrupt end with a dismal three-goal defeat to Watford over the weekend.
Although the German manager has undoubtedly brought a new belief to Anfield that hasn’t been seen in a very long time, Liverpool is far from a finished product.
Klopp has his first chance to reshuffle the Liverpool line up as the January window approaches. However, while the Red’s boss will be looking to add to the squad, he should also cut loose players that are not fitting the system.
With Martin Skrtel confirmed to be out of action for three months with a Hamstring injury, Jurgen Klopp should look to the January window for a new centre back.
Liverpool’s shaky defensive line has been a persistent problem over Liverpool’s recent seasons. The inability to find a confident centre-back pairing has led to countless Liverpool defeats.
As Sakho returns from injury, Klopp may look for a partner for the Frenchman to solidify Liverpool’s shaky defence.
Klopp has already targeted a former player of his during his time at Borussia Dortmund. Neven Subotic is at the top of the list for Liverpool this January. However, it could take a fair bit of convincing for the Serbian to make to move to the Premier League.
An area in particular that has been a huge talking point amongst the Liverpool faithful is the goalkeeper position. Currently, both Mignolet and Bogdan have been well below par.
While it is not a particular position that needs to be rectified in the January window, Liverpool fans are calling upon the German to find a solution to the uncertainty during the posts.
Despite Liverpool’s unstable defence, Klopp’s greatest signing could come in the form of a prolific goal-scorer. Although Liverpool has Sturridge, Benteke, Origi, Ings and Balotelli on their books injuries have limited selection dramatically.
Ings is currently out for the rest of the season and persistent injuries continually see Sturridge spend time on the sidelines. While Origi has bloomed under Klopp, his fellow Belgian teammate Benteke has struggled to find the form that is expected of a £32M signing.
A current rumour is that the struggling Chelsea are in pursuit of the big Belgian. However, Klopp dismissed those rumours in a recent interview with Goal.com saying “All I’ve read until now was 0% and I haven’t heard about this.”
Liverpool has been linked with former AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato since Klopp’s appointment. However, the rumours have quelled in recent months.
The difference between Liverpool and the top three sides on the table at the moment is a prolific constant goal-scoring striker.
If Klopp decides to delve into the transfer market to find this missing piece of the puzzle, it could escalate Liverpool up the Premier League table.
Liverpool is still undergoing a rebuilding phase as Klopp still finds what works best for his squad and the club. However, the German has brought belief and confidence amongst the Liverpool supporters.
If Klopp can bring all of the pieces of the puzzle together, it could see the former kings of England return to the summit of English football sooner rather than later.
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